GE Sabbath Mode Feature on Cooking Products Meets the Needs of Observant Jewish ConsumersLouisville, Ky. - New technologies in kitchen appliances, such as electronics and safety features on ranges, have added complexity and challenges to life in the kosher kitchen. With this in mind, GE offers a Sabbath Mode feature on over 100 GE, GE Profile™, Monogram® and Hotpoint models. Consumers can find this feature on GE wall ovens, smooth top electric slide-in and smooth top electric drop-in ranges, as well as on the majority of its freestanding ranges. This feature meets the certification requirements of a nationally recognized Kosher certifying agency, Star-K. This capability can be utilized, if desired, but otherwise it stays inactive and unnoticeable to the non-Jewish consumer. "GE's innovation mindset stresses a consumer-focused approach to product and feature development. There are over 6,000,000 members of the Jewish faith in the United States. The voice of our customers led to the identification of this need," explained Leanne Dugan, general manager for cooking products. "Although the Sabbath and holiday laws, especially as they relate to the cooking and heating of foods, are rather complex, the engineers at GE are to be congratulated on their ability to have appreciated and comprehended the intricacies of Halacha (Jewish law) as they developed a Sabbath mode that will enhance the Sabbath and holidays of observant Jewish families," noted Dr. Avrom Pollak, president of the Star-K Kosher Certification. "This feature is truly kosher consumer friendly and we at the Star-K are confident that the observant Jewish community is going to show significant interest in GE cooking appliances," he continued. Most modern ranges are equipped with an integrated 12-hour shut-off safety device. This feature shuts down the oven's power after the oven has been operating consecutively for 12 hours. The GE cooking products with Sabbath Mode will override the 12-hour shut-off. The oven will not shut off automatically, making it possible to keep cooked foods warm on the Sabbath or use the range over religious holidays for cooking and warming food. In addition to overriding the shut off, the Sabbath Mode feature will meet the observant Jewish consumer's restrictions for observing the Sabbath and other holidays by:
How does this feature work? When the consumer activates this feature, the oven may be set either to:
The oven will stay at the temperature the user selects when entering the Sabbath mode. The digital control display will not show time, temperature, or selected oven function until the Sabbath mode feature is manually de-activated at the conclusion of the Sabbath or holiday. This makes it possible for observant Jews to serve warm food on holidays, the underlying principle being that it is permissible to use electricity that is already on but not to turn it on or off during the duration of the holiday. Observant Jews are thus prohibited from turning on or off the oven, or taking an action that causes the oven control display to change during the Sabbath or religious holidays. For specific model information and availability, consumers should contact their local GE Appliance dealer. GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and "ecomagination," a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram®, Profile™ GE®, Hotpoint®, SmartWater™ Reveal®, Edison™ and Energy Smart™ consumer brands, and Entellisys™ industrial brand. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
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