Tobi Fairley is a Thermador brand partner.

When it’s this hot outside, everyone’s thoughts focus on how to stay cool, especially in the kitchen. And speaking of staying cool, every cook knows the finished culinary creation is only as good as the ingredients you start with, which is why refrigeration is so important for a true cook’s kitchen.

Proper food preservation is key to making sure that your ingredients will be fresh when it’s time to cook, and that food like meat and fish are kept at the correct temperatures required. I know I like to cook with premium ingredients, and when you’ve invested time and money in selecting just the right items, you want them to be at their best when you’re ready to cook!

Thermador’s Freedom Collection fresh food columns feature technology that ensures better temperature management for perfect preservation of your food, drink, and ingredients. Refrigerator drawers are sealed so the temperature flowing around the drawer keeps the contents fresher longer. When you’re spending a lot on groceries each week, that’s really important.

The FlexTemp Drawer is one of my favorite Thermador creations – it gives you so much flexibility in keeping your food fresh. All you have to do is press a button on the drawer that corresponds to the food you’re placing inside. For example, fish will be stored at the optimum 32 degrees, meats and cheeses at 35 degrees, and produce at 37 degrees. Isn’t that genius?

Another smart feature in the Thermador Collection is the FreeFlow Cold Air System that is designed right into the door. It allows contents placed on the door shelves to remain cold, and quickly get back to the temperature that the interior is set at once the door is closed. That gives you better preservation for anything that you put in those door shelves, particularly if you have kids that love to open and shut that door for drinks and snacks.

As a real cook, I also love the electronic controls in the Thermador Freedom Collection – they give you the most precise temperature management to keep things at that perfect chilled level.

And, as an interior designer, I like the design options that Thermador’s Freedom Collection gives me. A kitchen can now be personalized for how a cook truly works in his or her own kitchen.

For example, in this video I give you a tour of a kitchen I designed that features fabulous Thermador refrigeration customized for what my client needed:

As you saw in the video, my client really wanted a larger refrigeration unit and a smaller freezer unit. That’s the kind of flexibility that Thermador gives you! With more than 20 customizable models, the Thermador Freedom Collection represents one of the largest true-flush design refrigeration portfolios in America, offering the widest array of kitchen design options for ultimate personalization.

Instead of having the same size refrigerator in the same place, Thermador offers cooks the convenience and versatility of placing Thermador fresh food, freezer, and wine columns anywhere in their kitchen. That really is a next-generation idea!

I also love to create custom-paneled doors for my client’s appliances – that gives the kitchen a clean and edited look. With the Thermador appliances, refrigeration units can have the same exterior design as the kitchen’s cabinetry, which looks seamless!

So keep your cool this summer with the innovative Thermador refrigeration products! Create a kitchen that fits your cooking style, and your personal style!

Tobi’s Summer Sangria

In the summer, I love to make this refreshing and cool sangria for friends who come over for pool parties and barbecues. And it takes advantage of those delicious summer fruits. Keep a pitcher of this in your Thermador refrigerator, ready for anyone who drops by!

Serves 6-8

1 bottle of light white or rose wine

3 large ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

¾ cup peach schnapps

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 Tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

3 cups ginger ale

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a large pitcher. Then place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

When you’re ready to serve, fill wine glasses half full with sangria and then add ginger ale.