This is a story that starts like a spy novel. A tale spanning six years, beginning with organ donation in Israel, traversing Eastern Europe to a software company in Romania, on to test households in Düsseldorf, through to the power-broking restaurants of the world and a celebrity chef in Melbourne, climaxing in dramatic scenes in a former theatre in Berlin. Intrigued? Like all bestselling thrillers, not all is as it seems. In fact, this is the story of how Germany’s pre-eminent applicance manufacturer, Miele, laid plans to revolutionise kitchens and home cooking forever, kept it top secret, and launched it to the world against the backdrop of Germany’s enigmatic capital, also the home of Miele. “From the outside, whitegoods are not necessarily interesting,” says Dr Markus Miele, fourth-generation Miele co-owner and managing director. “But when you look at the little details, they are.” We are in Berlin for the launch of the company’s landmark new Dialog oven, along with a brigade of the world’s best chefs, including Australia’s Shannon Bennett. The global launch is high budget, high profile and dramatic. Why the secrecy and fuss? Because Miele’s new oven has an irresistible pitch: it cooks food up to 70 per cent faster than conventional ovens (it’ll roast a chicken in 15 minutes). It’s intuitive, so you can control cooking from your smartphone, or import recipe settings. And it’s sophisticated, so you can cook dishes simultaneously – whether they be truss tomatoes and a lamb roast – with each cooked to perfection. It even guarantees a perfect souffle. Basically, once the tinkering is done, this appliance is slated to change cooking forever. While it sounds too good to be true, I witnessed mind-boggling tricks at the launch: a block of ice with a piece of fish inside went into the Dialog oven. When it re-emerged, the ice was still frozen, yet the fish inside was perfectly cooked.

Frozen cakes were defrosted in record time, as well as other feats of cooking that could not otherwise be explained. Miele is no stranger to innovation. Its first breakthrough in 1901 was a solution to churn butter better. Co-owned for four generations by the Miele and Zinkann families, its solidarity and consistency is a rarity. Dr Miele says family conflict is generally easy to keep separate from work. Debate occurs over things like design or colour, but “most of the time if someone doesn’t have a big problem with it, we can try it out and stop if it doesn’t work”. Dr Miele is genial, frank, interesting and informed. He likes to cook when he has time, and he’s famous for hosting Miele employees at his home for dinner. His speciality is his pizza dough recipe. “I use brown sugar instead of white, as well as good olive oil from Greece,” he explains. He honeymooned in Australia, and has seen our country become a bigger market for the brand than the US. “Australia is closer to Europe than they think,” he explains. “When you look at the food, and how people behave, you’re still very close to Europe, with influences from Italy, Spain and Germany.” Miele calls the new Dialog oven revolutionary. “It’s basically a new technology that will heat food from the inside,” says Dr Miele. “You can do things which can’t be done with a conventional system. It comes with a high price tag, so it won’t be mainstream in the next two to four years, and it still has some way to go.” He believes the rise of the home appliance as status symbol is not surprising. “German newspapers are really fond of cars. But they say that the new status symbol is no longer a Mercedes or a BMW, but the kitchen. People are investing money into their home and cocooning; everything outside is uncertain, so people want to invest in their own home.” Dr Miele says the leaps and bounds in technology have transformed the perception of the kitchen. “Twenty to thirty years ago, there was just the cooktop, the basic things. Now you have so many different options. Steam oven, warming drawers, speed ovens… the ability of configuration is so big and there are so many new trends. Induction has become extremely strong.”

The Dialog was six years in the making and came about via contact with an Israeli organ transplantation company. “When you transplant organs, you have to take that organ and cool it for transportation, and then you have to reheat it,” says Dr Miele. The even distribution of heat influences the probability of the organ being rejected, he explains, and the company developed a technology to evenly reheat organs. “We said, well if we can do that to human tissue, what about food? We did a lot of testing to see where the limit is.” Enter Shannon Bennett, a Miele ambassador for more than a decade and a frequent visitor to Berlin. He began a testing process on Dialog more than two years ago. “The fact that they are using organ technology is fascinating,” says the chef, restaurateur and delicious. contributor. He threw himself into testing prototypes, providing thorough notes on how the food could be better cooked. I watch him in Berlin’s Miele Gallery working closely with other chefs, including New Zealand’s Michael Meredith. He stands firm on things he believes won’t work, and even has a heated exchange with a home economist. Bennett fits many bills for Miele: his strong communication skills, expertise, credibility with industry and consumers, and his ethics play well with the company ethos. Both believe energy conservation is a must. Both have the desire to do something better. Miele’s relationships with top chefs goes back to its beginnings and helps explain the higher price point. “Our quality difference and innovation is hard to convey to the consumer, so we do it via channels that the customers believe and will listen to,” says Dr Miele. “Chefs help us develop products, and it is also how we learn.” Dr Miele tells me that some of the visiting chefs want to have the Dialog oven at their chef’s tables. “They want to create signature dishes to do something you can’t do anywhere else.” Bennett, too, is interested to trial the technology at Vue de Monde when the product is ready. But for now, we have Berlin to explore. We leave the Miele Gallery for a whirlwind tour of the city, guided by Bennett. First stop: the city’s oldest beer garden, Prater Garten. Berlin and Dialog have more in common than I first realised – the combination of old and new; or tradition and innovation. In Berlin, no matter what path you take, you can always expect the unexpected.

The best doner kebabs in the world, according to Bennett. “It’s the ground zero of kebabs,” he assures me, after explaining the strong Turkish influence on Berlin’s food scene. A long line snakes from the booth serving three types of kebabs for €3-4 each. Fresh pitas, generous lashings of chicken, sauces, herbs, spices, goat’s cheese and vegies make it arguably the best-value lunch around. Grab a Grolsch from the convenience store on the corner and drink it in line while you wait. mustafas.de

“It’s the oldest beer garden in Germany, and I think it serves the best pizza in Berlin,” says Bennett. Enormous leafy old trees dominate the large outdoor space, along with hundreds of bright-yellow tables. There are large pretzels for snacks and plenty of pilsner. Beware, the garden is only open April to September (closed in winter), while the restaurant is open all year. prater-biergarten.de General area photo used

Think art, music, food. “You have to visit this place, plus the pizzas are amazing,” says Bennett. There’s a restaurant, four bars and three nightclubs all set by the popular canal. Inventive takes on recycled furniture and the quirky crowd make it feel something like the set of Mad Max. katerschmaus.de

This chain of sausage shops is named after the postcode of Kreuzberg in an homage to its street food. “Line up and grab a paper plate of grilled sliced sausage smothered in tomato sauce and curry powder,” recommends Bennett. “It’s surprisingly subtle and smooth. Plus it’s really cheap and the chips are great.” curry36.de

“Tim Raue is the best restaurant in Berlin right now,” says Bennett. Currently number 48 on The World’s 50 Best list, it boasts bold Asian flavours and is the spot to splash out at. Chef Raue’s standout dish is said to be the wasabi langoustine. tim-raue.com

Prinzessinnengarten (Prinzenstraße 35-38): an amazing oasis of a vegetable garden manned by mostly volunteer workers (you can buy anything from tomatoes to herbs for a song), and bars made from shipping containers in an enchanted forest strung with fairy lights. Towards the back is a large treehouse that could double as a set for The Lost Boys, with swings and a stage, built by locals.

Nano Kaffee Berlin (Dresdener Straße 14): for serious, speciality coffee and unique blends. Five Elephant (Reichenberger Straße 101): a micro roaster and bakery. Try the espresso soft serve sprinkled with ground-up beans and served by a hipster barista.

Cool Kreuzberg is worth the wander, particularly VooStore (Oranienstraße 24). Find minimalist brands, chic jewellery, books and a hip coffee house inside. Mitte’s streets (pictured) are packed full of interesting shops, good vintage stores, cafes and bars down laneways. Hackescher Markt is an interesting mix of graffitied laneways that lead to bars, hidden restaurants and the Anne Frank Zentrum memorial museum.

KaDeWe (Tauentzienstraße 21-24) is a department store famous for its food hall the size of several football fields and traditional butcher, fishmonger and baker.

Restaurant eins44 (Elbestraße 28/29): like all good things in Berlin, you’ll find this quirky restaurant in a completely random spot through a wire gate in the back of a car park. It’s produce driven, simple and uniquely Berlin, an interesting experience with great service and an excellent German drinks list. Canal picnicking Start at the corner of Ratiborstraße/ Paul-Lincke-Ufer in Kreuzberg and walk along the canal to Carl-Herz-Ufer. Or in good weather take a beer, some bread and cheese to people watch and enjoy life as the local bohemians do.