Petaling Jaya, 8 August 2005 - Ever wondered if tasty and crispy fried chicken can be cooked without using oil? Well, with the Sharp Water Oven Healsio (Healsio), you can now enjoy a whole new way of cooking using superheated steam technology. This new oven is able to roast food with water, delivering delicious meals which are lower in calories and salt and higher in nutrients. The Healsio is manufactured by Sharp Corporation, Japan and exclusively distributed by Amway (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd under its Personal Shoppers Catalogue range.

The Healsio is the world's first cooking appliance to incorporate the superheated steam technology which has eight times more heating energy versus a convection oven. Water is heated by the oven's steam generator turning it into steam at approximately 100°C. The steam is then further heated to 300°C, forming superheated steam which is then sprayed onto the food in the cooking compartment.

When cooking with Healsio, an extremely large amount of condensation heat is generated. Since a great amount of heat is imparted to the food at once, the fat within the food reaches its melting point in a brief period of time. The fat liquefies, flows out of the food and drips away. A single portion of 125 gram deep fried chicken contains 261 kcal whereas with the Healsio, there is an 18% reduction in kcal to 215 kcal for the same portion of chicken.

When Healsio's superheated steam comes into contact with food, it triggers the natural diffusing action of salt which causes high salt concentrations to disperse towards lower concentrations. Condensation on the food's surface draws the salt out and will drip way, hence reducing the overall salt content within the food. For a single 30 gram portion of salted fish that is steamed in a steamer, the salt content is reduced by only 8.5% versus a 12.2% reduction when cooked using the Healsio.

Cooking with Healsio will also limit the loss of valuable vitamins and nutrients through the oxidation process. By purging the oxygen in the oven's interior cavity with superheated steam, the Healsio cooks at a low oxygen density of 3.2%, which prevents the decomposition of readily oxidized nutrients. Vitamin C which is abundant in vegetables is a nutrient that is easily broken by oxidation. Thus, for example, a single 50 gram portion of boiled broccoli will retain only 64.8% of its vitamin C whilst the same portion cooked with Healsio will retain 89.2% of the same vitamin.

According to Paul Yee, General Manager, Amway: "The introduction of Healsio underscores Amway's commitment to offering innovative yet meaningfully differentiated products focussing on beauty and wellness. At Amway, we believe in the concept of "you are what you eat" and Healsio has introduced a whole new way of cooking that will limit excessive consumption of fat and salt to answer the needs of health-conscious consumers."

The 26-litre oven is user friendly, offering a wide range of cooking options including roasting, grilling, steaming, warming, baking and defrosting at a touch of a button via its 21 auto menu selection. For busy city folk on the go, Healsio is equipped with an oven cleaning function that uses superheated steam to float dirt of the interior of the cooking compartment for convenient cleaning. Its clear viewing window also allows users to view the cooking compartment and judge food's doneness.

Healsio™ is available from 1 July 2005 and can be purchased exclusively through Amway distributors nationwide. The oven is priced at RM5500 (PM) and RM5720.00 (EM). Log on to www.amway2u.com more details or call Amway at (03) 7964 5222.