Once upon a time, a digital thermometer thrust into the middle of big pie was the clever way caterers could see if their pie was hot enough to serve. Such techy help was originally reserved for the professionals, and up until recent history, our cooking-tech was hardly worthy of inspector gadget’s attention. Instead, egg timers, loud clunky electrical pieces of hard-to clean-equipment and fan ovens were winning pieces of kit in the modern (and rather expensive) kitchen.
Alas, we have some fun finds to share with you blog readers, because cooking is getting sooo much cooler…
Waterproof iPad Cases
Do you look to youtube tutorials? Online recipes? Or catch up on Jamie Oliver/ Delia programmes? Well who needs a cookery book whose pages are cemented together and content is limited, when you can whip one of these highly practical and oh so stylish cases on your iPad or android tablet:
This waterproof cover is ideal for safely using next to custard, soup and other bubbling foods. Open up your Whisk App and do some clever cooking.
Download the Whisk App to your iPhone here
Download the Whisk App to your Andriod device here
Robotic Salt and Pepper Pots
Ever had that moment at the dinner table where “please can you pass the salt”, will almost always mean stretching across the table as your hair (or tie) falls into the gravy? You need a salt and pepper pot that will do the legwork for you… literally.
Okay… these are not the height of sophisticated technology, but simple ideas are not to be sniffed at, especially when they will have your dinner guests in stitches.
Here is where you can buy a Robotic Salt and Pepper Pot
Talking Fridge Pets
Our next find is one to conquer the $1.7 billion worth of wasted energy each year in the US alone… through fridge doors being left open. Utterly bizarre but totally adorable, these cute electronic friends live inside your fridge, only speaking when you open the door. How? A light sensor on the top of each Fridge Pet triggers any one of a number of sentences and phrases to make you close the fridge door.
As well as various greetings, Fridge Pets are not averse to dishing out a ticking off; keep the door open too long and your fridge-dwelling buddy urges you to close it.
HAPIfork: A smart fork to help your waistline
The final gem in our foodtech haul of clever gadgets is… a FORK. Not just any fork, but one that buzzes when you stuff your mouth too quickly. There is a significant school of thought to say that overeating and weight gain is the result of chomping too fast. Some of us foodies chomp, chomp and rapidly inhale a whole meal before being overcome with the “I’m so full I need to lie down” feeling. Do you suffer from this?
The Hapi Fork was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month. The bluetooth-enabled smart fork is designed to help you control your eating by tracking how many bites you take and how quickly you eat. Overdo it, and the Hapi fork gets unhappy; its handle vibrates and sensors on the end light up, letting you know it’s time to slow down. This can be connected to your smart phone, which tracks your eating patterns… Also in the works, a smart spoon.
Aside from these fabulously quirky gadgets to improve recipe interaction, energy consumption, entertainment and health… you could just download the new Whisk App to your iPhone, or android smartphone, and James Bond will have some stiff competition against your kitchen tech.