Tag: baking

Categories
Connected Objects Cooking

The CHiP is a dedicated cookie oven for sweet teeth

Cookie: Merely saying or writing the word instantly conjures up pleasing thoughts of chewy goodness. One can never go wrong with set of freshly baked cookies, which is why the team behind the CHiP wants to bring it to kitchens everywhere.

The CHiP smart cookie oven does one thing and one thing well: Perfectly bake cookies in under 10 minutes. It does this with its QuickConvect Air Flow System that uses a four-inch convection fan to blow hot air through special air channels, not only ensuring the tastiest cookies but also energy efficiency in baking them. Now by itself, this would make the CHiP no better than a standard oven, especially since it only can bake cookies. But combined with its companion app, users can set various baking modes sporting varying schedules and, more crucially, order ‘cookie pods’ similar to the coffee capsules used by products from companies like Nespresso.

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Categories
Cooking

DoughEZ preps your dough for a grand rollout

There’s something about homemade cookies, pies, pizza and other treats that just somehow doesn’t seem available in generic store bought or bakery items. Years ago, grandma had her secrets that she passed along to visiting grandchildren, but nowadays, grandma has to work just like mom does. That’s where DoughEZ comes in. Though lovers of baking still have to mix up their own dough, this product promises to help them roll it out to the perfect thickness for each baked delight every time. The dough rolling system consists of a plastic, non-stick surface and guide sticks that can double as a frame for no-bake items. The system is touted as being suitable for everyone from professional bakers to beginners. The best way to clean the system is not clearly indicated, but it does appear that it may be able to help reduce the mess that comes with using flour when making homemade goods. This campaign is seeking to raise $500 by November 1, 2014. For $50, backers get one system with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Cooking Maker/Development

Candy 3D food printer is the sweetest printer ever

The Premise. Although the flexibility of 3D printing has birthed many novel ideas for the private and government sectors, it has ultimately proven to be cost-prohibitive for the consumer. This has slowed down the average person’s entry into this space, especially with regards to the many benefits promised by 3D-printed food.

The Product. Candy aims to be one of the first affordable 3D printers focused solely on food of the sweeter (and guiltier) kind. Candy uses dispensers filled with any semi-solid to create perfectly shaped cookies, flawless cake details, or a variety of other designs for both professional confectioners looking to save time and home bakers looking to impress. Its sleek fiberglass build capable of reading SD cards loaded with pre-made and custom designs fits into many kitchens.

The Pitch. London-based 3D Venture’s campaign video does a neat and tidy job of explaining how Candy works, showing off its confectionery talents in a variety of environments used by a variety of people. Simple and to the point, the accompanying material provides information about the device’s specs and and the risks involved with the campaign. The company is shooting for a goal of about $100,000 in order to begin mass production.

The Perks. With the majority of Candy printers shipping in April 2015 for $499 ($100 off the eventual retail model), those who can’t wait to satisfy their sweet tooth can score one a bit earlier in March 2015 for $799, along with two extruders. All perks give you the option of choosing any available color.

The Potential. Candy looks simple, clean, and effortless. While its printing quality is lower than that of higher-end 3D printers, it is making things that are ephemeral. The printer should find an early audience with chefs looking to add new and interesting designs to their cuisine. Candy costs half the price of another 3D food printer vying for your gastronomical attention. And at $499, Candy will be seen as a pretty sweet deal in a market still known for its exuberant prices.

 

Categories
Cooking Tablet Accessories

Go from culinary chump to champion chef with Drop

The Premise. Ask any college student or bachelor and most of them will agree: cooking is nowhere as easy as mom made it out to be. Whether there isn’t room in the budget to botch a meal or if anything more advanced than sandwiches and microwave pizza is too difficult, making delicious, fresh meals requires help.

The Product. In terms of actual physical product, Drop is merely a kitchen scale that connects to the iPad in order to display its results. However, the iPad app is more than a glorified scale readout. Drop can walk users through recipes, make suggestions for successful improvisation, and send alerts when it’s time to get back into the kitchen for the next step. Drop functions essentially as a powerful digital kitchen instructor that just so happens to also be a scale, supporting iPad Air, Mini, 3rd gen, and 4th gen.

The Pitch. The promotional video for Drop really captures the essence of how exhilarating it can be to correctly prepare a complex meal, whether sharing it or not. In a brief 90-second presentation, viewers get a full clear picture of almost everything Drop can do, meaning there’s no lull or dragging in the clip. The website for Drop is bright, engaging, and features a strong balance of information with images. It’s similar in many ways to other pre-order websites, but the Drop color scheme and product identity make it stand out a bit.

The Perks. Drop is expected to drop this fall, and can be pre-ordered for $80. The first 2,000 orders also don’t pay any shipping costs.

The Potential. Frankly as far as Drop is concerned, the product itself is fairly underwhelming. Smart kitchen scales have been done before, and any serious kitchen maestro probably already has one in their arsenal. Where Drop really separates itself from the competition, and does so by a very wide margin, is in the iPad app that Drop works with. Covering everything from substitute ingredients to recipe scaling based on number of diners or amount of ingredients remaining, Drop makes sure that nothing in the kitchen comes as a surprise. The presentation is great, the device looks friendly and easy to use, and the end results promise to be both attractive and tasty. Seasoned experts may not find much use for Drop, but for the less confident cooks or those just starting out, this tool promises to do more than its weight in the kitchen.