Category: Cooking

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Cooking

Herbie grinds greens across edibles from your high place

The Premise. For the fancy chef, self-proclaimed foodie or anyone with taste buds, fresh herbs are a must. Chopping herbs can be difficult and doesn’t always produce even, reliable results. Finely chopped herbs can also make a mess, spreading out and sticking to the cutting board, knife and countertop.

The Product. Bearing no resemblance to the Volkswagen Beetle that co-starred with Lindsay Lohan, Herbie is an electronic herb grinder that is rechargeable and plugs into the wall or laptop using a USB cord. It  can run for up to two hours (good for at least one Phish jam) on a full charge. Herbie is made out of aluminum and stainless steel and comes with a wall charger, USB cable and spout. Herbie has a cheaper little brother, Herbie Lite, that’s made out of plastic and polycarbonate and comes with a wall charger and USB cable.

The Pitch. Herbie’s Indiegogo campaign shows that its creators, Conlin Monaco and Will Lawler, really wanted to craft a well-made product.  In the video, they talk about how they designed Herbie to avoid the problems that other dry herb grinders face, such as clogging up and metal shavings that come off of the mechanism. Their campaign explicitly shows the difference between the Herbie and Herbie Lite, which was extremely helpful. Monaco and Lawler are trying to raise the unrounded sum of $76,875. They have three stretch goals: $120,000 for a spout attachment, $160,000 for a storage compartment that attaches directly to Herbie and $200,000 to manufacture Herbie with Teflon to avoid gunk build-up. They’ve been confident enough to launch a Herbie Web site though it doesn’t contain much information yet.

The Perks. There are two early bird specials, one for an Herbie Lite at $39 and one for a regular Herbie at $69. A regular Herbie for the not-so-early bird requires a contribution of $79. The reward tiers climb all the way up to $2,250, each including generous discounts for the grinder and its accessories.  More than 30 Herbies might sound like a minyan, but the option is there if desired. Estimated delivery is May 2014.

The Potential. Overengineered aluminum USB grinders seem to be a crowdfunding thing; the iDraw pencil sharpener failed to meet its funding goal on Kickstarter. The idea of being able to sprinkle some reasonably fresh rosemary onto one’s meal instead of salt could have great health benefits for many. Herbie, while a convenient solution for the kitchen, though, is incredibly expensive at a retail price of $90 for the Lite version and $100 for the not-so-Lite. Mechanical grinders are much cheaper and can chop up herbs just as well as Herbie seems to be able to. There are also electronic grinders already on the market such as the Compact Electric Herb Grinder at about a tenth of the price and choppers that can get the job done as well. Ultimately, most foodies may opt out of purchasing this expensive luxury item. However, Herbie may find success with other demographics, such as certain residents of Washington and Colorado.

Categories
Cooking

WonderWok ignites flame war with outdoor grills

The Premise. The wok is a versatile kitchen staple that has been around for thousands of years. Whether frying, steaming, boiling, or sautéing, the wok can do it all. But when it comes to outdoor cooking, most people turn to their grill or maybe a smoker. Traditional electric or gas stove tops just can’t get hot enough to set the wok a-rockin’.

The Product. The WonderWok is an outdoor grill that unleashes unbridled heat directly to a wok. The wok rests on top, allowing the chef to move it at will. It also comes with a grill and griddle attachment. The WonderWok’s base is silver while the wok and attachments are black. Installation involves simply hooking it up to a propane tank, much like a conventional grill.

The Pitch. The Indiegogo campaign chronicles how Gregory Wong dreamed the WonderWok into existence.  AnAsian cuisine chef with his own YouTube channel, Wong understood the need for something like the WonderWok on the mass market.  Where his campaign lacks is in explaining the product itself.  There are no pictures of the WonderWok in the campaign itself and only fleeting glimpses of its commercial kitchen-like design in the video. The same aversion to stills shows on the WonderWok’s Web site. Wong hopes to raise $100,000.

The Perks. Reward tier pricing may prevent the WonderWok from winning out versus conventional propane grills that can cost a few hundred dollars. Wong offers seven reward tiers that include variations of perks such as bamboo chopsticks, bumper stickers, recipes from his YouTube channel, baseball caps and the like. Only a contribution of $5,000 or more will earn a WonderWok with an estimated delivery date of April 2014.

The Potential. The WonderWok could represent a slice of stir-fried heaven for Asian cuisine chefs who want to expand into more outdoor events; it will be a harder sell for the average weekend backyard burger flipper. Beyond the huge price displarity, there are already several other less expensive alternatives such as Mr. B-B-Q Cast-Iron Wok is a heavy wok designed to sit directly on the grill. Eastman Outdoors sells a similar Outdoors Steel Wok Kit, that is essentially an outdoors grill with a wok on top, much like the WonderWok, just not quite as hot. With these alternatives, it may be difficult for Wong’s creation to find a steady role in the world of outdoor cooking, but professionals should be able to offer at least a wok-on role.

Categories
Camping Cooking

Vertex stove brings the heat, keeps it light

The Premise.  So you plan on spending some time in the great outdoors.  Most of the essentials are small and readily portable: water, compass, map, maybe a multitool.  But what about cooking?  How do you go about fitting something that can contain your fire, shield it from the wind, and prop up your pot/pan into your backpack?

The Product. The Vertex Ultralight Backpacking Stove addresses this problem. With no moving parts, it is literally nothing more than three stamped-out sheets of metal that assemble into a base for your pot, a support for your fuel, and a wind shroud for your fire. These sheets have holes and tabs stamped out to accommodate the Vertex’s interlocking assembly, and arc along their long ends, which form its base and the stand for your pot.  It can burn solid fuel tablets, or also be used in conjunction with the Trangia Spirit Burner to burn denatured alcohol. It then disassembles into a flat, 3×5-inch package that fits easily into its rip-stop nylon storage sleeve (fancy name for pouch), and almost any pocket.

The Pitch. While clear and demonstrative, most of the product video consists of a slide show There’s little more than a couple clips of the creator in the woods and some panning shots of the product in action, with “action” meaning “sitting there on fire,” in this case. About a third of the video focuses on the fuel the Vertex uses rather than the product itself which, let’s face it, consists of little more than a few thoughtfully configured sheets of tempered stainless steel.

The Perks. Backing the project for with $50 will get you a Vertex of your own ($45 if you get in early enough).

The Potential. The Vertex is a clever and elegant product, but with such a small foot print, and nuanced design, it might not work on a rough or slanted surface.  Conventional burners and emergency stove kits cost as little as $4, folding aluminum wind shrouds as little as $8, and other folding stove kits as little as $9.  That being the case, 50 bucks doesn’t seem like much of a deal for a device whose purpose can be outsourced to a bunch of tactically arranged rocks.