Polara - Would you use this?

[sattie]

http://www.time.com/time/techtime/200310/product5.html

I saw this last night on Kitchens of the Future and wondered if there was anyone out there that would ever use something like this.

 

[GB]

I sure would. I think it is a great idea if it works.

 

[Andy M.]

There are those for whom this would be a big help. I'm not one of those people. If I was, I wouldn't hesitate.

I used to be in the mode of quick or defrosted meals during the week and 'big' meals on the weekend.

 

[sattie]

Demo

They demonstarted cooking cookies in this thing and I thought, man it would be nice to come home to some warm cookies! So they put to cookies in the oven before going to work, set it to chill for several hours, then set it to bake, then to warm. During the day, worker bee found out he would be working late and calls his stove to tell it to delay for one hour.... sure enough, he gets home and has perfectly cooked, warm cookies ready for him! Guess that can help lots of folks with crockpot type meals!

 

[urmaniac13]

Wow... sounds like a kitchen appliance from Minority Report...
But considering the fact that some of the then incredible gadgets from that film are already on the market or about to be on the market, I believe something like that could be possible ...

I repeat the words of GB.

 

[pdswife]

I wouldn't buy it just because I don't need anything like that. I'm home all the time. I think though that if it works.. it'd be great.

 

[Yakuta]

I would if the stoves were gas and not electric. I am not a huge fan of smooth tops. Also this is good for people who cook most of their foods in the oven. I am a stove person and it's easier and quicker for me to cook a one pot meal quickly on the stovetop after work. For me oven cooking is mostly reserved for weekends.

 

[sattie]

I think it can be cool in some ways, but then in others... well... I am not one of those folks that has 2 or 5K laying around to buy one of these guys. I am sure the stove I have now is well under $500 and it seems to suit me just fine. I just find it amazing that companies will spend that kind of money to develop a product that to me would not be a commoners house hold appliance. At least not for 10 or 15 years!

 

[urmaniac13]

Well on a second thought... if I use it regularly to have it switch directly from the cooling to baking mode, I would be rather concerned about its excessive energy consumption...

 

[sattie]

Well on a second thought... if I use it regularly to have it switch directly from the cooling to baking mode, I would be rather concerned about its excessive energy consumption...

I thought about that too.... don't even want to know how much that would add to my energy bill!

 

[buckytom]

i wouldn't rush out to buy one.
i really don't like running appliances that could have the possibility of catching on fire whe i'm not home. it may not be the appliance's fault, but human error, like grease spillage, or a 2 year old putting plastic toys in the broiler compartment .
as it is, i unplug most things when we're not going to be home for a while, like on a lengthy vacation, just to be sure. about the only things that i'll leave running are a.c./heat, and the fridge. dw just teases me now, before we get in the car to go. "did you unplug everything? are all of the doors and windows locked."... etc.
my dad was a brooklyn firefighter when he was young, so he drilled fire safety into our heads from day one.

 

[Michael in FtW]

I think I'll wait for George Jetson to put Rosie up for sale on eBay.

I saw a program a few weeks ago that was all about The Kitchen of the Future - created and filmed back in the 1950's. Outside of the microwave oven and dishwasher ... I don't see too many of those "tricked out" kitchen ideas around today. Some of this new stuff ... well ... do I REALLY need a dedicated network hub hooked to cameras in my refrigerator so that I can remote connect and see what is in my refrigerator from work? Having a POS (point of sale) inventory system is great for instantly tracking inventory in a retail environment - but do I really need this to keep track of what is in my pantry?

My biggest problems with a combo refrigerator/oven are:

(1) Energy Efficiency - it takes energy to create heat and it takes energy to remove heat - and the greater the difference in temperature between heating or cooling - the more energy it takes. I wouldn't look for this to be getting an EPA Energy Star rating anytime soon.

(2) Cooking Technique - Sometimes you do need to preheat the oven before throwing the food in.

Some things are interesting exercises in automation - but cost more than they are worth. Like the microwave ovens that have barcode readers that will read the barcodes on your frozen dinner and automatically set the power and time to the correct settings for you, if they are in the database otherwise your oven has to connect to the internet database and get an update ... but you still have to read the instructions on the box to see what to poke holes in or which items to remove the plastic cover from.

So until Rosie shows up on eBay, or I can find a second-hand Kryton, or Honda comes out with a Chef Asimo ... I'll probably stick to my old fashioned seperate refrigerator and cooktop/stove and just do it myself.

 

[Andy M.]

...So until Rosie shows up on eBay, or I can find a second-hand Kryton, or Honda comes out with a Chef Asimo ... I'll probably stick to my old fashioned seperate refrigerator and cooktop/stove and just do it myself.

Luddite!!!!!

 

[GB]

Luddite!!!!!

 

[Michael in FtW]

Luddite? NEVER! I'm an ecologically responsible crumudgen.