When The Cookware Is Smarter Than The Cook

[Addie]

While I appreciate the beauty and quality of tech, I still am not going to purchase much of it. A flying car would be cool...but I wouldn't want one. So a frying pan that can talk to my Smartphone is quaint...but not something I would buy. Heck I don't even own a cell phone...I like being disconnected from the world.

The more connected (Internet) we are to our things, the danger of not being able to exist without them frightens me.

Pirate finally got himself a tablet. If I yelled that the house is on fire, he would yell back to not interrupt him. He is trying to read something on his tablet. He has developed a total addiction. Like so many with their cell phones. Scary, isn't it!

 

[Silversage]

This one sentence tells me all I need to know, "Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase."

That sentence doesn't tell you anything useful.

All that means is that they probably get a penny a click if you use their amazon link to make a purchase. Pretty much all free websites, including Discuss Cooking, have some type of advertising / click through revenue stream. It's how they pay the bills. I applaud Business Insider for being so transparent about it.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I too am an engineer by degree, and in electronics. Control systems was my final year for my B.S. I understand how the pan works from what was presented. Thermisters, and microprocessor, and programs to react to what the sensors are telling it. I also understand how this pan could indeed help beginning cooks, and even seasoned home cooks. This pan, for me, like everything else is a two-edged sword. It has the potential to give confidence to the inexperienced, thus opening the idea of expanding their desire to try new things. The other edge of that sword is that often, the best lessons are learned by trial and error. As we experiment, and find for ourselves what does and doesn't work, or even research by perusing through cookbooks, or on-line recipes, we begin to develop that intuition spoken of. One must put forth effort to receive anything of true value.

The pan has it's place, maybe not in my kitchen, but to its target group, if used wisely and not as a crutch. It's like teh wise, if now quaint phrase - "Give a man a fish, and you have fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime. Learning new skills is essential to good cooking. Sometimes, it's even a substantial challenge to learn such things as time, when crating an entire meal, and you want everything to be done at approximately the same time. But when you get it, it's a Eureeka! moment. And you will forever be able to creat wonderfu mealls, not just fry a piece of salmon.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[powerplantop]

I remember when GPS's first came out I heard lots of people say why do I need one I have a map..... Now who would think of driving in a new city without one?

I have one of the pans (the company sent me one to make a video). I have used it a few times now. I do think this is a great pan for someone learning to cook or someone who is forgetful (turns on heat and forgets they are preheating a pan).

The pan works on by sensing the heat of the pan and uses a PID control logic loop to calculate the heat transfer to what you are cooking. Before you start cooking you tell the pan what your cooking and how thick it is. The pan tells you a target temp and when you get to that temp it tells you to add your steak etc. One thing you can see on the app is how much the temp will drop after adding. The app may even tell you the temp is to low. During the cooking you can watch the pan temp and the app will monitor the temp and tell you if you are low or high.

When its time the app will tell you to flip. It will also tell you when it is done.

One of the things that I was surprised about was when the steak is almost done the pan temp will tend to increase. I was surprised at how much I had to turn down the burner. I understand why (the steak was no longer taking a lot of heat from the pan).

It does take some getting used to the pad saying the temp is to high or low. I expected at anytime it was going to say recalculating.....

If your curious here is one of the videos I have made with the pan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2mmANrHXpY

 

[LizStreithorst]

You are the one who tried it, Andy. what is your opinion?

 

[Andy M.]

You are the one who tried it, Andy. what is your opinion?

I never tried it. I just saw the website and posted the link as an interesting read.

 

[Andy M.]

James, thanks for the video. It seems to work as advertised.

 

[powerplantop]

James, thanks for the video. It seems to work as advertised.

Your welcome, the few times I have used it I was happy with the results.

Plan to try a simple boneless, skinless chicken breast next.

 

[Andy M.]

Your welcome, the few times I have used it I was happy with the results.



Plan to try a simple boneless, skinless chicken breast next.

Do you think your difficulty in maintaining temperatures because your stove is electric?

 

[powerplantop]

Do you think your difficulty in maintaining temperatures because your stove is electric?

That could be part of the problem since the burners cycle. Looking forward to trying the pan on my gas stove when I get home.

 

[Silversage]

Thanks for the link to this, Andy. I find this kind of stuff fascinating!

Think of how far we've come in the years we've all been cooking. Most of us here are in our 50's, 60's and 70,s, so we're obviously not the target market for this, but I love to hear about it.

Remember when we all started cooking? We didn't have food processors, blenders, microwave ovens, immersion blenders, electric pressure cookers, slow cookers, rice cookers, vegetable juicers, KitchenAids with all the attachments, electric pasta machines, non-stick pans, electric grilling machines, induction burners, convection ovens, tri-ply cookware, breadmakers, electric dehydrators, sous vide circulators, food savers, etc, etc, etc.....

I started out with a bowl, a wooden spoon, and crappy old Revereware. My kitchen has every one of those new things now, and more. So do most of yours. And many of us, when those new gadgets first came out, said "I would never have a _____", but now we do.

Look at the fabulous ingredients from all over the world that are available to us today. How many at first turned up noses at the mere idea of sushi or kimchi or squid? When I grew up, French, Italian and Chinese foods were about as exotic as it got. Now I cook Indian, Moroccan, Korean, Greek, and more.

When SousVide first appeared in the retail market I was an early adopter. Many here still diss it, but almost universally they are the ones who haven't tried it. Those of us that tried it, love it. When Modernist Cuisine was published, I had to have it - along with the 'chemistry set' necessary to replicate some of the techniques. I've had a lot of fun creating unusual foods for guests. I only wish my kitchen was large enough to accommodate the large lab equipment used for some of the recipes!

New is not necessarily bad. Old fashioned is not necessarily better. They are both good, and have their places. Many nights I make pot roast, meatloaf or roast chicken. But tonight I'm having Char Siu pork belly from the SV, with udon noodles cooked in dashi. Who would have thought that 40 years ago?

You used to find lots of discussions of new stuff on the food forums, but as the younger folks moved away to facebook, and then youtube, instagram, twitter, snapchat, etc, the cutting edge conversations moved right along with them. Sad. I belong to a food group on facebook where the folks are always experimenting. I think I'm going to repost your link over there, Andy. I'm sure one of them will try the pan and post about it - heck, maybe I will!

Great video, James. I always enjoy seeing what you're up to.

 

[powerplantop]

Great video, James. I always enjoy seeing what you're up to.

Thank you! I am having fun with the pan, just not cooking very much at the moment.

 

[Kayelle]

Thanks for the link to this, Andy. I find this kind of stuff fascinating!

Think of how far we've come in the years we've all been cooking. Most of us here are in our 50's, 60's and 70,s, so we're obviously not the target market for this, but I love to hear about it.

Remember when we all started cooking? We didn't have food processors, blenders, microwave ovens, immersion blenders, electric pressure cookers, slow cookers, rice cookers, vegetable juicers, KitchenAids with all the attachments, electric pasta machines, non-stick pans, electric grilling machines, induction burners, convection ovens, tri-ply cookware, breadmakers, electric dehydrators, sous vide circulators, food savers, etc, etc, etc.....

I started out with a bowl, a wooden spoon, and crappy old Revereware. My kitchen has every one of those new things now, and more. So do most of yours. And many of us, when those new gadgets first came out, said "I would never have a _____", but now we do.

Look at the fabulous ingredients from all over the world that are available to us today. How many at first turned up noses at the mere idea of sushi or kimchi or squid? When I grew up, French, Italian and Chinese foods were about as exotic as it got. Now I cook Indian, Moroccan, Korean, Greek, and more.

When SousVide first appeared in the retail market I was an early adopter. Many here still diss it, but almost universally they are the ones who haven't tried it. Those of us that tried it, love it. When Modernist Cuisine was published, I had to have it - along with the 'chemistry set' necessary to replicate some of the techniques. I've had a lot of fun creating unusual foods for guests. I only wish my kitchen was large enough to accommodate the large lab equipment used for some of the recipes!

New is not necessarily bad. Old fashioned is not necessarily better. They are both good, and have their places. Many nights I make pot roast, meatloaf or roast chicken. But tonight I'm having Char Siu pork belly from the SV, with udon noodles cooked in dashi. Who would have thought that 40 years ago?

You used to find lots of discussions of new stuff on the food forums, but as the younger folks moved away to facebook, and then youtube, instagram, twitter, snapchat, etc, the cutting edge conversations moved right along with them. Sad. I belong to a food group on facebook where the folks are always experimenting. I think I'm going to repost your link over there, Andy. I'm sure one of them will try the pan and post about it - heck, maybe I will!

Great video, James. I always enjoy seeing what you're up to.

Lots of interesting "food for thought" there SS.

I'm shocked to be this old now and have eaten my words many times about not wanting the newest cutting edge stuff such as

food processors, blenders, microwave ovens, immersion blenders, electric pressure cookers, slow cookers, rice cookers, vegetable juicers, KitchenAids with all the attachments, electric pasta machines, non-stick pans, electric grilling machines, induction burners, convection ovens, tri-ply cookware, breadmakers, electric dehydrators, sous vide circulators, food savers, etc, etc, etc.....

I have some of those things now, but I must say I seldom use many of them and some I've passed on to others. I actually think that young people think they can't cook without all those things, and that's sad for them and their normally small pocketbook.
I've always said, if you can read you can cook, with a minimum of equipment and some common sense.

 

[Fine]

Seems like people just look at anything trying to make it "smart". In a couple of months we'll probably see a smart fork that will count how many times you took it to your mouth and other useless "smart" things.

 

[GotGarlic]

Seems like people just look at anything trying to make it "smart". In a couple of months we'll probably see a smart fork that will count how many times you took it to your mouth and other useless "smart" things.

Welcome to Discuss Cooking I see it's important to you to make a strong first impression

 

[Fine]

Welcome to Discuss Cooking I see it's important to you to make a strong first impression

Thanks

It's not about the first impressions but just looking around it seems that everything these days "has to be" smart, maybe even connected to the internet.

If you think about how we are being monitored whatever we do (think google, facebook, NSA, etc.) Imagine having smart cookware that monitors what you cook so then when you are online you can be presented with ads for those ingredients. "Custom tailored experience for the user".

Sorry for the rant but the way we are slowly loosing any sense of privacy just irks me. Younger generations grow up not having the notion of keeping things private. Every move they make is online, how hard would it be to exploit that?

I love the internet but in terms of privacy I feel we are going downhill.

 

[GotGarlic]

Just cracks me up that a new member goes off on a rant as their introduction to a forum People generally get to know a new group of people first

 

[Addie]

When we make mistakes, we enter the learning process. And sometimes that can really give ourselves a good laugh.

I for one, like the process of thinking. It give me a moment of being.

 

[LizStreithorst]

I do my best never to buy anything that is smarter than I am especially things related to cooking. Heck, dealing with my "smart phone" is almost more than I can handle. But I'm old. Others feel differently.

 

[Addie]

I do my best never to buy anything that is smarter than I am especially things related to cooking. Heck, dealing with my "smart phone" is almost more than I can handle. But I'm old. Others feel differently.

dealing with my "smart phone More than once my kids have offered to get me a smart phone. No thanks. I am doing just fine with mine. it rings, I answer. I want to call, I just press the keys. No problem. No need for a smart phone. I have the phone that has a Querty board. And it is so easy to use. Just like typing.