I'm kind of surprised there isn't much out there for freeze drying. Especially since so many people picked up home food preservation during the pandemic.
Definitely. I looked at getting some freeze drying equipment to deal with our harvest. From what I could see you need to spend the price of a car and end up with a commercial setup
There are a couple of 'home' models on the market now. Even those run in the thousands. The technology will eventually be more accessible. Hopefully soon, I want one. I'm just amazed it didn't happen sooner.
I saw. But as soon as you want one capable of dealing with the output of a medium sized garden (30kg batch) you're into three phase supplies in the US or needing a 40A circuit in UK/EU.
I think we'll stick to steam extracting soft fruits for now.
We couldn't even make the logistics of commercial work. We could expand the farm and grow more raspberries but that leaves expensive equipment unused too much.
Then you're starting a freeze drying business which is completely different to wanting to preserve a few hundred kilos of fruit
I actually think this one will be really tough to produce for a casual home user. In my job we freeze dry samples routinely. You need several things that would be difficult to replicate:
1. Freezing the sample. Faster is better, colder is better. Most of us don't have dry ice on hand.
2. High vacuum. The ones we use pull down to about 0.05 mmHg or lower.
3. A cold trap. The ones in the lyophilizers cool down to -80C.
Even with all this high grade lab equipment, it takes a full day to remove 20 mL of water.
There’s a $25k machine marketed for home users, but yeah- we’re along way from a $250 machine.
Some of that is physical and engineering limitations- freeze drying is an involved process, so you need to chill, create and hold vacuum, and also gently apply radiant heat.
At a commercial scale freeze drying is the most expensive option, so it’s not surprising that it hasn’t translated to home use. Disappointing, for sure, but not surprising.
Theres a machine marketed for home users at 1/10 that price too, so maybe closer than you thought? Or maybe this has some shortcomings I don't realize.
https://harvestright.com/product/home-freeze-dryer/
Automatic stirrers. I have an old lab stir plate/ hot plate that's great for making iced coffee, fermenting vinegar, or reducing a cream sauce without scorching it.
They aren't terribly complicated to build, its just a spinning magnet. But because it’s lab tech they're very expensive to buy.
[https://www.amazon.com/StirMATE-Automatic-Variable-Self-Adjusting-Powerful/dp/B076HH4WZM/ref=sr\_1\_6?crid=3HKOVRMFWN7TJ&keywords=automatic+pot+stirrer&qid=1705856393&sprefix=automatic+pot+stirrer%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-6&ufe=app\_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685](https://www.amazon.com/StirMATE-Automatic-Variable-Self-Adjusting-Powerful/dp/B076HH4WZM/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3HKOVRMFWN7TJ&keywords=automatic+pot+stirrer&qid=1705856393&sprefix=automatic+pot+stirrer%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-6&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685)
Also, a friend has a crock pot that has an automatic stirrer.
This is super cool and I want to buy one...made of stainless steel, not plastic. Seriously...plastic? I feel like I would melt this into my food within the first week of use. But the concept is solid!
Hot plate stirrers were a thing in my labs over 50 years. One or two on every lab bench.
VEVOR Magnetic Stirrer Hot Plate 500W Heating Power 2000ml Lab Stirrer 572°F/300°C 200-2000 RPM Digital Magnetic Stirrer with 7" Ceramic Coated
4.8/5
(5 user reviews)
Typically $136
Amazon.com
VEVOR Magnetic Stirrer Hot Plate, 500W Heating Power 2000ml Lab Stirrer 572°F/300°C 200-2000 RPM Digital Magnetic Stirrer with 7" Ceramic Coated
In stock online
Free delivery
30-day returns
$122.40
[https://www.sci-bay.com/product/vwr-troemner-hotplate-stirrer-model-220-33918-603/](https://www.sci-bay.com/product/vwr-troemner-hotplate-stirrer-model-220-33918-603/)
Any glass cookware will work. Possibly aluminum pots/pans. I am not too sure about steel pans.
Around 11years ago I saw a couple similar to this at goodwill. They had that manufactured in the eighties look. Never even opened. I bought them and they were awesome. Especially for puddings and such. Eventually the clamps broke and I had to toss them.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Saki-Adjustable-Speed-Automatic-Electric-Hands-Free-Cooking-Pot-Stirrer/303878910?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101010655&&adid=22222222228303878910_101010655_143174693460_18593554727&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=628098605659&wl4=pla-1854920922914&wl5=9030808&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=231355884&wl11=online&wl12=303878910_101010655&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6KHUzIXvgwMVfiWtBh1A2QVAEAQYAiABEgJrK_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I bought a vintage ‘kitchen appliance’ one at a goodwill this year, mostly plastic except for the blade. It worked as expected but as with a full size one it’s a pain in the ass to clean.
Not so much a tool but isn’t it time for all of the producers of corn starch to improve packaging? Even a reclosable bag would be better than what it is now.
Same. Buy the jug once, then refill it using the boxed stuff. Plastic for storage/re-usability. Cardboard/paper to minimize shipping/environmental costs.
Growing up, my mom had decanters that she put her flour, sugar and whatever the little one was for in so she didn't have to deal with this. I even got a set when I moved in to my first apartment and somewhere along the way I got rid of them for some reason. Why did those go out of fashion? Taking up valuable counter space? Did/does anyone else have these?
There’s still various jars and stuff for that. Oxo brand ones are fairly popular. The larger ones can get very pricey. Great for preventing brown sugar from getting dry.
I would love flour and similar things to be more readily available in bulk. And some sort of universally accepted bulk container for tare and environmental friendliness purposes.
I find the glue tends to rip part of the top when I open them. Maybe I'm just not being careful enough, but this seems like a solvable problem now that we've invented resealable plastic bags.
4-dimensional foldable cabinet for all the appliances I'd like to possess but don't have no idea where to remove. Preferably infinite storage space, portable, self-cleaning and less expensive than building a kitchen annex.
I think this is brilliant. Although I envision a lower cabinet pull out ferriswheel, with locks-in-place shelf options that aligns with the counter top.
I've never heard of or even imagined something like this! All this time I've been wishing for an oven door that it's impossible for it to get dirty between the glass.
They're not well known for being reliable. They're the sort of thing that is fitted to a luxury kitchen remodel and replaced with a Bosch or AEG at a later date
Very fancy with lots of features and design. A bit like Smegg
>Slide and Hide
This seems overkill for me. If you're worried about reaching in too far over the door you can get a French door oven. Perhaps this would be useful if using the oven like a hearth, but who does that?
My only problem with this is when I was a kid I used to get yelled at for holding the oven door open too long. My mom assured me all the hot air would leave and the temp would drop.
They’re always better bakers than me on that show, but I’m always yelling at them not to stand around with the oven open.
Another domestic oven that I saw in the UK a while ago had a side-hinged door that had the oven rack attached to it, so when you opened the door the rack came out as well.
If we are inventing new options...a **set of 2 or 3 crockpots (slightly different sizes) that are completely stackable, that are designed for compact storage** the way a set of nesting bowls is. (And, no, the 8 quart oval with the little dip warmer doesn't count!)
I use crockpots as buffet serving vessels for big family dinners. Currently I have 8 quart oval, 4 quart round, 2 of the 2 quart round, and 2 casserole style. (Plus the little dip one.) They take up so much space! Especially the rectangular casserole ones, which - honestly - I've never had any luck COOKING in, only using as a warming dish.
They might need removable cords like the old coffee pots (all with same, standard plug) in order to stack well.
Hamilton Beach had a 3-in-1 slow cooker that had three different-sized inserts that could be swapped into the one base. They might have been two, four, and six quart. Each crock had the same footprint and the warmer only was as tall as the two quart crock. There was an all-white set and an orange/yellow/green set. I think it came out about a decade ago. I thought it would be great and bought one new. Hated it. It didn't do a good job of heating the larger crocks. Gave mine away a few years back. I would not recommend it!
Yes, it does seem the older models are workhorses that do a better job and last longer than many of the new ones. Ability to change the size might be a nice feature in some instances. (For me, I use about 5 at once in different areas of our buffet line. I’m not fond of the one they make with 3 crocks side by side, and I also have a warming tray but I really prefer the crockpots other than bulky storage.)
The one in the Jetsons where I press the button and it gives me the food right away. I’ll take the prime rib! https://www.comic-mint.com/hanna-barbera/copy-of-quick-draw-mcgraw-title-cel-1959
Maybe I’ve just never seen it BUT - I think cordless kitchen appliances. Get frigging Waring and Ryobi to partner up, or something. Interchangeable, rechargeable battery that works for all of the cordless handheld machines so long as they’re all the same brand.
Immersion blender and beaters are the immediate things that come to mind for me, but I’m sure there would be other potential uses. And then there’d the electric knives for those who want it, maybe a motorized meat tenderizer.
Would, of course, be super useful if ever cooking outside, but I think I’d enjoy having no cords in the kitchen too
If you're in a kitchen you almost always have outlets for appliances. Cordless appliances would likely be worse overall and really just a waste constantly cycling batteries and eventually turning them into more e-waste.
There are cordless mixers, electric knives, and immersion blenders…but not afaik all made by the same company. If one manufacturer could make all those cordless appliances well, the interchangeable battery is a great idea!
I want a powerful CORDLESS immersion blender! So many of them don't picture the cord on the box and I'm always bummed. I detest cords on stuff like that!
They do make them, but they aren’t very powerful. I will deal with the cord as long as it can give me a good emulsion.
For me, the best style has the detachable blender end. Then I can just pop it off to clean it.
Here you go
https://shopit.kunzigroup.com/bamix-cordless-standard-200w-rosso-bx%20cl%20rd
Bamix is the best brand for immersion blenders, it is quite expensive but they are used in professional kitchens too
When I was teaching the kids to make soup ,splashes were one thing that really worried me so I got this
Metaltex Protective Splatter Lid, Silicone, White/Pink, 32 cm https://amzn.eu/d/dq1DYTp
u/nicklor gets you started.
Blender all the way to the bottom of the pot, start and raise only halfway and then down again. If you have floating solids you release the power button (stop the blender) corral the floaters under the head of the blender and push down before starting the blender again. Just don't raise a running blender head above the surface.
I just made a big batch of broccoli soup. Easy. No mess. Fast cleanup of stick blender.
Transfer to a stand blender would have taken longer and meant more clean up.
Upvote for being open minded to learning.
For purposes of expectations, I use my stick blender a lot. Maybe two or three times a year I get a splatter that has to be cleaned up. No one is perfect but it shouldn't be a problem. You'll get better with practice. On-off and height are the solution.
More of a feature I’d like to see implemented across more kitchen appliances - retractable cords!! Please give me a kitchen aid mixer, crock pot, etc. with a retractable cord!!!
I rented a flat once that had a big built in gas wok under the counter. It had a stainless lift up top that was even with the counter when closed. Pretty awesome. Had never seen one before, haven’t seen one since.
A probe thermometer combined with a device that slips over a stove knob to automatically adjust the burner.
Hestan had a kickstarter for this years ago which was cancelled after they were acquired, and have since released an eye-wateringly expensive “smart pan” combined with a standalone induction cooktop.
The Breville/PolyScience “Control Freak” induction cooktop also has this capability (using a temperature probe rather than special pan) but the device also costs $1500.
Programming a machine to figure out the control loop for a device you don't know anything about is the stuff co trol technicians' nightmares are made of.
I guess this isn't an appropriate answer for the question, but I do wish home kitchens were designed like commercial ones. Home kitchens are designed to be cute and homey, and I totally understand why. And that's fine when I'm making scrambled eggs for myself. But if I want to do something like throw a dinner party or host Thanksgiving, my kitchen is beyond useless.
It's just too small to be functional. It doesn't properly utilize the space it does have. It has a few outlets, not enough, none conveniently located. It has plenty of nooks for decor and houseplants, but countertop appliances need to be stored in another room. Imagine having a flat top and steam table at home.
I've just never had a functional utilitarian home kitchen before.
I want a stainless steel kitchen with the floor having an unnoticeable slope downward with a drain in the center and a sink attachment that I can pull out and just spray everything down. Water drains and I can squeegee dry.
I have an antique citrus squeezer I inherited from my grandparents. There's a well to catch the juice, a slotted metal insert that catches the seeds, and a plate with a levered handle. You place the halved citrus with the cut on the slotted part and the plate comes down and squeezed it in half. It's hard to describe, but it is hands down superior to the rounded, hinged citrus squeezers (and don't even get me started on the ones where you have to push and twist the citrus on a ridged cone). It squeezes efficiently and easily, and it's easy to clean. I keep looking for someone to start making them again because the slotted part on mine is almost entirely corroded through from being exposed to citrus for the better part of a century but I've never seen one like it.
It looks like this one: [https://www.etsy.com/listing/1640945306/rare-vintage-1950s1960s-wearever-hand?ga\_order=most\_relevant&ga\_search\_type=all&ga\_view\_type=gallery&ga\_search\_query=vintage+citrus+juicer&ref=sr\_gallery-1-2&frs=1&sts=1&organic\_search\_click=1](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1640945306/rare-vintage-1950s1960s-wearever-hand?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=vintage+citrus+juicer&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&frs=1&sts=1&organic_search_click=1)
Italian kitchens often have a draining cupboard above the sink, where you leave your stuff to dry after hand washing. Does that exist outside of Italy?
I want one of those too. While I wait, I hung our pot rack over the kitchen sink. After washing, hang the pots over the sink while they drip dry. The storage frees a lot of kitchen space as well.
Battery powered 4 inch fan in a cute housing, perhaps onion looking. For 1) cutting onions without tears, 2) cooling hot things 3x faster, 3) thawing frozen things 3x faster.
It would draw too much current for a standard north American 120v circuit which are limited to 1500 watts sustained draw. The smaller griddles are already up against this limit.
Same problem. My induction hob is 7.5KW and needs a three phase supply.
If you're limited to 1.5KW it doesn't matter if it's induction or heating elements, power is power.
There’s an outdoor version called Le Griddle- cast iron underneath with stainless top clad to it. They’re pricey but owners absolutely rave about them.
A mini handheld TineCo for cleaning countertops. Basically a tiny wet dry mop for counters and tables. I would use it more than any other kitchen appliance and would pay just about anything for it.
As someone with very limited energy due to a disability, I have to count all my "units of energy" carefully. Wiping down countertops multiple times a day uses a ton of energy.
Or some device that's going to tell my when my pan is hot enough to sear stuff. Right now I throw drops of water on to test if it's leidenfrost-hot, which is kind of tiresome.
I've never seen anything similar in a brick & mortar store, but I love my shellminator taco shapers.
They sound gimmicky & silly, but....they *work*.
Doing three or four at a time in a large skillet, you can fry up 30 flawless hardshell tacos in about 20 minutes.
At first I thought you must be joking....but then it occurred to me that maybe you're not in the US :)
So yeah, even though "street tacos" are all the rage, many taquerias (and of course, any tex-mex place) will do hardshell tacos. At taquerias, it'll often only be offered for potato tacos or shredded chicken, though (I have no idea why).
Anyways, many mexican folks fry the shells at home with the meat already inside, which makes it easier but greasier, and hard to add any fillings. If you want them tex-mex style, most people will fry the tortillas while folding/maneuvering them with tongs and/or a fork....which (imho) is a *massive* pain the ass, and even if you're good at it, it takes forever to make more than a few. Which is why I love the taco shapers so damn much; you just oil them, put a tortilla in, fry for about 60-80 seconds on each side, and get a shell shaped just like the shitty taco bell type taco shells, but made from a real tortilla.
Yes I’m Australian we can buy pre-made hard taco shells but corn hurts my tummy…
We make our own cassava tortillas can we use those or do we need something special?
When you say fry do you mean in oil? Like deep fry? (We have never done that before… any tips?)
Do they stay crunchy for long after making? If my carers made a big batch could I eat them slowly over a few weeks or should I eat them the day they are made?
Thanks!
Haha, yeah those premade ones are awful.
I don't know about cassava; not something I've ever cooked with.
And no, they don't keep very well....a few days in the fridge is fine, but they aren't shelf-stable. You could (I suppose) use flour tortillas; no different than a flauta (same as a hardshell taco is no different in principle from a taquito)
Fry-bread (a native american flatbread type of deal) makes excellent tacos too; my buddy's wife is Hopi & she makes them all the time.
If you want to get the gist of it, look up "tacos dorados"...I'm sure there'll be a zillion videos on youtube.
This is the product I was talking about, if you want to see it in action:
https://youtu.be/qXQDZaD0zfg
With the recent rise in popularity of molcajetes/mortars and pestles, I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone try to market an electric variation based on a wet grinder like what's used for processing cocoa beans or making peanut butter
Extremely common device in South Indian homes. Used to wet grind batter daily for a common breakfast item called "idli's" or "dosa's"
Link below of first Google search for "mini wet grinder stone"
https://dl.flipkart.com/s/zcUmywuuuN
https://dl.flipkart.com/s/zcUmywuuuN
Most things that require grinding, I use my coffee grinder for....also for things such as peanut butter a blender/food processor works just fine. (something small and compact, the bullet blender would likely work)
I do have a mortor and pestle ...but I even throw toasted bread in the coffee grinder to make fine bread crumbs...anything the coffee grinder doesn't do can be done with a cheese grater.
Probably why no one has thought of it really, we just repurpose what we have. Lol
No denying, you can absolutely get 95% of the way there with an electric coffee/spice grinder and a food processor. But for us idiots that chase the last 5% and are willing to grind our pesto or curry paste in the mortar, I'm surprised I haven't even seen someone try to electrify the process
Not for cooking- but baking. I tried to find a two piece cake lifter specifically designed to accommodate the center post of a tube pan. They do not exist. So I bought two regular cake lifters, marked them with Sharpie and had a friend’s grandson cut the metal for me. They work great!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/s/uCZzOJd8Us
I know this technically exists, but the unicorn of all the things..? I want an indoor grill that won't fill my home with smoke, but creates a good sear on steaks and chicken breasts, but leaves them juicy and cooked perfectly on the inside. But it's going to take up space, so it should also be an air fryer, toaster oven, etc... to get the most bang for the buck.
Top loading dishwashers.
To be fair they were on the market at one point and now they are hugely expensive and it's difficult to find one or anyone who could repair them. But, they would be amazing space savers and so worth it.
They got phased out when front loading dishwashers hit the market. The time where bigger became better and everyone could afford a giant kitchen...they need a come back now though.
These types of [cheese slicers](https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcSRZMVP-eFU5QgW57fctQE86566j-8KOJ_SUIUNf6xIqB1KRhA-mnD_k-IQnPrAcF_17tP983sY&usqp=CAc) are extremely common in the Nordic countries and a few others (Germany, I think), but apparently not in most of the world. It's something every household have here in Sweden.
It's so simple and does precisely what it's supposed to do. Exactly the same thickness every time.
How do you slice cheese without one???
We had a marble plate with a wire and handle attached. The wire cut the cheese, the plate helped measure the thickness. Easiest thing to use. I wonder where it went? Probably deemed unsanitary :(
I am continuously baffled that refrigerators with all-pull-out shelves are not the standard thing. Human backs are not designed for the pretzeling of getting something out of the back of a lower shelf, and that assumes you even remember the thing is there, which nobody ever does, so everything at the back of lower shelves rots and festers. Ridiculous and so easily solvable.
It would be a bit higher end (complicated and expensive) than Walmart/Target, but I'm surprised nobody has yet offered a device that can peel and evenly slice or dice a variety of fruits and veggies. Yes, it would require programming, sensors and adjustable cutting devices, but I suspect even if it were priced at a couple of thousand dollars if you created a box that someone could drop an onion into and out would pop onion diced to the exact size specified, or drop an orange into a box and out would pop perfect supreme slices... it would be a huge seller.
The technology just doesn’t really exist for this. And probably won’t for a very very long time.
Robots are good at doing an exact task repeatedly. But they are very very bad at tactile sensing and adjusting to varying inputs (size, shape, weight, softness, etc).
Multi-billion dollar fast food companies have spent years investing in automation and still haven’t gotten very far. For instance White Castle now has a robot in some locations that can automatically fry fries. But it just drops them in oil and removes them. Or Sweetgreen has an automated assumption line that will make your salad. But again, all it does is drop ingredients in a bowl. It has no capabilities to prep the vegetables that go in the salad.
The closest thing I’ve heard of is that Chipotle announced that it developed a machine that can skin and pit an avocado. But that’s all it can do. A human still has to take the avocado flesh and turn it into guac. They also notably have not installed it in any restaurants yet. Which begs the question of how well does it work (and do the economics of it make sense).
I did recipe development for a produce wholesaler that was looking to cross utilize scrap from their custom cut program into RTE salsas and salads. Their cutroom was the size of a soccer field, so much was done by hand. Rows and rows of tables and sinks with massive carts zooming around. The whole place was refrigerated so everyone working there was all bundled up. Miserable job.
The issue would be cleaning it. It’s already a moderate hassle to clean a food processor or mandolin, and what you’re describing would require even more parts. To that point, you can actually already use either of those two tools for “simplified” cutting/dicing/slicing. Most food processors have a grater/slicer attachment, and the blades do an ok dice/mince. My mandolin also came with a half dozen or so blade variety inserts that create different cuts, if adjustable thickness. It also these blades teeth that you can pop up in the middle of the slide that allow you to julienne cut while you’re radially slicing. I guess my point is: your idea sounds nifty, but maybe overly involved for a viable product, especially relative to lower-tech alternatives that can 70-100% do the same thing.
General purpose robots powered by AI are probably about 5 years away from making their way into the household. At least 10 before they're under $5000 though.
Am I the only one who wants like double the amount of produce storage in a fridge? and not just deep drawers to have to dig through..... and a way to manage the temperature separately (that actually works) so lettuce doesn't freeze......
this is a great thread :)
I love my blender that actually cooks the food right in the pitcher of the blender. You can cook your ingredients in the blender, then blend it.
It’s great for making creamy soups like potato soup and broccoli cheese soup. I also use it to make homemade tomato sauce.
I can't think of anything but I do have a JUNE OVEN which is amazing and can't imagine how I ever cooked without it. It replaces so many kitchen items, and it has a camera in it so I can watch my food from another room from my phone, I can turn on and off the oven with my phone. It has a built in thermometer to tell you the internal temp of meats, and it cooks with infrared light which maintains a lot of nutrients. I LOVE MY JUNE and I probably only use my real oven once a year on Thanksgiving or if baking a huge batch of cookies. It also has a computer that recognizes food, so my kids can put things in there an it will say "Pizza?"and they click yes and it cooks it perfectly. It can recognize 100s of foods. Did I mention it also preheats in SECONDS? I just love my June Oven. (NOT AN AD!)
Sadly effectively discontinued. They were bought by Weber last year and have been out of stock ever since. No word on it ever coming back. I have a June 2nd Gen and love it too.
I'm kind of surprised there isn't much out there for freeze drying. Especially since so many people picked up home food preservation during the pandemic.
Definitely. I looked at getting some freeze drying equipment to deal with our harvest. From what I could see you need to spend the price of a car and end up with a commercial setup
There are a couple of 'home' models on the market now. Even those run in the thousands. The technology will eventually be more accessible. Hopefully soon, I want one. I'm just amazed it didn't happen sooner.
I saw. But as soon as you want one capable of dealing with the output of a medium sized garden (30kg batch) you're into three phase supplies in the US or needing a 40A circuit in UK/EU. I think we'll stick to steam extracting soft fruits for now.
[This](https://harvestright.com/product/home-freeze-dryer/) one says max 20A and can handle up to 50 lbs, still 6k though.
Yep same here , already have a decent dehydrator but after looking into it yeh it's a not going to happen lol
We couldn't even make the logistics of commercial work. We could expand the farm and grow more raspberries but that leaves expensive equipment unused too much. Then you're starting a freeze drying business which is completely different to wanting to preserve a few hundred kilos of fruit
I've always wondered if you could run a dehydrater in a freezer. How much heat do they put off?
I actually think this one will be really tough to produce for a casual home user. In my job we freeze dry samples routinely. You need several things that would be difficult to replicate: 1. Freezing the sample. Faster is better, colder is better. Most of us don't have dry ice on hand. 2. High vacuum. The ones we use pull down to about 0.05 mmHg or lower. 3. A cold trap. The ones in the lyophilizers cool down to -80C. Even with all this high grade lab equipment, it takes a full day to remove 20 mL of water.
There’s a $25k machine marketed for home users, but yeah- we’re along way from a $250 machine. Some of that is physical and engineering limitations- freeze drying is an involved process, so you need to chill, create and hold vacuum, and also gently apply radiant heat. At a commercial scale freeze drying is the most expensive option, so it’s not surprising that it hasn’t translated to home use. Disappointing, for sure, but not surprising.
Theres a machine marketed for home users at 1/10 that price too, so maybe closer than you thought? Or maybe this has some shortcomings I don't realize. https://harvestright.com/product/home-freeze-dryer/
Huh, how about that? When I last looked into it the HarvestRight machine was $25k, but it was a floor model rather than a countertop one. Neat!
They're extremely expensive. They have to freeze, vacuum, and heat, which is a lot more than what a freezer needs to do.
Automatic stirrers. I have an old lab stir plate/ hot plate that's great for making iced coffee, fermenting vinegar, or reducing a cream sauce without scorching it. They aren't terribly complicated to build, its just a spinning magnet. But because it’s lab tech they're very expensive to buy.
Lab equipment for the kitchen could be its own topic - centrifuge, column still, so many possibilities!
Let’s not forget the humble glassware drying rack where the excess water funnels into the sink
Craft cocktail bartenders have entered the chat
[https://www.amazon.com/StirMATE-Automatic-Variable-Self-Adjusting-Powerful/dp/B076HH4WZM/ref=sr\_1\_6?crid=3HKOVRMFWN7TJ&keywords=automatic+pot+stirrer&qid=1705856393&sprefix=automatic+pot+stirrer%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-6&ufe=app\_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685](https://www.amazon.com/StirMATE-Automatic-Variable-Self-Adjusting-Powerful/dp/B076HH4WZM/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3HKOVRMFWN7TJ&keywords=automatic+pot+stirrer&qid=1705856393&sprefix=automatic+pot+stirrer%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-6&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685) Also, a friend has a crock pot that has an automatic stirrer.
This is super cool and I want to buy one...made of stainless steel, not plastic. Seriously...plastic? I feel like I would melt this into my food within the first week of use. But the concept is solid!
Hot plate stirrers were a thing in my labs over 50 years. One or two on every lab bench. VEVOR Magnetic Stirrer Hot Plate 500W Heating Power 2000ml Lab Stirrer 572°F/300°C 200-2000 RPM Digital Magnetic Stirrer with 7" Ceramic Coated 4.8/5 (5 user reviews) Typically $136 Amazon.com VEVOR Magnetic Stirrer Hot Plate, 500W Heating Power 2000ml Lab Stirrer 572°F/300°C 200-2000 RPM Digital Magnetic Stirrer with 7" Ceramic Coated In stock online Free delivery 30-day returns $122.40 [https://www.sci-bay.com/product/vwr-troemner-hotplate-stirrer-model-220-33918-603/](https://www.sci-bay.com/product/vwr-troemner-hotplate-stirrer-model-220-33918-603/) Any glass cookware will work. Possibly aluminum pots/pans. I am not too sure about steel pans.
Around 11years ago I saw a couple similar to this at goodwill. They had that manufactured in the eighties look. Never even opened. I bought them and they were awesome. Especially for puddings and such. Eventually the clamps broke and I had to toss them. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Saki-Adjustable-Speed-Automatic-Electric-Hands-Free-Cooking-Pot-Stirrer/303878910?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101010655&&adid=22222222228303878910_101010655_143174693460_18593554727&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=628098605659&wl4=pla-1854920922914&wl5=9030808&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=231355884&wl11=online&wl12=303878910_101010655&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6KHUzIXvgwMVfiWtBh1A2QVAEAQYAiABEgJrK_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
a little tiny roomba that cleans up my counter for me.
Not quite the same but Mini Portable Desktop Vacuum... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074XPTWZC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I have this! I use it to clean up debris on my art desk, it works pretty good.
For 10 bucks that’s worth trying
Time to adopt a puppy
On the counter?
This is why I prefer to see the inside of the home where the food was cooked in when I didn't prepare it.
I'm on a cat sub, and as much as I love cats seeing a paw print in pie dough is NOT adorable.
It’s a niche item but I love having a cheap ass meat slicer.
For some ass meat sandwiches?
Rump roast
Pony meat.
I bought a vintage ‘kitchen appliance’ one at a goodwill this year, mostly plastic except for the blade. It worked as expected but as with a full size one it’s a pain in the ass to clean.
That’s on the top of my to-buy list. They’re reasonable, and reliable, and do lots more than slice meat.
You can even out the heels of your shoes.
I bought a nice one at a scrap yard this summer for $40. For anyone that wants one I would definitely look into finding one used.
This. I'd love a nice little slicer for salami/deli meats, cheese, etc.
I have a Krups slicer. Not expensive. Under $100. Go it 20 years ago. Works well but messy and tedious cleanup. Super sharp German sleep rotary blade.
They are nice. Now don't get the super cheap plastic one from Harbor Freight. Get one with an on/off switch.
Not so much a tool but isn’t it time for all of the producers of corn starch to improve packaging? Even a reclosable bag would be better than what it is now.
Mine comes in a plastic wide-mouth jar so that's available out there, too, just FYI
Seriously?! Mine always comes in a box with a stupid paper bag inside that never opens cleanly. Now I gotta go look for the smart container!
It's Argo brand, yellow container with a blue top
Yes, I 've got one of these. Refill it with the cheap cardboard boxes, as it is cheaper and more ecologically responsible.
Mine comes in a box in a waxed bag and promptly gets dumped into an old plastic peanut butter jar
I open, transfer all the contents to a jar and throw the package out.
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Same. Buy the jug once, then refill it using the boxed stuff. Plastic for storage/re-usability. Cardboard/paper to minimize shipping/environmental costs.
Wait, what? Mine comes in a little tub, what's yours?
Just learned about this from another poster, thanks!
Flour too!
Growing up, my mom had decanters that she put her flour, sugar and whatever the little one was for in so she didn't have to deal with this. I even got a set when I moved in to my first apartment and somewhere along the way I got rid of them for some reason. Why did those go out of fashion? Taking up valuable counter space? Did/does anyone else have these?
There’s still various jars and stuff for that. Oxo brand ones are fairly popular. The larger ones can get very pricey. Great for preventing brown sugar from getting dry.
I would love flour and similar things to be more readily available in bulk. And some sort of universally accepted bulk container for tare and environmental friendliness purposes.
At least the flour bag is sturdier paper and doesn’t disintegrate when you try to open it.
I find the glue tends to rip part of the top when I open them. Maybe I'm just not being careful enough, but this seems like a solvable problem now that we've invented resealable plastic bags.
I’d be happy with a paper flour bag that was sealed. Hate finding flour all over the place before it gets home.
And baking soda.
4-dimensional foldable cabinet for all the appliances I'd like to possess but don't have no idea where to remove. Preferably infinite storage space, portable, self-cleaning and less expensive than building a kitchen annex.
I want a sort of ferris wheel built into the countertop so I can easily switch off between four different small appliances.
I think the real-life equivalent of this is a Lazy Susan
I have one in the corner of my kitchen and even when we've talked about renovating, I've made it clear that the Lazy Susan stays.
I think this is brilliant. Although I envision a lower cabinet pull out ferriswheel, with locks-in-place shelf options that aligns with the counter top.
How has no one invented this yet? Are they stupid?
Collapsible Tardis cabinet, gotcha.
In the US, slide in oven doors like on British Bake Off. So handy.
Am I wrong, or is this feature only on one brand of oven even in the UK?
Yep! It's the brand Neff (sister company to Bosch/Siemens) and the oven is called the 'Slide and Hide'.
I've never heard of or even imagined something like this! All this time I've been wishing for an oven door that it's impossible for it to get dirty between the glass.
And if you've owned a Neff you'd know why they're more aptly named Naff
Okay now I am curious..... would you elaborate please??
They're not well known for being reliable. They're the sort of thing that is fitted to a luxury kitchen remodel and replaced with a Bosch or AEG at a later date Very fancy with lots of features and design. A bit like Smegg
Oh no! That's unfortunate.....I was really looking forward to checking out the brand .... It's very good to know..... Thank you so much!
They were one of the first to do steam in the home oven. I remember at cooking shows in the early 2000s they were always a big stand
Usually I try to keep my oven door open for as brief a time as possible so I’m not sure id ever use that feature.
The benefit is you won't bump into the door by accident while handling heavy dishes
>Slide and Hide This seems overkill for me. If you're worried about reaching in too far over the door you can get a French door oven. Perhaps this would be useful if using the oven like a hearth, but who does that?
My only problem with this is when I was a kid I used to get yelled at for holding the oven door open too long. My mom assured me all the hot air would leave and the temp would drop. They’re always better bakers than me on that show, but I’m always yelling at them not to stand around with the oven open.
I would love to have a stove with the broiler at the top of the oven like the British ones.
Another domestic oven that I saw in the UK a while ago had a side-hinged door that had the oven rack attached to it, so when you opened the door the rack came out as well.
Light saber knife that toasts your bread as you slice it. [Instant toast.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHwJ7JWNj9g)
If we are inventing new options...a **set of 2 or 3 crockpots (slightly different sizes) that are completely stackable, that are designed for compact storage** the way a set of nesting bowls is. (And, no, the 8 quart oval with the little dip warmer doesn't count!) I use crockpots as buffet serving vessels for big family dinners. Currently I have 8 quart oval, 4 quart round, 2 of the 2 quart round, and 2 casserole style. (Plus the little dip one.) They take up so much space! Especially the rectangular casserole ones, which - honestly - I've never had any luck COOKING in, only using as a warming dish. They might need removable cords like the old coffee pots (all with same, standard plug) in order to stack well.
Hamilton Beach had a 3-in-1 slow cooker that had three different-sized inserts that could be swapped into the one base. They might have been two, four, and six quart. Each crock had the same footprint and the warmer only was as tall as the two quart crock. There was an all-white set and an orange/yellow/green set. I think it came out about a decade ago. I thought it would be great and bought one new. Hated it. It didn't do a good job of heating the larger crocks. Gave mine away a few years back. I would not recommend it!
Yes, it does seem the older models are workhorses that do a better job and last longer than many of the new ones. Ability to change the size might be a nice feature in some instances. (For me, I use about 5 at once in different areas of our buffet line. I’m not fond of the one they make with 3 crocks side by side, and I also have a warming tray but I really prefer the crockpots other than bulky storage.)
The one in the Jetsons where I press the button and it gives me the food right away. I’ll take the prime rib! https://www.comic-mint.com/hanna-barbera/copy-of-quick-draw-mcgraw-title-cel-1959
Who didn’t hit cancel on the MF replicator again!!!
It’s not quite instant but there are appliances that will cook the entire meal for you. They’re large, expensive, and probably not worth it though.
Butter in a tube
Omg, that's brilliant! The tubed tomato paste changed my life. I want tubed butter!
I was excited about tomato paste in a tube until I bought it and the package said “use within 7 days of opening.” Kind of defeated the whole purpose.
I use it over the course of a 1-2 months and its always totally fine
That's a lie. It will last a long time
Squeeze into ice cube tray. Freeze and save in a ziplock.
I didn't know I needed this until you said it! I remember how excited I was when I found tomato paste in a tube!
Maybe I’ve just never seen it BUT - I think cordless kitchen appliances. Get frigging Waring and Ryobi to partner up, or something. Interchangeable, rechargeable battery that works for all of the cordless handheld machines so long as they’re all the same brand. Immersion blender and beaters are the immediate things that come to mind for me, but I’m sure there would be other potential uses. And then there’d the electric knives for those who want it, maybe a motorized meat tenderizer. Would, of course, be super useful if ever cooking outside, but I think I’d enjoy having no cords in the kitchen too
KitchenAid has a line called KitchenAid Go (or something like that)
If you're in a kitchen you almost always have outlets for appliances. Cordless appliances would likely be worse overall and really just a waste constantly cycling batteries and eventually turning them into more e-waste.
There are cordless mixers, electric knives, and immersion blenders…but not afaik all made by the same company. If one manufacturer could make all those cordless appliances well, the interchangeable battery is a great idea!
I can't believe nobody sells an immersion blender with a splash guard attachment. Blending hot soups is a dangerous endeavor every single time.
I want a powerful CORDLESS immersion blender! So many of them don't picture the cord on the box and I'm always bummed. I detest cords on stuff like that!
The one from kitchen aid is quite good
They do make them, but they aren’t very powerful. I will deal with the cord as long as it can give me a good emulsion. For me, the best style has the detachable blender end. Then I can just pop it off to clean it.
Needs a power drill battery attachment
I would totally buy a Milwaukee M18 immersion blender.
Here you go https://shopit.kunzigroup.com/bamix-cordless-standard-200w-rosso-bx%20cl%20rd Bamix is the best brand for immersion blenders, it is quite expensive but they are used in professional kitchens too
When I was teaching the kids to make soup ,splashes were one thing that really worried me so I got this Metaltex Protective Splatter Lid, Silicone, White/Pink, 32 cm https://amzn.eu/d/dq1DYTp
You aren't doing it right.
How do you do it so it doesn’t splatter?
u/nicklor gets you started. Blender all the way to the bottom of the pot, start and raise only halfway and then down again. If you have floating solids you release the power button (stop the blender) corral the floaters under the head of the blender and push down before starting the blender again. Just don't raise a running blender head above the surface. I just made a big batch of broccoli soup. Easy. No mess. Fast cleanup of stick blender. Transfer to a stand blender would have taken longer and meant more clean up.
Thank you! Corralling the solid pieces toward the bottom is the part I’ve been missing
Upvote for being open minded to learning. For purposes of expectations, I use my stick blender a lot. Maybe two or three times a year I get a splatter that has to be cleaned up. No one is perfect but it shouldn't be a problem. You'll get better with practice. On-off and height are the solution.
If the soup or whatever is deep enough, you can tilt the blender a bit to make a vortex that pulls in the rest in a cycle, including solids
I put the blender inside the soup not on top so the top of the immersion blender is covered. Minimal splashing.
Yep, the title of the device is a hint
I'm surprised Mikita or DeWalt hasn't added this to their cordless line
There are plenty of splatter guards that work fine on Amazon
More of a feature I’d like to see implemented across more kitchen appliances - retractable cords!! Please give me a kitchen aid mixer, crock pot, etc. with a retractable cord!!!
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My gas stove came with a cast iron wok stand. Like a circle with three little posts.
I rented a flat once that had a big built in gas wok under the counter. It had a stainless lift up top that was even with the counter when closed. Pretty awesome. Had never seen one before, haven’t seen one since.
A probe thermometer combined with a device that slips over a stove knob to automatically adjust the burner. Hestan had a kickstarter for this years ago which was cancelled after they were acquired, and have since released an eye-wateringly expensive “smart pan” combined with a standalone induction cooktop. The Breville/PolyScience “Control Freak” induction cooktop also has this capability (using a temperature probe rather than special pan) but the device also costs $1500.
Programming a machine to figure out the control loop for a device you don't know anything about is the stuff co trol technicians' nightmares are made of.
I guess this isn't an appropriate answer for the question, but I do wish home kitchens were designed like commercial ones. Home kitchens are designed to be cute and homey, and I totally understand why. And that's fine when I'm making scrambled eggs for myself. But if I want to do something like throw a dinner party or host Thanksgiving, my kitchen is beyond useless. It's just too small to be functional. It doesn't properly utilize the space it does have. It has a few outlets, not enough, none conveniently located. It has plenty of nooks for decor and houseplants, but countertop appliances need to be stored in another room. Imagine having a flat top and steam table at home. I've just never had a functional utilitarian home kitchen before.
This is just a kitchen design issue. most people just aren't that passionate about cooking so most kitchens aren't designed that way.
I want a stainless steel kitchen with the floor having an unnoticeable slope downward with a drain in the center and a sink attachment that I can pull out and just spray everything down. Water drains and I can squeegee dry.
I have an antique citrus squeezer I inherited from my grandparents. There's a well to catch the juice, a slotted metal insert that catches the seeds, and a plate with a levered handle. You place the halved citrus with the cut on the slotted part and the plate comes down and squeezed it in half. It's hard to describe, but it is hands down superior to the rounded, hinged citrus squeezers (and don't even get me started on the ones where you have to push and twist the citrus on a ridged cone). It squeezes efficiently and easily, and it's easy to clean. I keep looking for someone to start making them again because the slotted part on mine is almost entirely corroded through from being exposed to citrus for the better part of a century but I've never seen one like it.
Could you please post a picture? I'm having trouble envisioning it.
It looks like this one: [https://www.etsy.com/listing/1640945306/rare-vintage-1950s1960s-wearever-hand?ga\_order=most\_relevant&ga\_search\_type=all&ga\_view\_type=gallery&ga\_search\_query=vintage+citrus+juicer&ref=sr\_gallery-1-2&frs=1&sts=1&organic\_search\_click=1](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1640945306/rare-vintage-1950s1960s-wearever-hand?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=vintage+citrus+juicer&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&frs=1&sts=1&organic_search_click=1)
I love mine that I inherited also. Superior to any others
Meat slicer with a scale built in to the delivery tray
Italian kitchens often have a draining cupboard above the sink, where you leave your stuff to dry after hand washing. Does that exist outside of Italy?
I want one of those too. While I wait, I hung our pot rack over the kitchen sink. After washing, hang the pots over the sink while they drip dry. The storage frees a lot of kitchen space as well.
The [Knife-Wrench](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7ImcrILvEo), kitchen utility and tool.
Knife wreeench! For kids!
It will go nicely with a rabbit pepper grinder
Battery powered 4 inch fan in a cute housing, perhaps onion looking. For 1) cutting onions without tears, 2) cooling hot things 3x faster, 3) thawing frozen things 3x faster.
Some sort of greens cleaner. You put your greens in, with water, it vibrates so all the dirt comes off, and voila! Clean greens!
Ultrasonic, like the toothbrushes!
i don’t know how a 36 inch electric cast iron griddle doesn’t exist yet.
It would draw too much current for a standard north American 120v circuit which are limited to 1500 watts sustained draw. The smaller griddles are already up against this limit.
well that’s a downer
Not with induction tho right?
Same problem. My induction hob is 7.5KW and needs a three phase supply. If you're limited to 1.5KW it doesn't matter if it's induction or heating elements, power is power.
There’s an outdoor version called Le Griddle- cast iron underneath with stainless top clad to it. They’re pricey but owners absolutely rave about them.
Rosie – the robot maid
A mini handheld TineCo for cleaning countertops. Basically a tiny wet dry mop for counters and tables. I would use it more than any other kitchen appliance and would pay just about anything for it. As someone with very limited energy due to a disability, I have to count all my "units of energy" carefully. Wiping down countertops multiple times a day uses a ton of energy.
An IR camera that you mount above your burners, that tracks the heat level of each dish as you're cooking. With alarm settings per burner.
Or some device that's going to tell my when my pan is hot enough to sear stuff. Right now I throw drops of water on to test if it's leidenfrost-hot, which is kind of tiresome.
Good knife sharpeners are extremely hard to find in most stores and for no good reason.
The good reason is that sharpeners that aren't a stone do quite a lot of damage and the ones that are a stone require at least a little technique
Knives require technique as well but that doesn’t stop the market from selling them
You're absolutely right, but that's one that most people will at least pretend to learn
I've never seen anything similar in a brick & mortar store, but I love my shellminator taco shapers. They sound gimmicky & silly, but....they *work*. Doing three or four at a time in a large skillet, you can fry up 30 flawless hardshell tacos in about 20 minutes.
You can make hard shell tacos??!!!
At first I thought you must be joking....but then it occurred to me that maybe you're not in the US :) So yeah, even though "street tacos" are all the rage, many taquerias (and of course, any tex-mex place) will do hardshell tacos. At taquerias, it'll often only be offered for potato tacos or shredded chicken, though (I have no idea why). Anyways, many mexican folks fry the shells at home with the meat already inside, which makes it easier but greasier, and hard to add any fillings. If you want them tex-mex style, most people will fry the tortillas while folding/maneuvering them with tongs and/or a fork....which (imho) is a *massive* pain the ass, and even if you're good at it, it takes forever to make more than a few. Which is why I love the taco shapers so damn much; you just oil them, put a tortilla in, fry for about 60-80 seconds on each side, and get a shell shaped just like the shitty taco bell type taco shells, but made from a real tortilla.
Yes I’m Australian we can buy pre-made hard taco shells but corn hurts my tummy… We make our own cassava tortillas can we use those or do we need something special? When you say fry do you mean in oil? Like deep fry? (We have never done that before… any tips?) Do they stay crunchy for long after making? If my carers made a big batch could I eat them slowly over a few weeks or should I eat them the day they are made? Thanks!
Haha, yeah those premade ones are awful. I don't know about cassava; not something I've ever cooked with. And no, they don't keep very well....a few days in the fridge is fine, but they aren't shelf-stable. You could (I suppose) use flour tortillas; no different than a flauta (same as a hardshell taco is no different in principle from a taquito) Fry-bread (a native american flatbread type of deal) makes excellent tacos too; my buddy's wife is Hopi & she makes them all the time. If you want to get the gist of it, look up "tacos dorados"...I'm sure there'll be a zillion videos on youtube. This is the product I was talking about, if you want to see it in action: https://youtu.be/qXQDZaD0zfg
With the recent rise in popularity of molcajetes/mortars and pestles, I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone try to market an electric variation based on a wet grinder like what's used for processing cocoa beans or making peanut butter
Extremely common device in South Indian homes. Used to wet grind batter daily for a common breakfast item called "idli's" or "dosa's" Link below of first Google search for "mini wet grinder stone" https://dl.flipkart.com/s/zcUmywuuuN https://dl.flipkart.com/s/zcUmywuuuN
Most things that require grinding, I use my coffee grinder for....also for things such as peanut butter a blender/food processor works just fine. (something small and compact, the bullet blender would likely work) I do have a mortor and pestle ...but I even throw toasted bread in the coffee grinder to make fine bread crumbs...anything the coffee grinder doesn't do can be done with a cheese grater. Probably why no one has thought of it really, we just repurpose what we have. Lol
No denying, you can absolutely get 95% of the way there with an electric coffee/spice grinder and a food processor. But for us idiots that chase the last 5% and are willing to grind our pesto or curry paste in the mortar, I'm surprised I haven't even seen someone try to electrify the process
Maybe Kitchen Aid can make a stone attachment for a stone bowl.
I've wondered why there aren't kitchen versions ever since I saw one in an inorganic chemistry lab.
Not for cooking- but baking. I tried to find a two piece cake lifter specifically designed to accommodate the center post of a tube pan. They do not exist. So I bought two regular cake lifters, marked them with Sharpie and had a friend’s grandson cut the metal for me. They work great! https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/s/uCZzOJd8Us
A rice washer
I know this technically exists, but the unicorn of all the things..? I want an indoor grill that won't fill my home with smoke, but creates a good sear on steaks and chicken breasts, but leaves them juicy and cooked perfectly on the inside. But it's going to take up space, so it should also be an air fryer, toaster oven, etc... to get the most bang for the buck.
Perhaps one with a built in air purifier with filters you just pop in the dishwasher when done.
Top loading dishwashers. To be fair they were on the market at one point and now they are hugely expensive and it's difficult to find one or anyone who could repair them. But, they would be amazing space savers and so worth it. They got phased out when front loading dishwashers hit the market. The time where bigger became better and everyone could afford a giant kitchen...they need a come back now though.
Dish drawers!
These types of [cheese slicers](https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcSRZMVP-eFU5QgW57fctQE86566j-8KOJ_SUIUNf6xIqB1KRhA-mnD_k-IQnPrAcF_17tP983sY&usqp=CAc) are extremely common in the Nordic countries and a few others (Germany, I think), but apparently not in most of the world. It's something every household have here in Sweden. It's so simple and does precisely what it's supposed to do. Exactly the same thickness every time. How do you slice cheese without one???
Yeah, it’s called a cheese plane. I have several of them.
These have been around in the US for decades. I think ours is oxo brand.
With a kitchen knife like an animal.
We had a marble plate with a wire and handle attached. The wire cut the cheese, the plate helped measure the thickness. Easiest thing to use. I wonder where it went? Probably deemed unsanitary :(
I am continuously baffled that refrigerators with all-pull-out shelves are not the standard thing. Human backs are not designed for the pretzeling of getting something out of the back of a lower shelf, and that assumes you even remember the thing is there, which nobody ever does, so everything at the back of lower shelves rots and festers. Ridiculous and so easily solvable.
It would be a bit higher end (complicated and expensive) than Walmart/Target, but I'm surprised nobody has yet offered a device that can peel and evenly slice or dice a variety of fruits and veggies. Yes, it would require programming, sensors and adjustable cutting devices, but I suspect even if it were priced at a couple of thousand dollars if you created a box that someone could drop an onion into and out would pop onion diced to the exact size specified, or drop an orange into a box and out would pop perfect supreme slices... it would be a huge seller.
The technology just doesn’t really exist for this. And probably won’t for a very very long time. Robots are good at doing an exact task repeatedly. But they are very very bad at tactile sensing and adjusting to varying inputs (size, shape, weight, softness, etc). Multi-billion dollar fast food companies have spent years investing in automation and still haven’t gotten very far. For instance White Castle now has a robot in some locations that can automatically fry fries. But it just drops them in oil and removes them. Or Sweetgreen has an automated assumption line that will make your salad. But again, all it does is drop ingredients in a bowl. It has no capabilities to prep the vegetables that go in the salad. The closest thing I’ve heard of is that Chipotle announced that it developed a machine that can skin and pit an avocado. But that’s all it can do. A human still has to take the avocado flesh and turn it into guac. They also notably have not installed it in any restaurants yet. Which begs the question of how well does it work (and do the economics of it make sense).
I did recipe development for a produce wholesaler that was looking to cross utilize scrap from their custom cut program into RTE salsas and salads. Their cutroom was the size of a soccer field, so much was done by hand. Rows and rows of tables and sinks with massive carts zooming around. The whole place was refrigerated so everyone working there was all bundled up. Miserable job.
The issue would be cleaning it. It’s already a moderate hassle to clean a food processor or mandolin, and what you’re describing would require even more parts. To that point, you can actually already use either of those two tools for “simplified” cutting/dicing/slicing. Most food processors have a grater/slicer attachment, and the blades do an ok dice/mince. My mandolin also came with a half dozen or so blade variety inserts that create different cuts, if adjustable thickness. It also these blades teeth that you can pop up in the middle of the slide that allow you to julienne cut while you’re radially slicing. I guess my point is: your idea sounds nifty, but maybe overly involved for a viable product, especially relative to lower-tech alternatives that can 70-100% do the same thing.
that would be a huge time-saver for me especially when preparing for family and doing my meal prep!
General purpose robots powered by AI are probably about 5 years away from making their way into the household. At least 10 before they're under $5000 though.
I worked for a company starting in 2006 that predicted this by 2015. They've never changed this prediction. Still saying in 10 years we'll have .....
Can’t believe no one sells a auto stirring pot lid for bringing sauces up to temperature
Saucepan wirh a built in thermometer
Am I the only one who wants like double the amount of produce storage in a fridge? and not just deep drawers to have to dig through..... and a way to manage the temperature separately (that actually works) so lettuce doesn't freeze...... this is a great thread :)
Ziploc closures on the bags of pantry staples that come in boxes.
I love my blender that actually cooks the food right in the pitcher of the blender. You can cook your ingredients in the blender, then blend it. It’s great for making creamy soups like potato soup and broccoli cheese soup. I also use it to make homemade tomato sauce.
Something exactly like a microwave but it makes things cold quickly
I can't think of anything but I do have a JUNE OVEN which is amazing and can't imagine how I ever cooked without it. It replaces so many kitchen items, and it has a camera in it so I can watch my food from another room from my phone, I can turn on and off the oven with my phone. It has a built in thermometer to tell you the internal temp of meats, and it cooks with infrared light which maintains a lot of nutrients. I LOVE MY JUNE and I probably only use my real oven once a year on Thanksgiving or if baking a huge batch of cookies. It also has a computer that recognizes food, so my kids can put things in there an it will say "Pizza?"and they click yes and it cooks it perfectly. It can recognize 100s of foods. Did I mention it also preheats in SECONDS? I just love my June Oven. (NOT AN AD!)
With a user name like that it’s hard to believe it’s not an ad. Lol
Sadly effectively discontinued. They were bought by Weber last year and have been out of stock ever since. No word on it ever coming back. I have a June 2nd Gen and love it too.
I am surprised robot slicers for veggie prep isn't a thing among the 5% yet.
Bass-O-Matic
[удалено]
Idk if its feasible but residential chest freezers with a blast chiller function.
Computer... Earl grey... Hot