There have been some cool technology-in-the kitchen ideas recently, and this is a trend that is going to grow. Here are three to whet your appetite: Vessyl, Drop, and Prep Pad.
Vessyl is a cup which identifies what you are drinking and gives advice about calorific value etc. This is part of a trend towards devices which will help with our wellbeing. We’ve already seen wearables like Fitbit and the Nike Fuelband, which monitor and report our exercise and expenditure of energy, and so moving to devices which monitor and report our intake is a logical step. Will it catch on? Who knows – but Vessyl has reported over a million dollars in advanced orders, at $99 a go, so there is demand out there.
Drop is more of a cook’s tool. Promoted as being a baking aid, it’s an iPad connected kitchen scale with an associated recipe app. It will also help you share your results on social media, if you are so inclined. This is also a $99 device, but Drop is accepting pre-orders at $80 with free delivery at the time of writing.
Prep Pad, from the Orange Chef Co is described with the strap line “Fitness meets nutrition”. It’s also an iPad connected scale with a recipe App, but Prep Pad is more like Vessyl in that the focus seems to be on nutritional content of the recipe, which it helps the chef to visualise and adjust.
My husband – who knows about these things – tells me that this is all part of a technology trend known as the the Internet of Things, where many more of our everyday objects will be connected to the Internet and able to help us do what we are doing. It strikes me that there are tools here for everyone, from smart chefs, to foodies, to absolute beginners. At the same time as these tools help us to be better cooks, we will be informed like never before about the nutritional value of the food we eat, which should lead to healthier bodies.
Exciting times.
