We see concept appliances from artists, designers, and students all the time, so it’s a bit odd – to say the least – when Philips decided to unveil its concept design for a new product made for your kitchen. Shown at IFA 2013, the Philips ComeCooker neXt is the latest appliance to get Internet-connected, and wants to assist you in perfecting that impossibly difficult risotto recipe.
The HomeCooker neXt, a collaboration with U.K. chef and Jamie Oliver, is a combination of a pot, blender, and electric cooker all in one machine. The new app-enabled feature will allow the HomeCooker neXt to sync with your smart devices, knowing what recipe you are attempting to cook so it can follow along the steps. For example, if you are making shrimp risotto, the app will give you a step-by-step guide on what ingredients to chop and put in first. For a recipe like risotto which requires constant stirring, the AutoStir technology will also time the cooking process for you, giving the meal the necessary stirs intermittently. Of course, this tech can apply to many other recipes, such as sautéed dishes or even cooking regular pasta in water. The HomeCooker neXt can also steam various food items so you don’t have to constantly watch for when the vegetables are tender.
“Many consumers are already using their smart devices to find new recipes online, so we’re exploring ways to create a smart digital kitchen appliance,” Katrin Hansson, Consumer Marketing Director Philips Kitchen Appliances, said in statement. “We’ve been working with consumers to discover insights and generate ideas, and look forward to using these co-created ideas within our partnership with Jamie Oliver, to define what the next generation of HomeCooker and other kitchen appliances could bring to help people live healthier lives.”
The integration of the neXt app will definitely be useful for dinner parties when the host feels obligated to chat it up with guests but don’t necessarily have the time to peel themselves away from the kitchen. It’s also helpful for people like myself who are in need of a huge kitchen helper in order not to overcook meat, veggies, and pasta … or burn the house down.
Again, since the HomeCooker neXt is still in concept phase, Philips has yet to announce an availability date or pricing estimate. But if it doesn’t get its act together soon, we won’t be surprised if some Kickstarter company jump in its way first.
