Hot (ahem) on the heels of Matsushita's induction heating stove comes a similar contraption from Sanyo, but this one has a certain fondness for pressure cooking. The IH pressure rice cooker sports a copper lining that is reportedly sandwiched between layers of stainless steel and aluminum, which enables it to heat up quickly and retain a high degree of heat throughout the cooking process. Additionally, this device promises "even heating" that comes with the IH territory, comes in white / black (ECJ-XP10) or champagne gold (ECJ-V10), and will run you a staggering ¥131,250 ($1,076) when it lands in September.

When you've eggs that essentially boil themselves and gizmos that take the skill out of concocting a decent breakfast, where's the need for culinary prowess? For the chefs who feel that modern technology is diluting their art, Matsushita's latest invention isn't likely to enthrall you, but for those in need of a quick stir-fry lesson, the KZ-VSW33D should fit the bill. The electromagnetic induction heating (IH) cooking utensil, better known as a stove here in the states, uses infrared temperature sensors which can quickly determine if the bottom of the pan has cooled off since the prior reading (you know, while you're hurling it about trying to impress onlookers), and can then adjust in order to provide an even amount of heat throughout so that certain sections don't end up, um, extra crispy. Of course, such a snazzy cooker demands quite the premium, as this uber-efficient device will run you a staggering ¥409,500 ($3,310) when it lands in September.

[Via Tech-On]

Sanyo is already pretty big on induction heating (IH), but the company seems to think it has found an even better way to speed up cook times while still producing food that's (presumably) edible, announcing what it claims to be the "world's first" microwave / IH oven hybrid. Dubbed the Enegreen, the oven doesn't simply offer two ways to cook your food, instead putting both cooking technologies to use simultaneously, with the IH component cooking food from the outside in and the microwave cooking from the inside out. Supposedly, that'll translate to about an 85% reduction in cooking times -- for instance, cooking a hamburger in just under two minutes. As its name suggests, the oven is also aiming to cut more than cooking times, promising a 37% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to other induction ovens. Not surprisingly, all that near-instant satisfaction won't come cheap, with the Enegreen oven set to demand 624,750 Yen (over $5,000) when it's released in Japan this April.

[Via Far East Gizmos]