PantryChic's Bluetooth ingredient dispenser is for lazy, type-A bakers

Earlier this summer, we showed you a smart kitchen scale that worked with an iPad app to make sure you were adding the right amount of each ingredient to your recipe. At the time, it seemed like the Internet of Things had reached its peak. Jumped the shark, even. Well, apparently even that requires too much effort. Meet PantryChic, an airtight food canister that dispenses ingredients into a digital scale, so that you never even have to break out a measuring cup. All told, if you were serious about your baking (and seriously OCD), you could buy any number of these stackable canisters, and fill each with a different ingredient, like baking soda or brown sugar. Then, when you need one, you attach it to the digital scale, which is pre-programmed to dispense 50 ingredients (meaning, it knows how to convert volume to weight). Oh, and don't worry about pushing any buttons: You can connect over Bluetooth using the PantryChic app, at which point the machine can "see" what recipe you're using and know, for instance, that you need three cups of flour.

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Obviously, this doesn't remove all the work -- only one canister can attach to the scale at once, so you'd still have to swap in different containers as you proceed with your recipe. Still, it's definitely less messy than a normal baking workflow; without any measuring spoons or cups, and with little risk of spillage, you're looking at way less cleanup. Additionally, as a standalone scale, it's capable of measuring meats and liquids in addition to dry goods, so you could use it that way too, if you were so inclined.

Nik of Time, PantryChic's parent company, just launched a Kickstarter campaign, with a fundraising goal of $50,000. If you order now, it'll cost $199 with two canisters, though the company says the price will be $249 when it finally hits retail stores. Meanwhile, canisters come in packs of two for $59 (the price will later be raised to $69). All told, the pricing seems sounds about right, considering both the "smarts" inside the main scale, as well as the premium brushed stainless steel construction. Also, let's be real: A gadget like this would be catnip for upscale shoppers at places like Williams Sonoma, where folks routinely pay hundreds of dollars for whiz-bang kitchen appliances. Tentatively, Nik of Time is saying shipments will begin in February of next year, with retail availability coming later. In the future, too, the outfit might add WiFi integration, along with substitution suggestions, "recipe walkthroughs" (whatever that means) and a 100-calorie brownie pan, cookie scoop and cupcake tin. First things first, though: The project needs to achieve funding and then, you know, get made.