Innovative Platforms Can Bring Fabulous Food in Every Kitchen

Gone are the days where you can only have delicious, professionally cooked food by eating out in a restaurant or ordering a takeaway. Sure, services like Deliveroo and JustEat have raised the bar for takeaways, meaning that customers can order food from a much wider range of local restaurants in their area from the comfort of their home using a mobile phone, tablet, PC or laptop.

Now, there's no doubt that companies like Deliveroo are game changers in the food and restaurant industry, and these services are only going to grow in popularity until we can eventually access any cuisine at any time. However, no matter how much we try to dress it up, the truth remains that these services are really just encouraging us to spend more and become lazier in the kitchen.

While it's sometimes nice to indulge and treat yourself to a meal out or a takeaway, wouldn't it be nicer and more rewarding to be able to cook a tasty meal yourself from scratch? Not only will you potentially notice a positive difference in your bank balance, but your body will be thankful for the extra nutrition.

Of course, there are plenty of ways you improve your culinary skills, and this has become much more achievable thanks to technology and innovative platforms. We've always had recipe books, but millions of recipes can be found by searching online, making it easy for users to filter their searches quickly so that they can find something that suits them and their dietary needs.

Apps such as Pinterest have created a platform for people to share recipes and save them for later use, often presenting them in a more visual way so that they're simplified, easy to follow and aesthetically pleasing. Many chefs and bakers have turned to video sharing sites such as YouTube, using it as a platform to teach viewers their recipes and make them in front of the camera, almost like a free virtual cooking class.

A trend that's becoming increasingly popular across Facebook are short videos showcasing recipes in an even more visual way. These videos are generally around 1 minute long and use a bird's eye angle, quick cuts and time lapses to show a recipe being made. These allow viewers to quickly browse through an archive of visually pleasing videos to gain inspiration and not only be able to print the recipe off, but they're also able to watch it be made.

Although these are all creative and successful ways to help us improve our culinary skills and provide inspiration of what we should cook, there's a difference between watching videos online and actually being taught how to cook.

Sure, you can attend a cooking class or embark on a training course, as there's a growing number of classes available, giving chefs the opportunity to share their skills and knowledge with customers and earn a bit of money on the side. However, while this is a growing concept, it still might not suit some people.

Some may find the idea of learning in a group on somebody else's property intimidating or off-putting, or they might not find it personal enough. Some might find it too expensive, while others may not be able to find a class local enough to them, let alone at a time that suits them.

However, cooking classes have been taken to a whole new level as creators behind the platform Cookscanner have designed a service that allows people to hire their own personal chef to teach them how to cook. This website gives users the opportunity to search and find local chefs specialising in all sorts of cuisines, and who are willing to come to your home and teach you how to cook.

The site's layout is similar to Airbnb in that you simply sign up either as a customer or as a teacher, and you simply search for your location. Once you've set your location, you'll be shown a list of local chefs that have also signed up to the service to provide their service.

The chefs design their profile where they state their specialist cuisine, and they can then add as many recipes as they wish to their page. Customers can then look through their recipes and choose one that they'd like to learn, and can then request to book their services.

The chefs can choose to charge per recipe, which may take a set amount of hours, or they can charge by the hour in order to fit more or less in. They can specify how far they're willing to travel and whether or not there's a travel fee, and whether they charge extra for ingredients. Once you've hired the chef and arranged a date, time and chosen recipe, they can then come to your home and give you a cooking lesson.

The service is one-on-one which makes it much more personal and engaging, and because the lesson takes place in the customer's home, it's likely to make it a more casual, comfortable experience which may provide more successful results.

Customers can rate and review their chefs and their experience with them and vice-versa, which allows other potential customers to browse until they find a more reputable chef to ensure that their experience is satisfactory. Different chefs will also charge different prices, which may put customers at ease if they're on a budget, as they can choose a chef within their personal price range.

Some people may be put off by paying to hire a chef, but if they added up the amount of money spent at restaurants or on takeaways, they may be surprised at how much money Cookscanner could save in the long-run.

Furthermore, it would be much more rewarding to be able to cook your own meals, and it may also be much healthier as the meals will be made from scratch, meaning that you know exactly what's going in them, whereas restaurants add so much unnecessary salt, sugar and other unhealthy ingredients that you might not even notice.

In conclusion, while the growth in technology and innovative platforms may make it easier for people to rely on having food cooked/delivered for them, it can also encourage them to try out new recipes and cook meals themselves, with platforms that make it easier to increase your culinary knowledge and skills, with newer, more innovative ideas being developed all the time.