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Whirlpool's smart thermometer ensures your food is cooked properly
Whirlpool wants to be sure you never serve an undercooked roast again. Its Yummly subsidiary is introducing a Smart Thermometer that uses sensors to check the temperatures of both the oven and your food, letting you know through a mobile app when they reach the right temperature. You won't have to periodically check your turkey to know when it's ready to eat.
What we're listening to: Brass Against and 'Gastropod'
In the latest installment of our audio IRL, contributing writer Kris Holt introduces us to a brass band that's covering some big hits with their own spin. Database editor Ian Levenstein explains why you need to add a culinary-themed show to your regular podcast rotation.
How to prepare a high-tech holiday feast
I'm pretty handy around the kitchen if I do say so myself. You need something seared, roasted, grilled, braised, boiled, bronzed or blanched, I'm your guy. But through most of the year my culinary aptitude is geared towards cooking for one, maybe two people, and a cat. Whipping up a full holiday feast for my extended family can pose a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, kitchens in the 21st century are a wonderland of helpful gear and gadgets. Here are a few that I hope will handle the heavy lifting on throughout the holidays.
Hear me out: The case for Le Creuset's Star Wars cookware
Force Friday has become something of a bonanza in recent years. An event born of Disney's incredible knack for merchandising, it's the ultimate product glut for Star Wars fans. It's usually on a Friday in early October (in this year of Our Dark Lord 2019 it was triple Force Friday because of the release of The Mandalorian, the video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.) During this day-long reveal of incredible merchandise (from the must-haves to the I-didn't-think-anyone-would-want-this-but-now-I-want-it), different brands reveal their tie-in products. Sure, there are the usual t-shirts, Funko Pops and Porg plushes, but this year premium brands such as Bose and Adidas got in on the game with branded The Rise of Skywalker headphones and shoes, respectively. But perhaps the most shocking -- and the most talked about -- Star Wars product to come out of Force Friday this year came from cookware company Le Creuset. The premium brand, best known for its brightly colored cast-iron dutch ovens, released a pretty incredible set of dutch ovens, roasters and mini cocottes that were straight from a galaxy far, far away. If you're planning on hosting Christmas on Coruscant, these are items you need to make your holiday celebrations a success.
Anova's Nano sous vide bundle is $70 off at Amazon
When it comes to culinary adventures from the comforts of home, sous vide is still very popular. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, we won't judge, but there are some great deals available at Amazon this week that might tempt you to do so. You could also provide the tool necessary for that aspiring chef on your list to try the cooking method. First, the Anova Precision Cooker Nano is bundled with the company's vacuum sealer for $99. That's typically the price just for the Nano alone, so you're getting the sealer for free. Regularly, the pair would cost you $169. You don't need a vacuum sealer for sous vide, but it does make things easier. Plus, you can use it to package food for freezing and storage.
Sony AI unit launches to push R&D in gaming, cameras and food
Ever since Sony announced the return of Aibo in 2016, it's increasingly focused on developing AI technology to push its products. Now it's established Sony AI which will have offices in Japan, Europe and the US focused on bringing "world class fundamental research and development with Sony's unique technical assets." While that includes robotics like its recently-updated puppy bot, it's also all about the company's Imaging & Sensing business, as well as entertainment like movies and games.
The popular 8-quart Instant Pot Lux is at its lowest price ever
Instant Pot deals are becoming almost a daily occurrence. But since we're heading into the heart of holiday shopping season, all of them are worth considering for the culinary wizard on your list. Today, Amazon has the Instant Pot Lux 80 8-quart 6-in-1 model for just $55. What's more, that's the best price we've seen on this particular model, which typically costs $80. In fact, it's the lowest price ever on the Lux 80, according to Camelcamelcamel.
Food Network's cooking classes begin on Echo Show and Alexa devices
At Amazon's big Alexa event last month, Discovery revealed its Food Network Kitchen service, which is now live across its iOS and Android apps and Alexa-powered devices. It includes live, interactive cooking classes featuring the network's star chefs, on-demand courses, recipes and Food Network TV shows as well as grocery ordering and delivery for all the ingredients you'll need to prepare the dishes you see on the service.
Le Creuset's Star Wars cookware is available to pre-order
If you've been itching to get your hands on that roasting pan with Han Solo encased into the lid, now's your chance. Le Creuset unveiled a selection of Star Wars cookware earlier this month and said it would go on sale in November. But you don't have to wait to stake your claim for a $395 Darth Vader French oven or $25 Porg pie bird as pre-orders are now open.
Le Creuset's Star Wars collection includes a $900 dutch oven
Le Creuset is no stranger to working with Disney, but their latest collaboration is sure to cause a disturbance in the Force. In November, the French cookware maker plans to release a series of Star Wars-themed products. Le Creuset shared the news in a tweet on Friday morning. Make sure to watch the accompanying video with sound turned on. One word of warning before you get too excited, however. The end of the video includes a small but important disclaimer: "Cookware does not emit sounds or illuminate." Bummer.
Food Network's cooking instruction service lets you ask Alexa for help
Discovery wants to be your one-stop shop for cooking classes, and it's enlisting Amazon's help to make that happen. The broadcaster has unveiled a Food Network Kitchen service that offers a mix of live classes from celebrity chefs, on-demand classes, TV shows and recipes. It'll be available on a raft of Amazon devices (including Echo Show and Fire TV gear) in addition to the virtually obligatory Android and iOS apps, but the real attraction may be the deep tie-ins with Alexa -- Food Network Kitchen may effectively become the go-to option for cooking on Alexa-equipped devices.
June promises to fix smart ovens that are preheating accidentally
As convenient as smart ovens can be, they also introduce their own hassles -- namely, technical hiccups. June plans to update the software for its signature oven after multiple reports of the devices accidentally preheating overnight. CEO Matt Van Horn attributed them to user errors, such as forgetting to remove food, tapping a button by accident or inadvertently issuing an Alexa command. The company isn't taking chances, mind you, and has both immediate and long-term fixes in the works.
The best gear for your backyard party
Ah yes, sweet summertime. The few months of the year when your time is best spent outside, and that means time in the backyard, if you're blessed with one. Here's all the gear you need to turn your backyard into an outdoor summertime haven.
Instant Pot joins the air fryer craze with the Vortex Plus
Now that Instant Pot is virtually synonymous with pressure cooking for some people, the company behind it is turning to another kitchen trend: air fryers. The recently acquired Instant Brands has introduced the Instant Vortex Plus, a seven-in-one air fryer that promises the company's usual versatility for more cooking modes. On top of its namesake feature, it can also bake, broil, dehydrate, reheat, roast and rotate an included rotisserie spit. You might not need to change devices if you want to make chicken and french fries, and the 10-quart capacity should be enough for many meals.
Recommended Reading: Algorithms and school surveillance
Aggression Detectors: The unproven, invasive surveillance technology schools are using to monitor students Jack Gillum and Jeff Kao, ProPublica Following the rise in mass shootings, schools, hospitals and other public places are installing tech to monitor people. Part of this effort includes using algorithm-equipped microphones to capture audio, with the goal of detecting stress or anger before bad things happen. The problem? They aren't reliable and their mere existence is a massive invasion of privacy.
MIT is turning AI into a pizza chef
Never mind having robots deliver pizza -- if MIT and QCRI researchers have their way, the automatons will make your pizza as well. They've developed a neural network, PizzaGAN (Generative Adversarial Network), that learns how to make pizza using pictures. After training on thousands of synthetic and real pizza pictures, the AI knows not only how to identify individual toppings, but how to distinguish their layers and the order in which they need to appear. From there, the system can create step-by-step guides for making pizza using only one example photo as the starting point.
Traeger Ironwood 650 review: WiFi is the ultimate pitmaster
I'll admit it: I was skeptical that a WiFi-connected grill could really improve my casual culinary exploits. During my review of Traeger's Timberline 850 though, I would discover it's actually very useful -- especially for things that take several hours to cook like pulled pork, brisket and ribs. With its 2019 lineup, Traeger extended that WiFi tech to all of its new grills instead of reserving it for the premium Timberline Series. At $1,200, the new Ironwood 650 still isn't cheap, but it offers a lot of what the more expensive Traeger grills do while saving you a few hundred dollars.
The 'Chef's Table' team is making non-fiction shows for Disney+
Disney+ won't focus solely on telling fictional stories inside the media behemoth's many, many properties. The company has signed a two-year deal that will have Supper Club, the creators of Chef's Table, creating non-fiction streaming shows based around both franchises as well as original ideas. No, the first projects won't be cooking documentaries -- they'll be relatively varied.
Instant Pot's creator is merging with the company behind Pyrex
Instant Pot cookers already have a loyal following, and now they're about have some extra clout, too. Corelle Brands, the company behind kitchen brands like CorningWare and Pyrex, has unveiled plans to merge with Instant Pot's creators Instant Brands. The two hope to create a "world-class" housewares company that covers food prep head-to-toe, whether it's the actual cooking or storing leftovers. Instant's CEO, Robert Wang, also touted that this would help foster its "expanding product development pipeline."
The best portable induction cooktop
By Sharon Franke, Michael Sullivan This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full portable induction cooktop guide here.
