Saturday, December 12, 2015

Near future of cooking and the Internet of things

This writing is not fully researched and is more of a thought experiment.  It comes from items I have read and great people I have talked to.  I just thought to myself what cooking in the future would be like and wrote it down.  Enjoy. 

All great meals start with the toilette


This is the first place of collecting data on your health in the modern home.  There are companies working on building toilettes that can analyze your health and let you know when it’s time to see the doctor.   For our scenario we will assume that the loyal commode will keep track of essential vitamins and nutrients for you.   We will also assume many other devices in the home like your bed and fitness trackers will give us a clearer picture on your overall health.  Your TV could even end up ratting you out for binge watching that favorite show.  Shame on you, you should have been exercising.

The fast way of food consumption


You pull up to a line of cars at your favorite fast food restaurant.  With your handy app you begin to build your order on your phone.  You pull up to what used to be the order speaker and simply scan your phone to submit y our order along with your nutrients requirements your app got from your home.   The restaurant builds your burger fully injected with a cocktail specifically mixed for you.  This cocktail contains flavorless vitamins and nutrients that were prescribed by your toilette.  It feels like you are eating the standard fast food but it is chemically superior. 

The “I have time to make stuff method”


You are at the store and you have a recipe that was recommended by your wearable devices.  You might have requested fried butter but it found something similar with the nutrients you need.  Your smart home has the desire of keeping you healthy.  The first step is seeing what ingredients you already have.  Your wearable device will link back to your home and ask the fridge and cabinets what items you already have off the list.  Both of these home devices can use RFID technology to scan its contents and report back the status.  For example, you might have milk but it has been in there for about a month.  Armed with this information you can purchase only what you need and return home to begin cooking.

Most recipes have you start by preheating the oven.  You will not have to worry about that in the future.  You will start to prep the meal by chopping and mixing ingredients.   Your wearable devices will guide you through the process keeping track of what step you are on.  Once the device recognized the time it will take you to finish prepping the ingredients is equal to the time it takes for your oven to warm up, it will send a signal to the oven letting it preheat to the temperature in the recipe.  Once you open the door and put your masterpiece in the oven, the door closing will start a timer automatically from the recipe.  Sensors in the oven will ensure that your food doesn’t burn and that your dish comes out perfectly.   You will be instructed when to start making the side dishes at exactly the right time so that everything is served to the table fresh and hot.  

Bon Apétite