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How many ovens in your kitchen is too many ovens?
I ask because Anova announced yesterday that it’s steam+convection combi oven is now on sale for $599 (shipping in North America at the end of September). And even though I have a traditional built-in oven, a microwave oven, and a June Oven (and who knows, maybe an E-Z Bake oven somewhere in storage), I kinda want the Anova oven.
I should preface by saying I haven’t tried the Anova out yet, so who knows how it actually performs in real life, but it sure is enticing. The biggest selling point is its steam/humidity controls. Rather than having me explain it to you, go watch this video of the inimitable Scott Heimendinger (who worked on on the Anova oven) extol the virtues of steam.
But back to the question at hand. How many ovens is too many ovens?
I love my June oven, which, thanks to its computer vision and automated programs, does all the cooking for me. This is doubly great during these nice summer months when I’d rather be outside than indoors cooking. But the June doesn’t have steam, man.
The Anova has steam, but it doesn’t have the automated cook programs of the June. So… I definitely need both right? (Please forward all affirmation/validations to my skeptical wife.)
During our Spoon podcast this week (go give it a listen!), my colleague Jenn Marston pondered aloud whether kitchens even need built-in ovens anymore. I don’t think we’ve quite reached that point yet. The built-in oven is a deep institutional tradition in a home and not something that will die off anytime soon. A traditional oven is also better for a family of four or more. Plus, I’m still hesitant to buy “smart” big appliances because I don’t want them to be bricked. A bricked countertop oven is easier to dispose of/recycle than one built into the kitchen.
The point is, there is a ton of great innovation still happening in the kitchen space, and since this pandemic has me eating more at home — I want all of it.
Now I just need the space for it.
New Food Revue
Kitchen innovation doesn’t end with the new appliances coming into our kitchens. The food we put in those appliances is changing as well.
I mused about this in a post earlier this week after noticing that my days recently have started with a bowl of Magic Spoon cereal and ended with a scoop (or two… or three) of Brave Robot ice cream.
Magic Spoon is gluten-free, keto friendly and bills itself as a healthier kids cereal (for adults), and Brave Robot is the ice cream brand from Perfect Day, which re-creates dairy proteins without the animal.
Neither of these two brands were around a little more than a year ago. Yet both occupy places in my kitchen, replacing traditional versions of those products. And it doesn’t end there: I also eat Impossible burgers, plant-based pork rinds, vegan cheese…
You get the gist.
There are so many new brands coming to or already at market at scale ready to take their place in our pantries and fridges, pushing out the old guard. It’s an exciting time. And delicious.
| Food Tech News Roundup Daily Harvest has a vending machine – traveling about the East Coast giving out free samples of its vegan ice cream. Daily Harvest, which is known for its smoothie delivery service, is using the vending machine as a promotional stunt for its new Scoops vegan ice cream. The vending machine was in Rhode Island earlier this month and will next head to Domino Park, Brooklyn on Aug. 21 – 23, dishing up free Chocolate + Ooey, Gooey Midnight Fudge, and Mint + Dark, Melty Cacao Chips. Lever VC Launches Alt-Protein Fund for Early-Stage Companies – Alt-protein-focused venture capital firm Lever VC announced this week that it has launched a new fund targeting early stage plant- and cell-based protein companies. The Lever VC Fund I currently has $23 million in capital commitments, according to a company press release. Mushlabs Raises $10M to Scale Up Its Mushroom-Fermentation Tech – Biotech company Mushlabs has raised $10 million in Series A funding for its mushroom-fermentation process that can provide alternatives to traditional meat. 2050 Company Kickstarts Powdered Smoothies Made from Upcycled Produce – Ugly fruits and veggies can be pretty appealing (and delicious) when you grind them into dust. That’s the basic pitch for the 2050 Company, which launched its line of instant smoothies made from upcycled produce via Kickstarter today. |
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