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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Connected Kitchen

Sourd.io is the High-Tech Sourdough Starter Monitor All of Us Newbie Bakers Could Use

I think my sourdough starter is on life support. I’ve discarded it, fed it, proofed it, but it still seems… anemic. I think? I dunno, like so many other trapped at home, this is my first sourdough starter so I’m kind flying blind. But maybe I don’t have to, thanks to a high-tech gizmo put together by Christine Sunu (hat tip to The Verge).

Yesteray, Sunu published a pair of posts on the Twilio (where she works) blog about a DIY device she created to check in on your sourdough starter. Dubbed Sourd.io, the device is basically a cap that fits on top of your starter jar and monitors the temperature, humidity, and rise level of your sourdough so you know when it needs to be fed.

But we’re sorry to say that this solution is not for the technological faint of heart. The instructions involve setting up a Twilio Developer Kit for Narrowband IoT (which also means you can only use it in the US), the Arduino IDE, and the use of a 3D printer. But hey, since you’re stuck at home learning new skills, why not add building electronics to your repertoire?

While there are countless awful things about this pandemic, one bright spot has been the resourcefulness of people in coming up with innovative solutions to everyday problems. Last week Adrien Hertel released a free, downloadable JavaScript program that alerts you when delivery slots at Amazon and Whole Foods open up.

If you’ve come across other DIY solutions to quarantine-induced issues, drop us a line and let us know!

Join Us and Seattle Food Geek for a Free Virtual Workshop on Building Next-Gen Kitchen Tech

Back when I learned Scott Heimendinger (aka the Seattle Food Geek) was leaving Modernist Cuisine, I immediately wondered what he was going to build next. After all, Scott is the guy who basically invented the consumer sous vide circulator, arguably the biggest kitchen cooking creation the last decade outside of the Instant Pot.

While Scott plans to keep much of what he’s building under wraps for the time being, that won’t stop me from trying to pry as much info as I can from him next week when he welcomes us into his home workshop to show off how he thinks about and prototypes next-generation kitchen technology.

We’ll also be joined by Larry Jordan, a long-time chef and kitchen tech maker who is known for bringing crazy cool ideas like a connected salumi maker to life.

If you’d like to join us for an interactive conversation and get a peek at both Scott and Larry’s workshops as well as into how they innovate and prototype and innovate new kitchen tech, you’ll want to join us next Tuesday April 21st for our live interactive event, Building The Future Kitchen: Rapid Prototyping Your Way to A Next-Generation Kitchen Product.

Come armed with questions and ideas for Scott and Larry to react to because we’re going to set aside plenty of time to take them. And who knows, maybe you can tease a secret or two out of Scott or Larry about their next big idea.

Sign up today!

As It Auctions Assets and Lays Off Employees, It Appears Time May Have Run Out for PicoBrew

When I headed down to PicoBrew headquarters near the University of Washington in early February to talk to Bill Mitchell about his company’s recent entry into receivership, I had already heard of the fast-moving virus that had emerged out of the Wuhan area of China called coronavirus.

And still, despite the fact I was also aware that the first documented person in the US to contract COVID-19 was recovering just miles away from where we met that day, I had no idea just how much the virus would change our lives within the span of just a few weeks.

Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to find a buyer for my company. Mitchell, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. He had a company to sell, something I imagine in normal circumstances is probably pretty challenging. Add in a global pandemic, and it’s a task that seems practically impossible.

So now that it’s a couple months later and business has pretty much ground to a halt everywhere, I’ve been wondering just how far Mitchell and PicoBrew had gotten. While the company had announced it had shut down production and fulfillment facilities in the Seattle area due to COVID-19, there’s been no outward signs of an outcome for the company’s financial situation.

Unless, of course, you consider the curious development of one online auction for “surplus equipment no longer needed” by one PicoBrew, a sign of something potentially bigger.

While the auction describes what is up for bid as “surplus equipment”, many of the items look like equipment the company would need to operate their PicoPak production facility. For those of you not familiar with PicoBrew, PicoPaks are the ingredient pods needed to make beer with one of the company’s home beer brewing appliances and, at least originally, a core part of the company’s monetization business plan.

Some of the things included in the auction include two large industrial conveyors, a large industrial ingredient filler, four forklift machines (four!), and a bunch of other industrial gear. Throw in a bunch of actual products that PicoBrew sells to consumers like the Pico beer brewing appliances (over 100 of those), 200 or so PicoPaks and 150 brewing kegs and it looks like a liquidation.

The auction is not the only canary in the coal mine. Starting late last month, the company started to lay off key employees. Annie Johnnson, PicoBrew’s master brewer since the company’s early days, announced on Tuesday evening via Facebook that she had been abruptly laid off.

So what do auctions and abrupt layoffs mean for PicoBrew? While I can’t say with certainty the company is shutting down or just shuttering the PicoPak ingredient business, neither sign seems very encouraging.

I emailed Mitchell to ask about the auction and he responded saying he can’t comment on the record. Not a surprise, since ‘no comment’ seems like something an executive participating in a court-monitored receivership process should say.

So I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether PicoBrew has found a new strategic buyer or the lender has seized control of the company and is selling off parts (or shutting it down altogether). When we talked in February, Mitchell indicated that the lender had no intention at the time of shutting PicoBrew down. At the very least, the auction and departure of Johnson (who helps make the recipes for the PicoPaks) tells me there is a good chance they are getting out of the consumables business or, worse, the lender had a change of heart.

I suspect we should know soon. As for now though, if you own a PicoBrew and want to stock up on PicoPaks, you could always bid on them.

Spark Grill Launches Pre-Order Waitlist, Promises Gas Style Precision with Charcoal

I’m not a huge barbecuer, at least not enough to weigh in on any debate between gas and charcoal fired grills. But you know that gas gives you precise temperature control, charcoal gives you that added depth of flavor.

Well the Spark promises to marry the best of both of those worlds with its new eponymous grill, which was made available for pre-order last week. The stylish grill ditches the lumps of briquets for a single, flat charcoal “Briq,” and uses a series of stoking and cooling fans for precision temperature control.

The Spark is capable of getting temperatures between a low 200 degrees all the way up to a ripping hot 900 degrees. The grill also has an accompanying mobile app that lets you monitor the temperatures of your cooking cavity and the food you’re cooking.

But you can’t get your hands on one just yet. According to its website, you can only get on the waitlist to be notified when it does go on pre-sale (before the general public) some time in May of this year. The Spark will “start” at $799, though we don’t know exactly what that does and doesn’t include.

If it works as promised (and that’s a big if), that price point isn’t too bad. The (excellent) Traeger WiFire connected wood pellet smoker grill is $799, and the connected Weber Smokefire wood pellet grill (powered by the June OS) starts at $999.

BBQ season is just around the corner, and there are more connected grilling options than ever. The only question remaining is whether people will be able to connect in person for cookouts, or have to remain socially distant.

Starship Robots Deliver Food Over Social Distances at Bowling Green

There is probably some grim metaphor in the fact that while people across the US shelter in place to avoid human contact, robots continue to roll out, making deliveries, unaware of the pandemic that surrounds them.

Ever since this outbreak started, we at The Spoon have wondered why autonomous delivery robots aren’t being used more often, especially in cities. As grocery and restaurant deliveries surge, robots could remove at least one human from the delivery equation (and they are a lot easier to scrub down after each use).

Turns out that Bowling Green State University is still using Starship robots for food delivery on campus, according to the Sentinel-Tribune. At least Jon Zachrich, Bowling Green State University Dining Director of Marketing and Communications, thinks that’s a good thing in these end times.

“I personally think it’s a good opportunity for social distancing, just because your only interaction is going to be with the actual robot, once it comes from our facility,” Zachrich told the Sentinel-Tribune.

He also spilled some factoids that I, as someone who follows the robot space, found interesting. The surface of the robot is non-porous, so it’s easy to clean. Zachrich also outlined some of the sanitizing protocols for the robot, saying that each robot is wiped down with disinfectant and anti-bacterial cleaners after each use.

On a more general interest note, Zachrich also gave us a glimpse as to how many orders the robots were running at Bowling Green before the pandemic. The robots debuted on campus on Feb. 20 and “Orders were quickly maxed out at over 750 per day,” the Sentinel-Tribune writes. Each of those came with $1.99 Starship delivery fee if you want to do the math on revenue generation.

That number has obviously dropped off as Bowling Green, like so many other colleges, has shifted to distance learning. Most restaurants on campus have closed, but the restaurants are still delivering to essential staff on campus and students who remained because they don’t have any other place to go.

This outbreak doesn’t seem to be subsiding anytime soon, especially in this country. With social distancing becoming the new norm, at least for the foreseeable future, perhaps more places will be like Bowling Green and get their own robots rolling across the social distance gap.

Guided Cooking Deals to Help You Eat Better While Social Distancing

Being in the business of covering food news, it’s easy to be all doom and gloom right now. While the COVID-19 outbreak is certainly causing huge disruptions in the foodservice industry, there are some silver linings.

The coronavirus — and subsequent social distancing measures — could have a real effect within our own kitchen. Reuters reported last week that quarantined folks in China have been spending time in their kitchens and learning to cook, leading to increased downloads in recipe apps and guided cooking services.

If you’re also cooped up at home and looking to flex your cooking skills, there are plenty of great services out there to help you learn to be a better chef. And good news — some are even offering deals!

We’ve listed some below, and will be updating the list as we learn of more. If you notice any are missing please leave us a comment or email tips@thespoon.tech.

Plant Jammer
If you stocked up on a bunch of vegetables but aren’t sure exactly how to turn them into meals, Plant Jammer could be a useful guide. The service, which is available via a website or an app, uses AI to generate vegetarian recipes based on what you have available at your house (which could be very helpful if you’re trying to make use of what you have without hitting up the grocery store).

As of today Plant Jammer’s paid features will be free to all users. According to an email from the company, they will assess how long to continue the offer based off of the progression of the coronavirus outbreak.

Photo: Hestan Cue

Hestan Cue

If you have a smart cooking system Hestan Cue at home and want to finally learn how to use it to make fancy restaurant meals at home, you’re in luck. The company, which makes a connected cooktop and pan set that connects with your phone to guide your cooking, is now offering a free Hestan Cue Cooking School. The first course is all about Mastering Eggs — other courses have not been announced yet. If you want to follow along, you can sign up here.

Photo: Now Serving

Bookstores

It’s never been a better time to invest in cookbooks: you get new recipes to try, great reading material, and are able to support local bookstores that have had to shutter to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Now Serving, L.A.’s only cookbook bookstore, is trying to beef up sales by offering free online shipping. If you’re in the area you can also get curbside pickup. The Book Larder, Seattle’s only cookbook bookstore, is also offering free shipping on orders over $50.

Photo: ckbk Instagram

ckbk
Looking for cooking inspiration and bored of your usual staples? Online subscription service ckbk lets you browse a bunch of cookbooks virtually — sort of like a Spotify for cookbooks. Interested folks can use the code WECANCOOKTHROUGHTHIS to get a 30 day free trial to ckbk, which allows them to browse 360 cookbooks and 85,000 recipes to find new recipe inspiration.

Photo: Blue Apron

Meal kits
Some of us need a little more hand-holding during our cooking process. In that case, several meal kit services are offering discounts. Blue Apron is offering $60 off through March, and Hello Fresh has a variety of promotions going (including $80 off over four weeks).

Do you have a guided cooking service offering a deal to help folks cook during this trying time? Give us a shout in the comment section or drop us a line.


Meet Blix, an All-in-One Blender & Subscription Service For Soups, Spreads & Smoothies

In a world where seemingly every other kitchen hardware startup has a pitch for a Keurig-esque business model of recurring revenue on their investor deck, it helps when your cofounder has actually sold a company to Keurig for hundreds of millions.

That’s the case with Blix, a startup cofounded by longtime beverage executive Eduoard Sterngold, who previously was the CEO of a company called Bevyz that was acquired by Keurig Green Mountain in 2014 for approximately $220 million.

It’s this type of pedigree that has no doubt helped Blix raise funding and build a team on the way towards launching a new blender-based food system that, yes, uses a proprietary cup-system to make a variety of soups, spreads and smoothies.

I caught up with the company’s president Ariel Sterngold (son of Blix CEO Eduoard) by phone, who told me that after rolling out the product in trials in 2019, they are pushing out the product nationwide over the course of 2020.

So how does the Blix work? The system is built around a blender and a single-use recyclable cups filled with pre-portioned and packaged ingredients. The ingredients are frozen using a technique called IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) where each ingredient – a strawberry, piece of squash, etc – is frozen independently before they are assembled.

The most unique part of the Blix system is the lid, which includes a single-use blade to chop up and mix the meal. The blade for each meal is developed specifically for that meal. By reading the included RFID chip, the system can determine the meal for each cup and adjust the blend accordingly.

One of the things that first struck me when looking at Blix were the words “single-use,” which in today’s world of increased focus on sustainability seems like a problem. Sterngold told me that the system, including the blade on the lid, are fully recyclable, which does mean it’s better than Keurig pods, which only are only partially recyclable. Still, compostable would be better, and reusable would be event better than that.

The main advantage Blix pitches is its ease-of-use as compared to normal smoothie making, which usually requires some chopping and measuring of ingredients and, if it’s a normal blender, a little clean up time. You’ll have to pay for that convenience, however, as each cup clocks in at $7.49 to $7.99 depending on the plan.

Yes, there are subscription plans and, as of now, it’s the only way to get Blix. According to Sterngold, they experimented with a la carte and subscriptions over the past year and found subscription was the preferred method. The subscription plans come in six or twelve cup a week plans and can be paused any time.

What’s in the cups? Right now, users of the Blix can choose from up to twelve smoothie varieties, three types of soup and three types of spreads (two types of hummus and a pesto).

Currently cups are only being shipped on the east coast, but Sterngold told me they plan to open up with a second copacker in California (they currently have one one in New York state) later this year. The products are packed with dry ice and, according to the company, can be shipped across state lines.

I’ve heard lots of pitches for proprietary pod systems over the years. Outside of the coffee space, most have struggled to gain traction. However, like many, I do avoid making smoothies and other blender food largely because the clean up is a pain. Add in that is makes soups and spreads, and I admit the Blix is intriguing.

That said, given that I’m focused on reducing the amount of packaging waste I add into the the wastestream, I’m not super excited about the idea of single use container anything. While Blix say they are fully recyclable, compostable would be better, and resuable preferred. And this is even before we get to the shipping packaging or the RFID tag included with the cup.

In a way Blix reminds me of Daily Harvest, which offers frozen, pre-portioned ingredient cups for smoothies and soups, only without the hardware. Like Blix, Daily Harvest offers subscription plans for its single-use cups, and packaging is recyclable.

A closer analog might be Blendid, which launched a dedicated smoothie making ‘robot’ with a single-use cup system targeted at both smoothie shops and offices in 2016. The product never really took off, but that probably had more to do with not finding traction in the tough-to-crack office food market.

Will the Blix model of subscription food and blender land with consumers? We’ll soon see. The promise of the company’s ready-to-blend food combined with a proprietary blender system was enough for investors to put $13 million so far behind the company, a decent amount of backing in what have been relatively difficult days for hardware startups over the past year.

You can see how the Blix system works in the company-produced demo video below.

Inspired Home Show Canceled Due to Coronavirus

Another trade show has gone down due to the coronavirus.

Last month we learned the Inspired Home Show (previously known as the Housewares Show) had cancelled the portion of its annual trade show that featured OEM parts from manufacturers in China. Today we learned they’ve called the whole thing off.

From the announcement issued today by the International Housewares Association:

“After careful consideration regarding the ongoing spread of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) overseas and recent cases in the United States, the International Housewares Association’s Board of Directors has decided not to hold The Inspired Home Show 2020, scheduled to take place March 14-17, 2020 at McCormick Place in Chicago.”

It’s an extraordinary move to cancel a trade show less than two weeks before it opens, but it’s an illustration of how fluid and fast-moving the situation is around the coronavirus.

Just a few weeks ago we learned that Mobile World Congress was cancelled in its entirety, and while another big show, the Natural Products Expo West in Los Angeles, is expected to open this week, there’s been a huge number of exhibitor cancellations in recent weeks and some forecast the show’s attendance could be down by as much as 60%.

If it wasn’t already obvious that COVID-19 was drastically changing the 2020 outlook for nearly every industry (including housewares and kitchen appliances), the cancellation of the North America’s biggest small home electronics trade show should drive the point home.

We’ll have more on the implications of this cancellation in coming weeks.

KidKraft’s New Toy Features a Smart Kitchen and Market Powered by Alexa and RFID

Perhaps we’ve been going about the roll out of the smart kitchen all wrong. Instead of debuting new, fully functioning–and expensive—smart fridges every year, we should just sit back and let KidKraft work its magic.

Last week at Toy Fair, KidKraft announced its Alexa 2-in-1 Kitchen and Market. That’s right, the wooden kitchen playset filled with wooden pans and fake food you remember from pre-school is getting an upgrade with digital voice assistance and RFID tags.

Like the name says, there are two parts to this playset, a market to buy things and a kitchen. But you actually have to provide your own Alexa device (presumably a cheap one you don’t mind getting banged around).

Alexa will work a little differently in the KidKraft playset. Instead of needing to say “Alexa” (which, if you have a kid and an Alexa, you know can get real annoying real fast), the smart speaker perks up when RFID tagged elements are placed in various places. As CNet reported from Toy Fair, place a hot dog in a pan on the stove and Alexa will respond with cooking noises. Or in another example, if a child “buys” lettuce, Alexa will suggest they make a salad with other ingredients.

The KidKraft playset will also play games and even tell dad jokes, which, as a dad, I am fine with.

There are, of course privacy concerns around bringing a smart speaker directly into the center of your child’s play. Amazon has not always proven to be the best protector of your privacy when it comes to the ubiquitous assistant.

But as with so many things in our connected age, your concern mileage may vary. You also have a more time to think about it as the KidKraft Alexa playset won’t go on sale for $300 on Amazon until next year.

But if you do choose to get one, don’t be surprised when you child starts expecting those same smarts (and dad jokes) in your real kitchen.

June Adds Multi-Item Combo Cook Programs

June released new cook programs for its smart oven over the weekend that include cooking two different items at the same time.

The new “combo” programs arrived on the June on February 1 and include automated cooking of salmon and asparagus, sausage and broccoli, broccoli and cauliflower, nuggets and french fries, and tenders and french fries.

Previously, automated cook programs were just for single items, so you could cook tenders or french fries, but not both at the same time. According to a promotional email from June, the salmon and asparagus program be done with both in 15 minutes.

I have a June, but haven’t had the chance to try out the new combo cook programs yet. I’m curious to see how it works given that June only has the six heating elements, and doesn’t have something like Markov’s directional microwaving tech to steer heat in a particular direction. Additionally, the on-screen instructions for salmon and asparagus doesn’t provide any specific guidelines like putting the fish in one part of the pan and the asparagus in another.

The move seems to be a play by June to be more like the Brava (recently acquired by Middleby), or even the Suvie, both of which feature the ability to cook more than one thing at the same time. The looping movie on the June homepage now features someone cooking salmon and asparagus at the same time, so the new functionality is definitely something the company is pushing. At $499, the June isn’t cheap, but it’s way less expensive than the Brava and the Suvie, each of which are around $1,000.

Now we’ll have to see if June’s combo cooking provides the right combination of features to help separate it from the rest of the smart oven pack.

New Smart Fridges Should Help Us Organize Our Food Better

If you’re like, well, practically everyone, the inside of your fridge is probably a dystopian nightmare: half-used bottles of condiments jammed into the doors, leftover boxes stacked precariously atop one another, limp broccoli tucked away in vegetable bins.

Earlier this month, The Wirecutter ran a fun piece on how to Marie Kondo your fridge. It’s packed with great advice on how to get rid of stuff and organize your food in a way that makes sense.

As I read through The Wirecutter’s tips, I started thinking about the new wave of smart fridges with cameras built into them. Both LG and Samsung showed off these camera-equipped fridges this month at CES, touting the image recognition’s ability to help you with grocery shopping, meal planning and recipe discovery.

Seems like these all-seeing, AI-powered fridges could also help out with food organization. At first, this may seem like a silly add-on. I mean, anyone can place a carton of milk in the fridge. But as The Wirecutter points out, not all zones inside a fridge are created equal. Some parts are colder than others (the back, bottom self), some slots are better suited for condiments (door shelf), and there are even food safety considerations (don’t place raw chicken on the top shelf).

So a smart fridge could suggest where to place an item inside the fridge based on what that item is. Or it could suggest arrangements based on expiration date so you’ll know which food is going bad first. And if you are using the embedded meal planning function, it could suggest grouping items together that will all be used in a specific recipe.

Again, I don’t think this needs to be a priority for appliance manufacturers. But it is a small step that could bolster the new features like meal planning they want to be adopted, and in a small way, could perhaps save us from our own dystopian levels of food waste.

BSH Unveils the Second Cohort for its Future Home Accelerator

Today BSH Appliances announced the 2020 class for its ‘Future Home’ accelerator, a program co-produced between the Munich based appliance conglomerate and accelerator specialist Techstars. The new cohort is the second one in the accelerator, which the company launched in 2018 and plans to run through 2021.

This year, BSH and Techstars continued to broaden the focus of the accelerator across the entire home (the original focus when the program was launched in 2018 was the kitchen) as it welcomed a founder class that spanned ten nationalities with startups based across seven countries.

According to the announcement, the program this year had an expanded focus on the “future of home living and included B2B business models” and had startups focused on themes such as “future of co-living, sleep management, cooking, personalized skincare, and artificial intelligence as a service.”

As with every accelerator managed by Techstars, each startup that participates in the program will each receive an investment of $20,000 in exchange for 6 percent of their equity and will have access to a $100,000 convertible note.

The companies include:

Ask Winston (UK): A Whatsapp-based messaging channel for requesting home services.

Curie London (UK): A home appliance for personalized skin care.

Lullaai (Spain): an app focused on tracking a baby’s sleep and helping the baby sleep better.

Magicho (Israel): an app-based smart home gesture controller for smartwatches and smartphones.

Nise Tech (Canada): a cooking automation startup starting with an app-controlled sous vide circulator.

Pepper (USA): a nutrition-focused, Alexa-powered smart kitchen scale for tracking and planning meals.

Quant-Co (Turkey): an AI-as-a-service platform.

Serendipia Life (USA): A startup that manages co-living & co-working spaces.

The Porch Pod (USA): a smart package container for securing home package deliveries.

Zelish – a kitchen assistant app that features personalized food recommendations, grocery shopping and guided cooking.

I asked Tibor Kramer, who leads the accelerator for BSH, about how this year’s accelerator differs from their inaugural class and what themes they focused on for the 2020 cohort. You can see his answers below:

What lessons did you learn from the first cohort that impacted your thinking in selecting this next group of startups?

One key takeaway from our first program was that companies get the most out of this future home accelerator if they have at least an MVP ready. So we selected companies accordingly this year.

Our second learning can be summarized by the common saying “Hardware is hard” – especially for a startup; software is easier not only in terms of progress during the accelerator but also for PoCs with BSH.

Last but not least, as the smart kitchen consumer space is quite narrow, we decided to open up the scope towards “the future of living at home.” We also accepted two B2B startups and are proud to have a startup from one of the biggest emerging economies, India.

What themes did you focus on and/or problems for the consumer were you trying to solve when building your cohort?

We kept last year’s focus on the smart kitchen and personalized digital services around it. We extended it this year to the problem of rising housing costs, leading to smaller apartments and shared flats. With living constraints increasing, the space we live in has to become smarter.

In the consumers smart cooking journey, last mile delivery often causes problems, that can be solved. How about going a step further and ask your voice assistant to have your fridge filled by a service provider?

Besides these topics a lot is happening in the startup scene in the area of healthy living, with health-data-driven apps allowing consumers to become the CEOs of their own body. We addressed this last year with personalized nutrition coaching and extended it this year to the area of sleep improvement.

The BSH Future Home accelerator is part of a multi-pronged effort from one of Europe’s biggest appliance brands to incubate potential new partners that could help them prepare for a more digital and tech-powered future in the home. The other effort is BSH Startup Kitchen, a group that works with startups the company believes could help power new services from its appliance product group.

Both efforts are a part of the BSH digital business unit, which is overseen by BSH’s Chief Digital Office Mario Pieper (you can see an interview I conducted with Pieper at Smart Kitchen Summit last October here).