CookingPal today announced the pre-sale of Multo, the multi-function, autonomous connected countertop cooking appliance, ahead of its commercial availability in July of 2021.
The Multo debuted as a concept back at CES 2020, only then it was called Julia. (Perhaps the name was changed to avoid confusion with the other autonomous countertop cooking robots from Nymble Labs, also dubbed Julia.) With today’s announcement, the Multo has gone from concept to a product you can order pre-order starting today.
There are two parts to the Multo: the appliance base, which weighs, chops, kneads, mixes, cooks and steams food until a meal is ready. But the Multo also comes with a companion Smart Kitchen Hub tablet. The tablet lets users browse recipes and watch guided cooking videos. The Smart Kitchen Hub also talks with and controls the base.
For instance, if the recipe calls for sauteing butter for five minutes, the tablet would say “add 4 tbsp of butter.” After the user adds the butter into the cooking bowl, they would tap a button on the screen and the cooking device would heat and stir the butter for five minutes. Once completed, the Hub would then show the the recipe’s next step. The Hub also features a big jog wheel, so dirty hands don’t smudge up the screen when accessing controls. Much of the functionality can also be performed through CookingPal’s mobile app (iOS only).
The easiest comparison to the Multo is the multi-function Thermomix TM6 cooking device, though the touchscreen on the Thermomix is built in and not separate. There’s also a price difference: The TM6 costs $1,499, while the early bird price on the Multo is $799. (The company did not say what regular pricing will be.)
CookingPal sent us a Multo review unit to try so, so we’ll be putting it through its paces over the next few weeks and will provide a full review. We’ve posted the Multo’s specs down below and those interested in pre-ordering the device can do so via CookingPal’s website.
MULTO COOKING BASE
Design
- 17.3×12.2x 14.5inches/440x 310 x 370 mm)
- Stainless steelbowl that has a 3.1QT / 3 L capacity.
- All-in-one base with scale up to 175 oz / 3 kgs, accurate to 0.25 oz / 5g
- Powerful motor with 10 speeds up to 5,200 RPM
- Heating unit that cooks up to 265 °F/ 130 °C.
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n 2.4g
- Bluetooth BT 4.2
Cleaning and Care
- Multo’s bowl is dishwasher safe or can self-clean simply by adding dish soap and water to the bowl and setting it to clean mode.
SMART KITCHEN HUB
Design
8.9”touch screen tablet with jog dial and portable stand
Durable features to withstand tough kitchen environments.
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5g
- Bluetooth BT 4.2
