While some chefs (like the one pictured at the top) really know what they're doing, I'll admit I don't. I can handle stoves, simple recipes and step-by-step directions, but ask me to interpret a dish and I will struggle. I once was in a camping situation paired with another poor cook, and by the end of the two-week experience most of my crewmates preferred making their own food.
This is why I stand in awe of the numerous professional chefs featured on television, and am fascinated by some of the reality shows of chefs in training (such as Hell's Kitchen.) A memorable episode I recently saw showed a large group of trainees somehow managing to get raw meat all the way to the front, which was caught just seconds before being served to customers.
So if the (semi) pros can get it wrong, it makes us wonder about the rise of robot cooking. We'll allow that some humans can easily replace their microwave-button cooking with something more automated, but for example there is this robot being featured on Kickstarter that makes customizable pancake shapes.
Earlier this year, PancakeBot (billed as the first pancake printer) raised more than $460,000 from its original $50,000 goal. Simply outline an image on software attached to the pancake-maker, and it will be able to make even complex shapes -- such as the Eiffel Tower featured on the page, the campaign promises.
"Designed to inspire, entertain, and bring out the creativity in both young and old at home, the PancakeBot is also a product with commercial durability to help your brand make a lasting impression and draw in more customers," the campaign read.
There even are robots that can read through recipes themselves and learn how to make simple dishes -- specifically the RoboHow group that has a wider goal of teaching robots language, according to the Wall Street Journal. (But we're talking arguably simple dishes so far, like the aforementioned pancakes or some not-so-specialized pizza.)
But even simple dishes can really benefit from a cook's discretion. Knowing exactly when the pasta is ready, not too soft or hard. Putting just the right spices on the meat. Finding that fine line in wok cooking between burnt and crispy. Can a robot ever get that intelligent? We trust some of them with surgery, so just maybe that could happen someday.
How do you think technology can improve cooking? Let us know by launching a HeroX challenge.
Top image: Wikimedia Commons
