Slashdot Mirror
RFID Cookware
HaggiZ writes "Vitacraft are claiming to have what they call RFIQin Robotic Cookware (unfortunate name). It's basically pots and pans that you can place RFID cooking cards in the handle with. The communicate with the induction stove 16 times a second to adjust the cooking when required. Neat idea, although I'm not sure anything I cook needs to have it's temperature reviewed or adjusted every 0.06 of a second." For all the evil uses of RFID that have been floated over the years, it's nice to see that someone is going to finally make it so I stop burning my lunch.
This has nothing to do with RFID really. RFID is just an ID. This is a nice temperature monitoring device. I have see other wireless units for sale but none built into the Pot like this.
Its a clever idea that I can see being used for testing out cooking techniques. However, using the term RFID is just to hype the produce as it really is not getting that much out of the RFID technology.
I can see this being something of a safety feature too, if you have the "greasy food" item in your pan, it won't let the temperature exceed the flashpoint of the oil you're using (minus some for contaimination) and you'll never have an oil fire again.
I have to admit though, this seems like gadetry overkill for even me, and I'm a hardcore geek.
I read the internet for the articles.
Even temperatures would benefit gourmet cooks more than inattentive college students trying not to burn their mac and cheese. Precise cooking temperatures without large swings command premium dollars.
Just check out this for the extremes people will go to for this kind of control.
Actually, cast iron has wonderfully even heating, better than almost anything else out there. However, because of it's poor conductivity, you have to let it sit on the stove for a bit for the temperature to even out.
One of the best restaurants in the world, The French Laundry, uses induction stoves instead of gas stoves.