All points
2833 words
- Joshua Weissman tested cooking gadgets to determine whether they genuinely make cooking easier or simply encourage laziness. His standard was whether a gadget reduced time and effort without sacrificing food quality. Devices producing inferior results were classified as lazy, even if they automated part of the process.
- Christian assisted Weissman with the demonstrations and comparisons. Together, they tested automated appliances, food-preparation tools, microwave devices, and traditional cooking alternatives.
- The $1,700 Posha cooking robot offers 1,000 pre-programmed recipes and automates cooking from start to finish. However, users must still buy ingredients, prepare them, measure quantities, and load the machine's containers.
- The Posha's butter chicken recipe contained approximately 1,000 calories and 81 grams of fat per serving. The ingredients included 12 ounces of boneless chicken thigh, heavy cream, four tablespoons of unsalted butter, ginger-garlic paste, and five ounces of red onion purée.
- The Posha uses detachable ingredient containers and a dedicated spice-dispensing system. Ingredients are loaded into designated compartments that clip into the machine, while a stirring attachment handles the cooking. Its spice system accommodates a maximum of six different spices per recipe.
- The Posha's butter chicken used turmeric, methi, salt, red chili powder, and garam masala. Its six-spice limit restricts recipes requiring more complex seasoning combinations.
- The Posha demonstrated questionable cooking behavior during the initial preparation. Weissman observed it stirring oil unnecessarily, failing to stir onions properly, and leaving some ingredients outside the intended cooking area. These observations raised concerns about the machine's ability to execute cooking techniques correctly.
- The Posha was left operating for approximately an hour while the other gadgets were tested. Weissman planned to compare its finished butter chicken against his own recipe in a blind tasting.
- A dedicated garlic-peeling gadget successfully removed garlic skins with very little effort. In a timed comparison involving two cloves each, Christian demonstrated the device's effectiveness against conventional hand peeling.
- The garlic peeler earned a positive verdict. Weissman was surprised by how well it worked, considered using it himself, and classified it as a genuine convenience rather than a lazy shortcut.
- The Rotato Express automatically peels produce mounted on its rotating mechanism. It stops automatically, reducing the need to supervise the entire peeling process.
- The Rotato Express failed to peel a potato completely and evenly. Although the mechanism worked, some skin remained, revealing that its convenience did not guarantee consistent results.
- The Rotato Express performed impressively on a mango, removing much of the skin in one continuous strip. It nevertheless missed a small section. It also peeled a tomato successfully, demonstrating usefulness beyond potatoes.
- The Rotato Express was considered lazy but efficient. Its chief advantage was allowing someone to perform other kitchen tasks while produce was being peeled, potentially making it useful when preparing large quantities.
- The Newness Pineapple Corer removes pineapple flesh by twisting a blade through the fruit. Users must first cut off the pineapple's top, position the tool centrally, and rotate it downward.
- The pineapple corer produced consistent, attractive pineapple pieces but wasted a substantial amount of edible fruit. A significant quantity remained attached to the skin or inside the discarded pineapple shell.
- Weissman demonstrated that conventional pineapple preparation took just 35 seconds using a knife. He cut off the ends, trimmed away the skin, divided the fruit into sections, and removed the core.
- Knife preparation offered greater flexibility than the pineapple corer. The prepared pineapple could be cut into small dice, larger cubes, or batons, whereas the corer was designed for a more limited result.
- The pineapple corer was classified as lazy because its convenience did not justify the waste. Weissman argued that even an inexpensive knife could perform the task effectively, while the corer still required physical strength to operate.
- An automatic stirring gadget was tested by preparing risotto. Its purpose was to eliminate the repeated manual stirring associated with the dish.
- The automatic stirrer failed to move ingredients around the entire pan. It repeatedly worked the center while leaving the edges undisturbed, causing some rice to toast excessively.
- The stirring problem persisted after nearly five minutes of operation. Moving the device to a smaller pot did not resolve the issue because it began spinning in place rather than circulating around the cooking surface.
- The automatic stirrer received a mediocre verdict despite its potential accessibility benefits. Weissman acknowledged that automatic stirring could help people with physical limitations but concluded that this particular gadget failed to deliver a sufficiently good result.
- The Bacon Wizard was marketed as a way to produce crispier, less greasy bacon in a microwave. Its design was intended to let excess fat drip away during cooking.
- The Bacon Wizard accommodated only eight bacon strips and required approximately eight minutes. Weissman compared it with bacon prepared in a conventional frying pan, which took approximately ten minutes.
- The microwave bacon was less visually appealing and insufficiently crisp. Weissman compared its soft, pale appearance and eating quality to buffet or diner bacon.
- The pan-fried bacon delivered substantially better flavor. More moisture evaporated during cooking, producing a saltier, more concentrated taste.
- Oven cooking was presented as a better hands-off alternative to the Bacon Wizard. Weissman argued that approximately 16 strips could be prepared at once, compared with the gadget's eight, although oven cooking would take longer.
- The Bacon Wizard failed because its small convenience advantage came at the expense of food quality. Weissman classified it as lazy and preferred conventional pan or oven cooking.
- The Slap Chop was tested as a quicker alternative to conventional knife chopping. Weissman observed that larger ingredients still needed preliminary cutting before fitting into the device.
- The Slap Chop's container accommodated only approximately one-quarter of an onion at a time. This limited its usefulness for large preparations and meant that a knife was still necessary.
- The Slap Chop produced acceptable medium-fine or rough vegetable cuts. Although it treated some firmer vegetables aggressively, the resulting pieces were suitable for dishes such as chili, sauces, and sautés.
- The Slap Chop was considered potentially faster than knife work for certain ingredients. Weissman suggested that chopping celery with it could be quicker than producing neatly cut pieces by hand.
- The Slap Chop received a positive verdict because its limitations did not necessarily damage the final dish. It could produce useful chopped vegetables efficiently, provided the recipe did not require precise cuts.
- Fasta Pasta was tested as a microwave alternative to boiling pasta in a pot. Users place dry pasta in its container, cover it with water, and microwave it. The demonstration required 13 minutes.
- Fasta Pasta included a draining lid that allowed the cooking water to be poured away. Weissman suggested that users could retain some pasta water, add sauce, butter, or salt, and potentially eat directly from the container.
- The microwave pasta was slightly overcooked but remained acceptable. Weissman preferred a firmer texture but concluded that the gadget had not significantly reduced the food's quality.
- Fasta Pasta's main limitation was its capacity. The demonstration produced approximately two portions, and the container was limited to four.
- Fasta Pasta received a positive verdict despite Weissman's lack of personal interest in using it. It eliminated the separate water-boiling stage, potentially reduced mess, and produced sufficiently good pasta.
- A conventional rice cooker was identified as one of the strongest examples of useful cooking automation. Weissman prepared washed rice with approximately equal parts water, closed the cooker, and let it operate without further attention.
- The rice cooker required approximately 30–40 minutes but consistently produced properly cooked rice. Its main benefit was reliability rather than speed, removing the need to monitor cooking conditions.
- Weissman strongly endorsed rice cookers despite generally disliking single-purpose kitchen appliances. He emphasized that inexpensive models could perform well and that the consistency justified owning one.
- The rice cooker received an unequivocal positive verdict. It reduced effort, removed guesswork, and produced excellent results without demanding expensive equipment.
- The Sistema microwave egg cooker was tested by preparing an omelet. The mixture contained cheese, onions, and tomatoes, and the device was intended to cook it quickly in the microwave.
- The Sistema egg cooker failed to finish the omelet within its advertised 80-second process. After two 40-second cooking intervals, the eggs remained insufficiently cooked and required another 40 seconds.
- The Sistema egg cooker did not meaningfully eliminate cleanup. The container still required washing, along with utensils such as the whisk and mixing bowl.
- The microwave omelet had a rubbery texture and offered little control over the finished result. The device could not easily produce either a softer omelet or one with a crispier exterior.
- The Sistema egg cooker was classified as lazy despite its relatively short cooking time. Weissman and Christian compared the result to institutional or hospital-style eggs, finding the loss of texture and cooking control unacceptable.
- The Veg-O-Matic 16-in-1 was tested as a multifunction vegetable-cutting system. Its interchangeable attachments were designed to produce various cuts without demanding professional knife skills.
- The Veg-O-Matic produced reasonably good carrot and onion cuts but required considerable force for some ingredients. Weissman questioned its usefulness for people with limited physical strength, particularly when cutting hard vegetables.
- The Veg-O-Matic handled different vegetables with varying success. Celery was easy to process but was not properly cubed, while onions produced a reasonably good dice compared with what an average home cook might achieve with a knife.
- The Veg-O-Matic's mandoline-style attachment successfully created wavy cuts. However, its fixed blade prevented thickness adjustments, and it cut too thinly to produce the desired crisscross pattern effectively.
- The Veg-O-Matic included a collection container that helped limit mess. Its multiple cutting functions and acceptable results made it useful as an all-in-one preparation tool.
- The Veg-O-Matic received a positive verdict overall. Weissman considered it efficient and accessible for many users, although some operations required significant hand or arm strength.
- A dedicated banana slicer caused Weissman to cut his thumb while using it as intended. The location where his thumb naturally rested for leverage brought it into contact with the cutting blade.
- The banana slicer was immediately disqualified on safety grounds. Weissman refused to recommend a single-purpose gadget that could injure someone during its normal operation.
- An air fryer was tested by cooking seasoned salmon for approximately ten minutes. The preparation required only a small amount of spray oil and little supervision.
- The air fryer produced salmon with attractive coloring on its top, sides, and skin. Although the skin did not achieve the crispness Weissman initially wanted, the interior remained tender and juicy.
- The air-fried salmon was judged exceptionally good and comparable to restaurant-quality cooking. Weissman emphasized that achieving similarly well-cooked salmon in a frying pan could demand considerably more skill.
- Weissman reversed his previous negative opinion of air fryers. He had disliked them in the past but concluded that improvements in their performance made them genuinely useful.
- The air fryer received a strong positive verdict because it produced excellent food with minimal effort. The demonstration showed that automation could make a dish easier without sacrificing quality and might even improve results for less experienced cooks.
- A meatball-forming gadget was tested as an alternative to shaping meatballs by hand. Its operation required manually packing the meat mixture into the tool before forming each piece.
- The meatball gadget proved slower and less effective than hand shaping. Weissman believed he could make meatballs faster without it, and the gadget produced a poor result.
- The meatball gadget received a negative verdict. Its preparation requirements undermined the claimed convenience, while the finished shapes failed to justify using it.
- A three-in-one sandwich cooker was tested by preparing a breakfast sandwich involving eggs and cheese. The device combined cooking surfaces but offered no adjustable temperature control.
- The sandwich cooker's fixed heat reduced control over egg preparation. Weissman was concerned about damaging the egg yolk and had to handle the cooking process carefully.
- The sandwich cooker eventually produced a reasonably good breakfast sandwich. However, Weissman credited much of the result to the ingredients rather than any special advantage of the appliance.
- The sandwich cooker was considered unnecessarily specialized despite its three-in-one design. Weissman believed the same breakfast could be prepared in a single large frying pan.
- The sandwich cooker created additional cleanup because of its ridged surfaces. A conventional pan could be wiped clean more easily, reducing the practical value of the appliance.
- The sandwich cooker received a negative verdict from both testers. They found that it offered too little improvement over traditional cooking to justify its limitations and extra cleaning.
- The Posha's finished butter chicken looked appealing and smelled good but showed some technical weaknesses. The chicken lacked visible browning, which concerned Weissman because browning contributes flavor, and the sauce was thicker than he preferred.
- Weissman completed the Posha's presentation with the recommended fresh cilantro garnish. The resulting dish was visually attractive despite his concerns about its cooking technique.
- The final comparison used several blind tasters to judge the Posha's butter chicken against Weissman's homemade version. The tasters sampled both dishes without knowing which had been prepared by the robot, and their palates were reset between tastings.
- The tasters found the two butter chicken recipes surprisingly similar. Several said the flavors and overall results were much closer than expected, showing that the robot could produce food approaching the quality of an experienced cook's recipe.
- The tasting revealed differences in spice intensity, sauce texture, and chicken tenderness. Some tasters preferred a creamier, smoother sauce, while others favored stronger spice and deeper flavor. One described the chicken in the second sample as more rubbery and chewy, despite appreciating its buttery flavor.
- Weissman's homemade butter chicken defeated the Posha by four votes to one. The robot's competitive showing was nevertheless notable given how closely several tasters rated the two preparations.
- Weissman personally tasted the robot's butter chicken after the blind comparison and found it good. He considered it nicely seasoned but somewhat sweet, confirming that the machine produced a respectable dish rather than a complete failure.
- The Posha ultimately failed the convenience test despite producing acceptable food. Users still had to shop, prepare ingredients, load compartments, and clean the machine, meaning its principal labor savings came from automated stirring and monitoring.
- The Posha was classified as lazy because its $1,700 price and automation did not deliver a better result or eliminate enough work. Its ability to approach homemade quality was impressive, but Weissman's recipe won the tasting and the machine retained substantial preparation and cleanup requirements.
- The tests distinguished useful automation from automation that merely replaces familiar kitchen movements. The strongest gadgets improved consistency, convenience, or achievable food quality; weaker gadgets introduced new limitations without offering meaningful advantages.
- Cooking time alone was not a reliable measure of convenience. The rice cooker took 30–40 minutes yet was strongly recommended, while shorter processes such as the microwave egg cooker were rejected because the resulting food was worse.
- Reducing active labor was more valuable when it did not create additional preparation or cleaning work. The Posha, sandwich cooker, and meatball gadget illustrated how a device could automate one task while leaving other burdens unchanged or increasing them.
- Food waste, safety, versatility, and capacity also influenced the judgments. The pineapple corer's waste, banana slicer's injury risk, Bacon Wizard's eight-strip limit, and Veg-O-Matic's multiple useful functions demonstrated why speed and automation could not be evaluated in isolation.
- Accessibility was acknowledged as a legitimate reason for using specialized cooking devices. However, Weissman found that some products still required considerable force or preliminary knife work, while others did not perform their intended operations reliably.
- Traditional cooking methods remained preferable when they produced better food with comparable effort. Examples included knife preparation for pineapple, frying or roasting bacon, manually shaping meatballs, and using a large pan instead of a specialized sandwich cooker.
- The strongest positive results came from the garlic peeler, Slap Chop, Fasta Pasta, rice cooker, Veg-O-Matic, and air fryer. These devices provided practical conveniences while producing food that met Weissman's quality standard.
- The weakest results came from the pineapple corer, Bacon Wizard, microwave egg cooker, banana slicer, meatball gadget, sandwich cooker, and Posha. They failed through food waste, poor texture, injury risk, inefficient operation, limited usefulness, or insufficient improvement over conventional methods.
- The Rotato Express and automatic stirrer occupied less definitive positions. The Rotato was considered efficient despite incomplete peeling, while the stirrer was judged mediocre because it could not circulate ingredients evenly.
- The central conclusion was that easier cooking does not have to mean worse cooking. Useful gadgets reduce effort while preserving or improving delicious results; devices that compromise the food, introduce waste, or create unnecessary work do not justify their convenience claims.