Have you ever left a pot on the stove to find it a few moments later boiling over? Or maybe your dishes are often overcooked when you thought the temperature was just right? A new kitchen gadget called Meld aims to ensure your food is cooked perfectly everytime.
The Meld gadget consists of a temperature gauge clip that you attach to your pot and a knob that replaces one of the existing knobs on your hob. The Meld kitchen gadget, created by two former Amazon employees, hopes to help both experienced and inexperienced cooks to be able to better control their cookers and be less confused by vague recipes that don’t give precise enough instructions. It is because of these confusing recipe instructions and the fact that all hobs are different that it can be difficult to cook precisely and evenly, as one hob’s ‘medium’ may be another hob’s ‘high’.
Meld works by sensing the temperature of the food you’re cooking and wirelessly sending signals to the accompanying knob. The knob then makes small adjustments to the heat in order to prevent overcooking and provide an even temperature. Meld works with both electric and gas hobs which is helpful as electric hobs are sometimes more difficult to control in terms of quickly turning down the temperature when you notice your dinner is in danger of becoming overcooked. The knob attaches simply to any stove and can be used as a normal hob knob even when the accompanying Meld app and clip are not in use too.
Not only does the Meld thermometer clip send wireless signals to the knob, it also connects to an app so you can see stats in real time. The app will be available for both iOS and Android, and you’ll be able to keep track of how your meal is cooking and set a precise temperature or style such as ‘slow cooking’. The app will tell you when your pot is the exact temperature that you’ve set and will also tell you when your food is precisely cooked, allowing you cook things like poached eggs perfectly.
Meld see the clip and knob as a way to upgrade the cookware and utensils that you already own so you can cook like a professional chef but without the cost or years of training. The app contains hundreds of precise recipes that you can use in conjunction with the gadget and are easy to follow. You can also input your own recipes and record precise timings and temperatures so that you can cook your family favourites perfectly everytime.
The ability to precisely set a temperature in both Fahrenheit and celsius is helpful not only for ensuring your food is cooked through, but also for modern and professional ways of cooking such as sous-vide where food is vacuum sealed and then simmered at an exact temperature for a set amount of time. This clever kitchen hob gadget takes the guesswork out of cooking and allows you to focus on enjoying what you’re creating without worrying that your temperatures are too high or too low, even when you’re cooking without a recipe.
The Meld Knob + Clip has been carefully developed and come with a range of adapters to ensure it works with each cooktop. It has also be been created using heat and chemical resistant materials plus specialised coating to ensure it stands up to heavy usage. Once installed, the Meld app will walk you through a three step calibration so that the gadgets know the temperatures and off settings of your hob. As a well thought out safety precaution, Meld won’t be able to turn your hob on by itself and it will automatically turn off if the flame goes out, your pot contents boil dry or you reach the end of your recipe.
With almost 3 days left to go on Kickstarter, Meld has already surpassed its $50,000 goal by 2.5 times and if they reach $150,000 plan to create two clip lengths so that home brewers can also take advantage of the technology. The Meld will be available for $149 when it begins to ship later this year.
