Can Electronics Be Handy in the Kitchen?

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Feb 17th 2009 @ 4:01PM

Technology is invading every aspect of our life, so it's not surprising that we're seeing an increase of electronics in the kitchen. First, the DS decided to help us all cook, and now it seems that Amazon's Kindle will be offering The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library as a free download starting February 24.

I get the convenience of these gadgets in the kitchen -- they take up much less space than the shelf-breaking cookbook collections we all seem to gather -- but are they convenient beyond that? Think about it -- even when you try not to, your cookbooks get splattered by the dishes you're preparing. Finger smudges and stains are part of the territory. But an electronic device -- you have to keep it from getting wet, and you have to have clean fingers to navigate it, or else suffer the woes of keys rendered useless by cooking grime. (Not to mention if your device is low on power. As someone who works in a kitchen with exactly ONE free outlet, plugs must be used frugally. Nor are these electronics suitable for the notes many cooks like to add to their cookbooks.)

To me, it seems like there's a long way to go before these sort of electronics could become truly useful in the kitchen. Now a touch, laptop-sized screen that hangs on your wall and lets you scribble notes, view technique videos, and is encased in a handy, easy-to-clean screen -- that would be ideal.

But what do you think?

Filed Under: Trends, Books, New Products
Tags: electronic cookbooks, ElectronicCookbooks, Kindle, NIntendo DS, NintendoDs, technology in the kitchen, TechnologyInTheKitchen, The Cooks Illustrated How-to-Cook Library, TheCooksIllustratedHow-to-cookLibrary

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-17-2009 @4:14PM Philip said... I've been using a laptop in the kitchen throughout my entire college career (6 years at this point). I find it more useful than printing off a recipe I find online and then either dealing with the resulting _giant_ stack of recipes I've used on my desk or organizing it into a binder of some sorts. I simply bookmark the recipe in delicious and I have it forever - assuming the site stays around. I keep my laptop far enough away from what I'm doing to prevent any spillage and haven't had any mishaps yet. To me, it's a matter of not having to print off a recipe from online every time I cook...just my $0.02
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2-17-2009 @4:15PM Jason said... As far as I know, none of these guys taste beers blindly, so it really doesn't matter what they say. They could be rating beers by "coolest label" for all we know, even if they're doing it subconsciously.
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2-17-2009 @4:29PM Greyhoundgrrl said... I just pop my Kindle into a gallon sized ziptop bag to protect it from spills when I use it in the kitchen.
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2-17-2009 @4:57PM Kyle said... I think there is a ton of potential with these things. I currently use the laptop from a safe distance. But a tablet like device, with a pen would be an awesome advance!
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2-17-2009 @5:08PM Alison Ashton said... I love using my iPhone in the kitchen--it has some great features/apps: http://eatcheapeatwelleatup.com/2009/02/03/whats-on-your-iphone/
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2-17-2009 @5:14PM Lorenzo said... I always have either my laptop or a smartphone handy when I am not preparing a recipe I have committed to memory. And to avoid the dreaded disappearance of recipes on the web, I always copy it over to my online notes.
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2-17-2009 @7:44PM Tim F said... Ziploc bag for the Kindle. Don't spend that much just for the cookbook angle, but if you already have one the kitchen doesn't have to be a red zone.
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2-17-2009 @8:20PM Dana said... My little G4 Powerbook has spent a lot of time in my kitchen. It sits on a ledge in my pantry as I mix and stir and knead on the counter. Now that it has been replaced by a shiny new MacBook Pro, it spends all its time in the kitchen as a dedicated recipe server. I really am not sure how I survived before with printouts and a scribbled in notebook. :)
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2-18-2009 @12:24AM doreen said... I'm a bit old-fashioned in relying on print-outs and handwritten notebooks for recipes. If I had an iPhone like my boyfriend, though, I imagine I would use it in the kitchen for recipes, as I would a MacBook (Pro), at a safe distance.

Still, I don't think I'll get rid of my recipe notebook. There's something satisfying about handwriting a recipe in a notebook that's easy-to-find. Although I have quite a handful of recipes bookmarked on websites, it's nice to have one go-to place for all the staple cake and cookie recipes I use at home and at the cafe I periodically bake at.

I'm starting another handwritten notebook for savory food. And before you ask, yes, I still shoot pictures in film, too.
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2-17-2009 @10:48PM notsuh said... pfffft. electronics already are handy. i can't recall how many times i've used my cell phone or laptop to browse allrecipes in the kitchen (or in the grocery store, looking for ingredients).
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2-18-2009 @10:02AM Goro said... I don't know if you need to interact with your Kindle/Laptop/tablet (or even paper) that much once you're starting cooking. Biggest thing is the lookup and some navigation, maybe highlighing the current step.

i use my tablet pc wifi'd to CooksIllustrated.com sometimes in the kitchen and it's pretty cool and since CooksIllustrated doesn't always use mass measurements, loading up a web page with conversions on it is quite nice.

I also use my binder with printouts often.

If the Kindle version has a nice indexing feature/search feature, then it's a big win.

btw, can yo print a kindle page?

-goro-
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