Im gonna rip apart her quote here.
I basically have three jokes on stage, and I use them all the time.
Its not the worst thing in the world.
Kohler
No, the worst thing is when they show up and theyre like, are you Bobby Flay?
I believe people come here for entertainment and for pleasure-seeking, he tells me backstage, in-between demos.
To the ones who are just here to hear me make a couple of fun crock pot jokes?
They get that too.
A cup of ramen noodles.
But that got us thinking: whats making our kitchen lives easier when we get back home?
Or at least, whats promising to?
The tech industry is increasingly encroaching on our kitchens in new and intriguing ways.
Fun to play around with?
Think about the process of roasting a piece of salmon.
Itll take you seven to 12 minutes, and youre fine.
Anything else is overthinking.
I think technology should be just one tool in your cooking Swiss Army knife.
Think about your air fryer thats a perfect example of streamlining cooking steps.
Audiences really do want to learn, how do I make this taste so good?
How can I do this at home?
Smart kitchen tech can even feel fascinatingly flashy to some chefs, and even helpful to some like Zimmerman.
Let me tell you why Im a bit hopeful.
Everyone is over schedule, and were inundated with too much stress.
Thirty years ago those two things, collectively, used to cost about $8,000 to $18,000.
Theyre such a time saver, and and such an improvement in your cooking life.
Just about a $100 investment now, and you dont need to buy an expensive 10-in-1 oven.
There are inexpensive smart ovens now too,like from Breville.
Heres why Im still a bit wary.
The idea at the time was for your family shop once a week and put everything in your refrigerator.
Seventy-five years later, shopping once a week is a nightmare because of our busier modern schedules.
I just dont want this new tech to go the same way that the old tech did.
I recently bought a European refrigerator its tall and skinny.
Shopping more actually helps me save food, since I use more of it before it spoils.
And that has me cautious, to say the least.
So whatdoesZimmermans ideal kitchen of the future look like?
Just because you’re free to cram in AI everywhere doesnt always mean you always should.
For Zimmerman, further automation also raises the problem of the connection we have to physically making our food.
We lose our touch and feel for it, and for people like me, thats my yoga.
Thats how I take care of my mental health, is by cooking.
And we all have life problems.
Everyone has to have a yoga, right?
So I worry about this new tech supplanting that, and taking that away for many people.
I think what youreallyneed are good pans, Conant suggests.
I dont come from money, so I got passed down the cast iron pan [laughs].
But those family heirlooms your grandmothers spoons, or your fathers tortilla press those are important, too.
Theres nothing like a really good chefs knife, is Chauhans advice.
Theres no need for those 15-knife sets, especially if youre just starting out and learning to cook.
Even something small, such as acooking spoon, can be essential.
The allure of it is the ease-of-use.
Its arguably the most advanced kitchen gadget that weve had in the past 30-40 years, says Conant.
It was popular a couple years ago for chefs to say, get rid of all your single-use appliances!
And there are a couple single-use appliances that I love.
But for the most part, I look for diversity.
I actually think the most energy-saving machine that has the most uses when utilized properly is your microwave.
They defrost fantastically, they reheat beautifully.
I never get tired of it.
Never, says Chauhan.
Even if youre just refreshing your skills, everyone can take something away from a kitchen demo or class.
Its nice to know that theres still a little bit of you in every dish, Contant points out.
When you eat someones dish, you get to know who that chef is by eating the food.
Picasso stopped them and said, Its fine.
But dont talk about it.
Say it with your painting.
Its all on the plate.
