BuzzFeed’s ‘Tasty’ videos are everywhere. In fact, since its debut not quite two years ago, Tasty has become the “largest social food network in the world”, reaching “one in four Facebook users worldwide” and attracting “2.3 billion videos views every month”. Given Tasty’s popularity, it doesn’t come as a surprise that BuzzFeed decided to take things a step further with what might be the world’s first Bluetooth fitted hot plate.
Here’s how it works. For $150, you can purchase (on pre-order, for the moment) the Tasty One Top and pair it with BuzzFeed’s brand new Tasty app on your iOs device. Once you’ve launched the app, you can browse through over 1,700 recipes until you find one that you like. The app will list all ingredients and walk you through the cooking process while the hot plate monitors the heat of your pan as well as that of your meal to ensure that your food is cooked properly (meaning that it isn’t burned or undercooked. If you follow the instructions and respect the listed cook times, you should end up with a delicious plate of home cooked food. For more experienced cooks who would rather control the hot plate’s temperature themselves, it also has a manual mode and the temperature can be adjusted remotely through the app.
The Tasty One Top can be used to prepare a variety of meals using techniques like slow cooking, frying and even sous-vide. Of course, it’s not for everyone – I for one am very at ease in the kitchen, cooking on the stove top or using the oven, so this product, as great as it might be, is not something I would acquire. I can, however, see younger or less experienced people enjoying being able to cook fresh meals at home without worrying that they’re going to burn their dinner – or their kitchen. The idea of relying on fun videos and automatic temperature to make the kind of meals they would never have dared to attempt is probably very appealing to some, and the Tasty One Top may just be the tool they need to start eating healthier, appealing meals. After all, everyone should be able to feel that sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from creating something tasty with your own two hands.