The QOOQ (pronounced kook) is a kitchen computer that’s actually designed to withstand the rigours of being used in a kitchen. It’s a very stylish looking piece of kit that is part recipe book, part cooking show and part Filofax.
QOOQ isn’t just a place for a bunch of recipes to live, it’s like a year at cooking school. There are complete meal preparation videos to show you the art of cooking, recipes, ingredient information and a magazine all built-in. It’s not just a dumb terminal either, it connects to the internet over Ethernet or wifi and you can subscribe to monthly updates to ensure you and the family never eat the same meal twice. There’s also a shopping list maker and a meal planner to help you along the way.
The QOOQ runs a dedicated UI driven via a touchscreen and onscreen keyboard and it has a built-in lithium polymer battery so there are no cables. All the messy computer bits are behind covers and the screen is glass so it’s nice and tough for the kitchen. It can sit on the bench or be propped up on a built-in stand, just like a book. Underneath it’s a tablet computer with a 10.2″ glass touchscreen, with Ethernet, USB and SD ports. It can also connect to the internet via wifi and while it doesn’t have an internet browser (keeps the kids off Facebook), it can be used to update your recipes, get weather information, as a digital photo frame and even listen to internet radio stations.
But … and it’s a big but.
At the moment the QOOQ comes in French only, so unless you parlez Francais, or you want to learn it while you learn to cook it’s probably not much good to you. But hey, I’m sure they’ll internationalise it, right? A QOOQ will cost you �349 for the unit with 500 recipes installed and then �12.95 /month for the updates if you want them. Keep your fingers crossed for it to cross the ditch, or the Alps, or the Pyrenees or whatever.
Included in your screen QOOQ: 500 recipes pre-loaded interactive / 10 recipes from chefs in video / possibility to add your own recipes / taking into account your tastes and your level / tool for planning your menus / Automatic creation of shopping lists / Radio / weather station / digital picture frame
Tags: gadget, kitchen+computer, qooq
Or – You could just get an iPhone and have,
Apps for Cooks
From putting thousands of recipes at your fingertips to helping you choose just the right wine and cheese, iPhone has all the kitchen apps you’re craving.
Right. There are a lot of devices that allow you to access recipe information and are much cheaper (like smart phones and even the Nintendo DS). The QOOQ probably wouldn't fly with the American market, but there's no better place to launch it than cuisine-centric France.
If someone is that keen to have a cooking tablet in their kitchen they should probably explore the Always Innovating Touch Book netbook that has a detachable touchscreen tablet with a magnetic backing — meaning you can slap it on your fridge. It also will only run $300 and have other traditional tablet/netbook functionality.
If you have a look at the QOOQ website you'll see that the idea of it isn't just recipes, but they are a large part of it. The videos show the art of preparation, there's the magazine as well as the meal planners etc. It's pitched as a lifestyle thing.
The QOOQ is a dedicated device and as such will appeal to people who don't want to have to manage a computer or squint at a phone screen when they're wrestling with a chicken.
Allrecipes recently launched the French version of the iPhone “Dinner Spinner” application, or just bring your laptop in the kitchen and go to http://allrecipes.fr – 5800+ recipes.
They have a French Canadian site too… http://qc.allrecipes.ca (3500+ recipes)
But… I can watch preparation videos AND plan meals AND look up many more than 500 recipes on my beloved MacBook Air! (And while I'm doing all that, I can chat with my sister and check e-mail and look up the weather forecast.)
Ah yes, you've hit the nail on the head.
You know how well you do things when you multitask, that's the point of the QOOQ. It's dedicated.
It is unfortunate that no such product exists in the U.S. There should be a Big Oven or Epicurious sponsored tablet that lets you email, retrieve and store recipes, check weather, etc.
Yeah i agree there really should be a tablet taht lets you do many things…
I really like the concept to make the kitchen really high tech but Bridge stone is out with a flexible e-book reader. I think it will over do this kook
I will definitely buy it when it will have some extra functions, like goes shopping, washes dishes and cooks, till then it's a simple touch pad with some recipes.
If you have a look at the website you'll see that the idea of it isn't just recipes, but they are a large part of it. The videos show the art of preparation, there's the magazine as well as the meal planners etc. It's pitched as a lifestyle thing.