problem w integration is it sometimes limits usefulness. where is line between convenience and need? when does convenient solution become too limited?
if you could integrate two useful products but not limit them, that would be prime. i’m thinking best solution will still be simple. probly not electric-gimmicky. lots of gimmicks out today. swiss army knife stuff. does lots of things - but does nothing really well. i’d stay clear of that stuff. my .02
A good friend of mine centered his thesis on a “corporate living” portable kitchen unit. Everything was designed to be portable and disassembled if needed. At first glance there was a limited application and usefulness to it when you considered his intended use, but when you start to think about where else this could benefit people when they look beyond the scope of his intended market it made sense. Maybe I wouldn’t want to spend the money to pack this thing with me and take it on short business trips, but when you start to think about the usefullnes of it for longer term stays in temporary housing, or better yet in places like the studio, it has some strong potential…
I think a quasi-affordable “All-in-one” cooking applience would have a great benefit to users. The problem is how do you sell it for $200 as opposed to $2,000, and can you make it so that “Average Joe” can plug it into his ciagarette lighter of the Chevy Truck at a (Football/Nascar/Baseball/whatever) event.
below is an initial concept. (Aesthetics have not been considered at this stage, this is just a quick explanation!)
When the upper part opens the base plate slides out. A connection similar to that on a base of a kettle could be used to boil the water. On the other half the user can grill simutaniuosly.
the chopping board is kinda high but if you plan to fit knives in it - it’s ok. make it so that you can replace it.
for supports you can use a pullout merchanism.
remember you don’t have to hold things from below, you can hold’em from side too. you can design a four pin mechanism for that as well. just fit it in the side of the container. and keep the heat element below surface right in the middle.
boy you got a lot of CAD work to do! right now it looks like a laptop/steamer for ykh.
paint it silver/white if you’re using synthetic white boards for chopping or black if you’re using natural wood. steamer color looks fine.
does look like an old skool laptop,Is retro ‘in’!?
I think the chopping board you are refering to is the grilling section, I know its not clear. Ill up date the post tomorrow with a more finalised CAD model
@burner - great to see you’re moving forward. wish more people would follow your example. including me. i’ll reserve my comments/crits for now (except to say i dont know where the steamer is stored). look forward to see how this evolves.
@ufo - its unfortunate your worthwhile comments have to include needless barbs.
maybe you can integrate the chopping board’s knives section with the grill-you could use the part that’s on top for the board. i think it’s better if it stand perpendicular to the top plane- just remove the hole- you could put a timer and a color lcd on the bottom side of it to keep track and watch dvd/ or tv while cooking (removable/standalone). so instead of those previous design’s supports create a pull mech for sitting on kitchen counter/table. put the knives on the side and design a sleek c-thru cover for it. also design a handle for it so you can carry it outdoors(make the handle a removable injected molded part which plugs into grill).
don’t forget a nice interactive touch pad for controls, and an lcd programmer for wireless,memory settings, and for telling you which knife is not in sheath and your cooking instructions.
Yes, I agree with UFO. Without giving you design ideas (it is your project after all), I’ll say what I would want as a consummer.
If the grill is portable, dafinitely some drawer/slots for the utensils for grilling(fliper/knife/fork 2-3teeth). They would preferable store IN the ‘cutting board’/lid
— off topic
Thinking out lound now, anyone come across a kitchen chopping board that has slots for the knives? that’d be interesting I havent seen any(havent looked either).
— end off topic
I would also like to see the heating element for the boiler not being a separate element, rather the same as the grill. perhaps just a metal ‘cup-holder’ that slides out the side, and it gets the heat through thermal conductivity.
What kind of things can they make with this that they can’t make with existing appliances (everyone has a stove for instance.)
What’s more important, portability or utility?
The design takes up a lot of counter space: does the user have that counterspace? Where?
Is this something the user keeps out, or stores when not in use?
Does it require a nearby electrical outlet?
Does the user want to use their own utensils? Do they need special utensils? What about their own pots and pans? Is the pot you’re including optimized for a particular volume of water based on particular food items? Where does it stow?
