Chef Philip Tessier, Director of Culinary & Media at Hestan Smart Cooking, sat down with Mediaplanet to talk smart kitchen technology.
Philip Tessier
Director of Culinary & Media, Hestan Smart Cooking
How can smart kitchen technology make family’s lives easier?
Easy is one thing. Enjoying the experience is another. Today, technology touches the kitchen in ways that can make life in the home kitchen both easy and enjoyable. The path to getting a meal on the table, from planning to prep to the cooking itself, is lined with numerous tools that help home cooks focus their time where they want to. Meal kits, grocery delivery, quality recipe apps, nutrition planners and precision cooking tools all help eliminate the pain points that prevent people from cooking today.
What is the number one benefit that a cook receives from using technology in the kitchen?
Confidence. Never before have we had access to ingredients and information in the kitchen like we do today and yet fewer people are cooking. Many people trying to put dinner on the table today didn’t grow up with a culture of cooking in the home and parents teaching them how. I’ve been fortunate to help build the Hestan Cue [a smart cooking system], and it’s been fascinating to watch home cooks move from fear and intimidation to a point of excitement and confidence when they have the right tool in their hands.
Why is it important for families to eat a home-cooked meal? Why is it special?
Numerous studies show that kids from families who cook and eat together do better in school, are more likely to avoid substance abuse and are generally happier kids. Why? Cooking and eating together is all about sharing, nurturing, community, culture, hospitality and friendship. Through smell, taste, touch and sound, it plants the roots of our fondest memories that stay with us for a lifetime. To this day the smell of freshly baked ginger snaps transplants me to my mom’s home kitchen in a heartbeat. It is sad tothink of what fills the void when we remove cooking and community from our homes.
Can you share any tips for busy parents who are looking to improve their cooking skills?
Plan ahead. Meals are often stressful because we don’t plan ahead; and when we finally turn our thoughts to it, we need it now. Taking 10 minutes, to plan a meal and when you are going to cook it, can save you a load of stress and keep you from the drive-through.
Grow a garden. It isn’t hard to plant a simple garden and the benefits of it far outweigh the effort. It is remarkably fun when you have kids and an excellent hands-on tool to teach them about the importance of knowing where their food comes from. It can quickly become a source of education, entertainment and inspiration for new dishes, especially when you suddenly have ten pounds of tomatoes on your hands.