This Smart Device Takes the Guesswork Out of Cooking

AdobeStock / Cooksy

Few things are more frustrating than putting in the effort to buy, prep, and cook ingredients only to end up with a sad excuse for a meal. There's nothing like burning a sauce or overcooking meat to make you question why you didn't just get takeout. When you think about it, a lot of cooking instructions are somewhat vague — sometimes recipes will call for cooking something "at medium to medium-high" or "for three to five minutes," or to stir a dish "occasionally." ("Fold in the cheese," anyone?) And so if you don't have a knack for cooking, there's a risk that your dishes might end up underwhelming if not downright awful.

If you feel validated or personally victimized by the above, you'll probably be intrigued by a new tool designed to make cooking easier. Billed as "the world's first intelligent cooking assistant," Cooksy is a smart device that helps you perfect stove-top dishes as they're cooking. (Related: 9 Essential Small Appliances for Tight Kitchen Spaces)

Cooksy is equipped with a camera and a thermal imaging sensor, which allow it to sense the temperature of your pan as you're cooking. (The cameras rotate so you can adjust your view to different burners, but you can only use the gadget for one pan at a time.) To start using Cooksy, you mount the device to the hood above your stove, download the Cooksy app, and sync the device to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth. Once you're set up, you'll be able to view the exact temperature of your pan as you're cooking on your phone/tablet. You can also switch to a thermal view, which can give you a color-coded visual of which areas of your pan are the hottest. For example, the center of the pan might look dark red because it's the hottest, with the edges of the pan more of an orange. If you toss a piece of food into the pan, that might look green, indicating that it's cooler than the pan.

The real magic happens when you're using Cooksy while making a recipe from the accompanying app, though. Throughout the process, you'll get step-by-step guidance from the app, letting you know exactly when to add an ingredient, turn down the heat, stir, etc. to achieve perfection, all depending on what's going on in your pan. (Related: The Brava Smart Oven Will Replace Literally All of Your Kitchen Appliances)

The recipe library will include recipes from chefs and other Cooksy users, but you can also choose to record your own recipe to save for later. It'll store every detail down to exactly when you adjusted the heat and how long you cooked a dish, so you'll be able to precisely replicate the process (and results) when you make the recipe again. This feature will no doubt appeal if you have a grandparent who cooks a recipe that's been passed down through generations "by feel." Instead of having them write out unclear directions, you can record them making the dish so that you can follow along later.

Cooksy is still in the prototype phase, but it recently reached its funding goal on Indiegogo and is slated to start shipping out in October. Once it's available it will be available in a standard version as well as a "Cooksy Pro" version with additional storage and higher-resolution cameras. It will come in black, silver, or copper color options and range in price from $649 to $1,448 for a Cooksy and Coosky Pro two-pack (maybe you want to view two burners at once or to give one as a gift). (Related: This $20 Gadget Makes Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs In 15 Minutes for Easy Meal Prep)

When it comes to cooking, learning by doing can mean eating (or worse, throwing out) failed attempts along the way. If you're always trying new things in the kitchen, Cooksy's feedback might save you from future disappointments.