AI can help you summarize, rhapsodize, and conceptualize, but can it tenderize? In a way, yes. This week, I enjoyed what may have been one of the best grilled steaks of my life courtesy of an AI-powered robot grill from SeerGrills, the Perfecta.
Under the shade of White Maples and London Planetrees in New York City’s Union Square sat a pair of boxy Perfecta Grills, both waiting to grill up various meats with the assistance of AI. I’d been invited to taste-test the output, and to say I was skeptical was putting it lightly.
I’ve been grilling for decades and have found that barbecuing the perfect meat is never easy. Depending on thickness, you can easily over- or undercook it, even with digital thermometers to tell you if you hit that just-right medium rare steak or fully-cooked chicken temperature.
SeerGrill’s Perfecta doesn’t look much like a grill. The boxy propane-powered system has an infrared and steel and ceramic-filled cooking chamber. Below it is a waste bin for oils, and the chamber remains open during the cook to keep air moving through and taking moisture and smoke out and away from your meat. This helps keep it crisp instead of rubbery.
I watched with anticipation as an inch-thick steak was placed between a pair of spring-loaded racks. The rack slides into the chamber vertically. I asked if you have to add the meat weight or thickness into the system. SeerGrills execs told me that the system only needs to know the kind of meat or fish it’s cooking, along with how you like it cooked. The grill’s AI measures the meat’s thickness, and then robotic technology moves the burners back and forth.
SeerGrills claims Perfecta can cook any steak in 90 seconds (plus 30 seconds or so of rest time), chicken in 160 seconds, and burgers in 90 seconds. That speed isn’t surprising, considering Perfecta is heating to 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit (900 degrees Celsius).
Seergrills execs tell me the AI not only knows how to cook all these meats, but it can also learn your preferences for cooking over time and apply that knowledge to future grill efforts.
I listened to all this, but worried that an AI and robot burners wouldn’t understand how I like my steak. Getting that just-right medium rare cook is hard, and even if the meat is cooked well, what if it’s tasteless?
Image 1 of 3
They started by preheating the grill, which took less than a minute. Then, I watched as they slid the seasoned steak into the Perfecta using a pair of removable handles and pushed a digital thermometer into the center of the steak. The system does use that to double-check doneness, but SeerGrills execs told me they hope updates will eventually make that unnecessary.
On the digital panel, they hit a couple of buttons (you have to plug in the grill or attach it to a battery to power this system) to set the meat type and doneness level (medium rare, of course). I peered inside, where I could see flames licking along the ceramic panels. There was some sizzling, a little bit of smoke, and the fragrant smell of grilled meat.
90 seconds elapsed, and then they let the steak rest in the Perfecta for 30 seconds. They slid out the steak and opened the grill tray. It was dirty, but the cook had shown me earlier how these magnetic panels pop off and can be dropped into a dishwasher.
A moment later, they were slicing through what looked like a perfectly cooked steak. I ate a few slices and was shocked. It was tender, moist, and most importantly, delicious.
Later, they slid a chicken breast into the second Perfecta Grill. The robotic burners slid back and forth on their own, and 152 seconds later, the breast was ready. When they sliced into the chicken, I noticed that it looked perfectly white, and when I tasted a slice, I marveled at how it was tender but with crispy bits.
I was impressed. Now, this grill will, when it starts shipping next month, cost $5,999. That’s a lot for any kind of grill, even a smart one. On the other hand, can you put a price on perfection?
SeerGrills is also willing to sell you the stand – they did not provide a price – and they also have grill covers if you want to keep your nearly $6000 grilling baby outdoors. Its IP22 rating means it can handle a drizzle but not much else.
This is not the kind of AI that shows itself with florid prose or wild imagery. Instead, it appears to be a solid blending of AI and robotics, purpose-built to deliver one of the best steaks I’ve ever tasted.
@techradar
♬ Rock and Roll Session – Canal Records JP
You might also like
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RHraetA5a8M456mTR6E6wY.jpg
Source link
lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
