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MARKETWATCH GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com 25 MARKETWATCH FOOD INNOVATION Smart Device Helps Conscientious Home Cooks Take an Informed Approach to Meals and Nutrition BY LORRIE BAUMANN A company called The Orange Chef has invented a way to make cooks smarter in the kitchen by providing them real-time information about the nutritional content of the foods they prepare, as well as how these foods fit into their overall nutrition goals. Prep Pad by The Orange Chef Company is, at its heart, a kitchen scale with a brain. It bridges the gap between what kitchen scales do (measure weight) and what home cooks very often really want to know (the nutritional value of that food). "It's allowing for the first time consumers to have complete access to the nutritional value of what they're preparing and serving in real time," said Michael Tankenoff, Marketing Director for The Orange Chef Company. "The research that we've done talking with consumers has told us that people don't have access to this information and yet it's important to them. Many of them are going to extremes to monitor their fitness level, but they don't have the information about calories and carbs for their cup of Cheerios. They've never had absolute real-time access to that information until now." The Prep Pad device works in conjunction with an iPad app called Countertop, to which it connects through a wireless Bluetooth 4 connection. To start using the system, the user creates a profile in Countertop, similar to the profile that a user would create with a Fitbit and its app. After the user tells Countertop the profile information, including age, gender and physical activity level, the app consults its huge database of information and comes up with a profile that fits the user's information together with U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary recommendations. From there, the user can modify that profile according to personal dietary restrictions and nutritional needs. "It starts you out with a rough profile, but everyone's different," Tankenoff said. "We've completely broken down the barrier in terms of access to this information for the consumer." Once that is done, the cook uses the Prep Pad to keep track of ingredients as they are added to a dish. The scale measures each ingredient as the dish is composed and uses its database of information about a wide range of raw ingredients and scannable supermarket products to calculate the impact of that dish on the user's nutritional intake. "As you keep adding multiple ingredients, the device keeps a running list of what is in the dish. You can add or subtract items as you go along, and the Prep Pad will accommodate those changes to create a realtime nutritional profile," Tankenoff said. "The weight of the food is irrelevant. What people care about is the calories, the carbs, the information that people need to know." Once the dish is complete, the Countertop app gives it a score to let the user know how it has affected the user's profile goals. Then that information can be shared, if de- sired, with others in the user's social networks or even with a nutritionist or doctor. The Prep Pad is encased in a unibody aluminum case that is the same quality of material that Apple uses on its Mac computers. The scale top is made of dishwasher-safe wood fiber composite that is safe for food. It is nonporous and does not harbor bacteria. The device is very easy to maintain. The Prep Pad can tolerate up to 15 pounds of food on its scale, with plusor-minus 1-gram accuracy. The system will be reaching the market in November through The Orange Chef website at www.theorangechef.com. Over the course of the next several months, it will be available through other retailers. Currently, the system is available only for iOS devices, but the company plans to make apps for other major platforms in the future. Prep Pad retails for $149.95. GN GOURMET MARKETPLACE A Special Advertising Section With 60 years experience, ADAM procures exquisite Ceylon tea then blends, flavors, packs & exports internationally. Succulent Fusions is ADAM's premier American line of Pure Green & Black Envelope Teas. It's a select collection of ADAM's best sellers in Asia & Europe. Hot or cold, brew perfect tea every time with ADAM. The uniquely smooth, savory flavor you'll find in the only cheese that can call itself Le Gruyère AOP is a product of its Swiss heritage—where the cows that supply the milk are grazed and where the way the cheese is aged and cared for and the recipe itself have remained unchanged for centuries. Robert Rothschild Farm's baking mixes are available in a variety of rich flavors that are perfect for breakfast, snack, and dessert or serve them with a meal. They offer muffin, scone, dessert and bread mixes. ADAM Ceylon Teas & Spices "Historic Quality & Legendary Taste" 888.725.0365 www.AdamTea.com Gruyère AOP Switzerland +44.26.921.84.10 www.gruyere.com Robert Rothschild Farm 800.356.8933 www.robertrothschild.com