@rrhoover Thanks, Ryan - definitely know what you mean. The reality is that the question of "what to eat?" on an everyday basis is often not one of inspiration but one born out of necessity. Because of this, more often than not, a lot of us go with what's fast (and often not the healthiest of options). That's part of what Countertop brings to the table, giving you quick and easy meal recommendations that are personalized to your dietary restrictions, food preferences and even health goals - but to address your point, we'll be surfacing meals with simple, readily available ingredients and guide you through making the meal too. We actually capture some of the ingredients you're likely to have upfront and progressively get smarter as you use the app (think "Pandora for food"). The new hardware also uses NFC to convert many of the appliances you already own to become "connected", allowing us to serve up recipes based on what you physically want to do in the kitchen.
We agree with you though - knowing what to eat is only part part of the puzzle. We're all about removing friction from preparing a meal, so it won't be hard to guess some of the surprises we'll be adding soon. ;)
@rrhoover Agreed. Some days I cook and other days Ben (my partner) cooks. However, when we do, timing (30min meals are great) being low is ideal, but not a deal breaker. What I do struggle with though, is knowing what I can cook based on what is in my spice rack and fridge/freezer.
The thought of figuring out **what** to cook can be exhausting enough. I'd love a running inventory that can continually spit out suggested meals based on the other parameters it already takes into account.
At the end of the day, Smart products should be designed and act like a friend you can rely and trust on, right? Someone who is there for you when you need them. And in this case, despite how much I love everything about the product. Just wish that tiny tidbit played a role.
I absolutely love the idea of it knowing I just finished a run and suggesting some healthy meals or showing me how to cook whatever meals for dinner, though. Super awesome. Really love this product.
@rrhoover@imcatnoone Thanks for the comments, Cat. We're glad you love the idea! We have the same struggles you do, so that's definitely the path we're after.
Very interesting. I do a lot of test cooking for a couple of our app projects, so always looking for new tools to make it easier. Downside to this is crockpot recipes are a pretty minor part of the whole, so probably not worth it for me on a regular basis. But still a very cool concept and I wish you well with it.
@sacbookreviewer It is amazing all what you can do with a Crock-Pot with the right guidance! We will be adding more adapters soon though. Thanks for your kind words.
@crixlet We are working on many different appliances/brands to close more deals, but we can obviously not make that public yet. If you have any suggestions, let us know. I'll love to hear it.
@ankitb@santiagomerea This is really amazing. What was the hardest part about creating Countertop? And what was the moment of inspiration for you? There has to be a story there.
@ankitb@corleyh Thanks for the kind words @corleyh. Well, it is super amazing to have the caliber of partners that we do, but I can't say that as a startup it is easy to get those relationships going. They have a ton more at risk, so your case has to be super compelling. The moments of inspiration are always tied to current customers. We go to their kitchens and cook with them! And is in those moments when the light bulbs switch on. People kept telling us: "tell me what to do!" It was a pretty interesting and complicated idea... so, of course, we decided to create a system that will do just that.
Thanks @jonlee108! The Vitamix NFC adapter does a few unique things, which all come down to context and convenience. When you place the Vitamix container onto our base (whether the app is open or not), Countertop will know and pop up a relevant notification at that moment. Once our app is launched, placing a Vitamix (or another partner appliance) onto the base will result in instant meal recommendations that you can whip up with that particular appliance. The NFC adapter also unlocks some exclusive recipes curated by Vitamix as well! (We have some other clever things in store for other NFC-connected products :).
Also, when you're in Make Mode, we guide you through making the recipe step-by-step. With your connected Vitamix, we'll know when the container is present to serve up the right steps and actions in the app. Appreciate the question!
I want to like this but it seems like there's a lot to learn. I'm gonna have to wait to see more before I think this will make my life easier/better and not harder.
@bhalp1 Fair enough. You are welcomed to get it at the promotional price and return it if you don't like it. Our customer support is pretty awesome. I have a feeling that you will think it makes your life easier :) Thanks!
@ankitb anything that can help solve the what to eat tonight would come in handy. I am definitely pre-ordering! Whats the estimated time for first delivery?
@gizboz1 thanks for the support! We'll be shipping this Fall, likely around the November timeframe. The development is quite far along so we're very confident in hitting our dates.
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