Innovative appliance for nuts seeds and spices!

[Galamba]

On 12/04/2016 at 11:24 PM, Slick said:

Galamba, DianaB said it well:

I had the same experience with my dissertation. At the time, it helped me better frame the question and seek answers.

Begin with your idea and expand on what type of other jobs in the kitchen it can do to save space, time or do something nothing else will do as well. You might also contact small appliance stores to discover if they have any information of value to your idea. Maybe using induction for heating the entire container? What you are considering is not in my domain of experience. Hopefully some of the Modernist folks here will offer you some value too.

Meus cumprimentos para seu sucesso!

 

Obrigado!!

We are also trying to know what potential vendors think about our ideas.. Hopefully we'll get some insights on the more commercial side of things

 

On 13/04/2016 at 1:44 AM, gfron1 said:

Yes, I too only toast nuts in the micro. I'm wondering if there is a cultural difference between the OP and the majority of eGullet participants. When I get in an Indian cooking spree, I am much more likely to go through a lot of seeds and nuts, and thus want to toast them. Day to day, not so much in my American diet. So a device like this feels unnecessary to me.

 

As a way of helping...what if it wasn't a new device but an attachment to an existing device. Kind of like the pasta add on for a Kitchenaid.

 

Thank you gfron1, when you toast seeds or nuts, do you have any issues with the method you currently use that you'd like to see solved?

The attachment idea is indeed a good one, could simplify things

 

On 13/04/2016 at 3:30 AM, Lisa Shock said:

I'd say toast before grinding, at least to make this economically viable in the US. Most grinders have the ground product leave the machine or fall into a small bin -which would be too fussy to then move to a heating element. That all said, I do often just toast ground spices in the pan I am about to cook in, so, it's no bother.

 

Thank you Lisa!

When i toast my seeds i usually grind them after with a stone tool. I find it more rewarding and less messy

Any problems you sometimes have with your method you would definitely like to avoid?

 

On 13/04/2016 at 5:25 AM, Deryn said:

Please, no apps. Make this as manual a product as you can. From a prospective purchaser viewpoint, I think that, while these days it seems that we may get more and more 'automated' and wired to our 'devices' via wifi, I believe that we may see a reversal of that trend down the line, strange as that may seem to those wedded to the idea of 'remote control'. You also limit your customer base if it relies on an app (to those who have whatever device can house it) - and you bind yourself into having to maintain, improve, protect, etc. that app as well as the hardware. I think the KISS principle should apply.

 

I can envision a small batch nut roaster (perhaps 1 or 2 cup capacity) 'cage rotisserie' that could be slid down cylindrical sides of maybe a stainless container to a height appropriate for the particular contents (perhaps several different settings) with a heating element in the bottom and some sort of mechanism that turns the 'rotisserie' cage at a steady rate. Constant heat and turning speed is probably all that is needed if one can adjust the distance from the 'flame'. Add a timer and a way to mechanically turn the cage (a small externally mounted motor of some kind should work). The cage could have several 'liners' to ensure that both small seeds and larger nuts could be roasted without falling out. Not sure that is a good description of what I can envision but I see this as larger than a spice grinder but much smaller than a Thermomix.

 

Thanks Deryn!

Incredible reply, you made me think about a lot of other ideas regarding our project!

Do you usually roast spices? While you're doing so, do you find yourself having some issues you'd like to avoid?

 

On 13/04/2016 at 6:05 AM, Smithy said:

How hot does an air popper (for air popped popcorn) get?  If it gets hot enough to pop popcorn, would it get hot enough to toast seeds and nuts - and would it also provide the agitation needed to get even toasting?  

 

In case the air popper is an American thing, here are a couple of examples (chosen at random because I've no experience with them):

Presto 04821 Orville Reddenbacher's Hot Air Popper

Cuisinart CPM-100 EasyPop Hot Air Popcorn Maker

 

Incidentally, here's a popcorn popper with a stirring mechanism that might inspire you, if air agitation isn't practical:

West Bend Stir Crazy Electric Popcorn Popper

 

You've selected an interesting project.  I probably wouldn't buy a dedicated toaster/grinder for reasons others have mentioned already, but that says more about my demographic than about its potential market niche: if it were inexpensive enough I'd buy it as a toy, but probably give it away after the novelty wore off. As I think about a hot air popper, I confess I'm tempted to scour the thrift stores for one to test the nut-toasting idea!

 

Thanks Smithy!

The West Bend popper would be our competitor; It has some issues with the stirring mechanism, as for certain sizes of nuts or seeds, it just rotates them around, not really flipping them. I also read some models leave traces of Teflon on the food

The popcorn poppers work fine as a roaster for nuts and seeds (those that have a sort of pop corn chimney don't though).

Thanks

 

On 13/04/2016 at 7:06 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I'd buy an appliance that would roast and grind nuts and spices really, really fine.  I mean Jif peanut butter fine...not what most nut butter vendors call "creamy", which is what I'd call coarse and gritty.

 

Thanks JoNorvelleWalker!

Ok the grinder function is kind of a must i see i have a sister that is REALLY into peanut butter (she makes her own and sells it) may check with her about the what specs we'd have to include in order to achieve such consistency.

 

On 13/04/2016 at 10:07 AM, Lisa Shock said:

I'm imagining a separate device for nuts. They are so much larger, and one generally processes a much larger volume of them.

 

I just see the standard type electric coffee/spice grinder with an induction plate under the area where the spices first sit before grinding. If you want to be fancy, have removable cups.

 

Thanks Oh i always strive for fancy!

I'm thinking modular and how to use some heat and motion sources that already present in a kitchen in a more intelligent way!

 

On 13/04/2016 at 11:01 AM, DianaB said:

 

We do have popcorn machines in Europe, hadn't seen one for a while so checked on Amazon, amongst many others was one that uses a halogen heating process.  Is this a possible heat source for a grinder/roaster? I've never owned a halogen oven but they are to be had for very little money these days.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Halogen-Popcorn-Maker-Seasoning-Shaker/dp/B007N0LQSA/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1460540966&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=popcorn+maker&psc=1

Space might be an issue, as others have said, if the final device is to accommodate nuts or spices. Perhaps there could be a smaller container to fit within the larger unit so that the user can select that appropriate to the quantity of product to be processed.

 

I realise I might be a long way off the mark here as I don't know if the halogen type devices would produce the right heat for roasting. Just a thought!  

 

Thanks! I think halogen would provide enough heat; don't know if the startup time makes it for a quick roasting cycle though..

 

On 13/04/2016 at 11:53 AM, dcarch said:

Here is an idea that can be unique.

 

One problem I have in trying to make nut powder is that you end up with nut butter, such as grinding peanuts.

But if you have a grinder that can keep the nuts frozen you can in fact make nice nut powder.

 

dcarch

 

 

Thank you dcarch,

Yes that's the problem with grinding, you always get some heat onto whatever you're grinding..

It would have to be something that minimizes the amount of time a blade is in contact with the nuts, and is refrigerated.

 

On 13/04/2016 at 0:07 PM, DianaB said:

 

Thar's perhaps the most imovative thing I've read in a long time dcarch! 

 

 

Hi everybody, sorry for my absence in the past days (it was a tough week)..

Our concept is evolving greatly thanks to your kind efforts to help us get there!! Thanks!

 

Probably in a few days I'll have to make a decision on what our product will look like, and so I'll come to this thread a little less from that point on (i am going to thank you the best way i can ).

Meanwhile I'd like to ask you one last question that is very important to us:

For those who usually roast seeds or nuts, what issues do you currently have that you would very much like to see solved?

 

 

 

[Deryn]

My worst habit is roasting nuts in the oven and forgetting about them. I can't really see them through the oven door so I also need to open the door (releasing heat in the process) to check and stir them. I hate the timer on my oven (so does the dog - he hates beeps) so I never set it but if I am busy elsewhere getting other things done, the sheet of whatever in the oven may get a tad overdone. Additionally, one often should stir the nuts so they are evenly roasted. If I do nuts or seeds on the stove, I don't leave it to do its thing so that consumes me while it is happening and nothing else gets done (though it is much faster that way and I probably get more consistent results).

 

I think a separate device designed specifically for roasting nuts, seeds and spices may be the answer to both issues - especially since it likely would have a lower temperature range for perhaps a slightly longer time period and stir itself. The longer time is offset by the fact that I would not be throwing out spices and nuts. I am sure you would have to do a lot of testing but perhaps you could include a rotary dial that auto-sets the device for optimum times/temperature for either nuts or seeds and is so labelled but that may be getting too complex for the time being. I would rather reset the device for another round of heating than take burnt nuts out of my oven or try to juggle both stirring a pot with one hand and swishing around spices in a pan with the other. Spices often need to be ground after toasting, so a small appliance for toasting them first that could sit right next to the grinder would be useful. Just don't make it too tall or heavy (storage issues then ensue). Ideally, I would like something small enough to store in a deep-ish drawer near where it is used the most.

 

I don't currently roast too many spices or nuts - just occasionally/perhaps once a month on average - but my current interest in preparing more Indian dishes at home could easily make this potential device much more useful to me given that I have a ('unadmitted' on this forum till now) propensity for messing up the small stuff like this. I am sure no one absolutely NEEDS a gadget such as this but many of us are kitchen gadget junkies so there is probably an audience here.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Deryn (log)

[Lisa Shock]

The main reason I toast after grinding is so that I don't have to handle hot seeds. Also, I can keep going in the same spot with my hot pan. Seems more efficient.