First up in our Kitchen Futures series is: Time Starved, Health Hungry…
Convenience cooking has come to represent ‘unhealthy’ and ‘poor quality’ in Western cultures. Ready meals and food quick fixes have been dominating the media with high salt, high sugar, links to obesity, poor nutrition – and more recently quality and origin.
Healthy cooking and eating had become the hot topic from homes to governments.
But with work/life balance continuing to shift, traditional family eating habits becoming even more fragmented and the obsession with streamlining almost every aspect of life, the desire for convenience has never been higher.
As the juxtaposition between ‘convenience’ and ‘health’ continues to add complexity to the lives of consumers, the question of – what will be the future of convenience cooking? – is open for definition.
Smart solutions that create a balance between time, taste and health will ultimately win over consumers by integrating seamlessly into modern life and creating newly engaging and desirable cooking experiences.
Featured and above image credit: PDD
Convenience of the future will no longer mean unhealthy or poor quality…
Think…
Redefining classic techniques – origami inspired cookware made from alternative materials, pre-folded and pre-formed, offering speed and convenience.
Speed = distance/time – equipment enabling fewer steps and appliances with faster and more efficient cooking methods for ‘made-from-scratch’ dishes, as they become the new symbols of healthy cooking.
Process disclosure – smart packaging (transparency, traceability, openness) and digital enablement (first read systems, super-intuitive, fast & slow modes) will come to represent quality.
Digital sous-chef – smart cooking appliances and systems that learn actions, make preparations and recommendations.
Image credit:
01 >Paper vase cover by Pepe Heykoop
02 >Strike Matchbox for Hay by Shane Schneck & Clara-von-Zweigbergk
03 >Mabel sofa, designed by Donna Wilson, manufactured by SCP
04 >Ikea Cook Book: Hembakat är Bäst, imagery from Brklyn Girl
05 >Conflict Kitchen, photography by Renee Comet
06 >Fold paper bags by Ilvy Jacobs
Directions to consider when translating this trend:
- Intuitive forms and layout
- Simplification and clarity in first read
- Glanceable graphics and UI
- Visual step-by-step
- Origami geometric structures
- Functional folds creating instant vessels
- Amplification of colours associated with health and well-being to give modern fresh twist.
- Contrasting combinations create a jarring play
- Natural neutral tones grounding bold colours
- Repetitive patterns
- Functional pattern derived from structures
Check out our second instalment in the series, where we take a look at how increased urbanisation and growing populations are affecting home cooking.