Whether it’s too tough, burnt to a crisp, or just dripping with fat, cooking steak on the outdoor grill rarely does the cut of meat justice.
Fortunately, a British company has created an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered grill that it claims makes a perfect steak in just 90 seconds under controlled conditions.
Perfecta, from Birmingham-based Seergrills, cooks meat by holding it in place vertically, like a piece of bread in a toaster, with ultra-hot grills on either side.
It has AI-powered software called NeuralFire, which relies on data collected by sensors inside the machine and cooking preferences entered by the user.
However, if you want to get one, you better start saving: the device is priced at an incredible $3,500.
Perfect cooks a steak while holding it in place vertically, like a piece of bread in a toaster, with burners on either side.
Seergrills was founded by Suraj Sudera, an engineering graduate from Aston University in Birmingham, who was dissatisfied with conventional meat cooking methods.
“We realized that there are often difficulties and inconsistencies when cooking food: most of the time it is always overcooked and dry, which takes a long time,” he said.
‘So, we decided to use our skills and knowledge to apply AI to cook the perfect steak and set up Seergrills.
“We developed our first product called Perfecta, which is the world’s first AI-powered grill.”
Typically, with conventional grills, fat from the steak drips onto the flames and causes flare-ups, which dries out the meat and gives it an inconsistent texture.
Perfecta, on the other hand, cooks a steak by holding it in place vertically, like a piece of bread in a toaster.
This means that water vapor and gases flow from an exhaust at the top, while grease drips into a removable drip tray below.
To use Perfecta, the customer first holds the chosen fillet on a metal rack, which slides vertically into the machine.
Seergrills was founded by Suraj Sudera (pictured), an engineering graduate from Aston University in Birmingham.
To use Perfecta, the customer first holds the chosen fillet on a metal rack, which slides vertically into the machine.
Once the meat is in, users touch buttons on the touch screen to select the type of cut (for example, steak), the level of well-being (rare to well-done), and the level of browning.
Meanwhile, sensors allow AI to detect the size of the cut and its thickness, as well as its fat content.
From all this information, the machine knows the temperature at which the steak should be cooked and for how long.
Burners on each side, fueled by propane, cook the meat evenly, so there’s no need to turn it.
Perfecta’s vertical burners emit infrared rays, which generate much higher temperatures than regular gas burners, therefore cooking your steak up to 10 times faster.
Infrared burners reach up to 1,652°F (900°C), while a gas burner typically reaches around 500°F to 600°F.
According to the firm, Perfecta optimizes the conditions for a steak to form the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between proteins and sugars that gives browned foods their unique flavor.
The software and sensors know when to stop cooking, preventing overheating and the risk of fire.
When the user is done, they can rate the quality of the food and the technology can use this information to modify their cooking methods in the future.
Once the meat is in, users touch the touch screen to select the type of cut (for example, steak), the level of well-being (rare to well-done), and the level of browning.
Perfecta can also be used to cook other types of proteins, such as chicken and fish, and even pizza.
Perfecta can cook a variety of different foods and modify your cooking methods accordingly – not just beef, but also lab, chicken and fish.
Fortunately, the AI knows that it takes a little more time to cook the chicken so that users don’t get salmonella poisoning.
Users can also remove the vertical metal rack and place their pizza there, replicating the ultra-hot conditions of a pizza oven for enjoyable, even cooking.
Suraj’s Birmingham-based company now employs 48 people, many of whom are Aston University alumni.
Its product is available for pre-order in the US, while UK availability is scheduled for the third quarter of next year, it said.
Gordon Rams-AI! Scientists develop CHEF robot that can recreate recipes by watching cooking videos
Gordon Ramsay better watch his back, because there’s a new big chef in town, in robot form.
The robo-chef can learn how to create the perfect dish simply by watching cooking videos.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have programmed a machine to prepare a meal by following how a human prepares it.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have programmed a machine to prepare a meal following how a human prepares it
Using sophisticated AI, the robot is able to determine in each frame what objects it is looking at (such as a vegetable, a hand or a knife) and how it is being used.
Over time, it is able to identify which ingredients work best together and even point out when the human chef may have used the wrong amount.
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