Kook: Kitchen-to-Table Slow Cooker Concept

My Role: Lead Designer

Slow cookers have become cheap commodities that offer nothing to the consumer beyond slow cooking. As a result people hide them in their cabinets, only to never use them again. This project is an investigation into how to make the slow cooker a cooking appliance that the KitchenAid consumer can connect with emotionally and want to use regularly. To do so I sought to design a cooker that would be an integral part of the maker's culinary journey beyond just cooking, with a special focus on the transition of food from the kitchen to the table.

I also took a hard look at the cooking pot and saw an opportunity to offer the maker more personalization at the point of purchase and more integration in the cooking journey from the countertop to the dining table. The Kitchen-to-table slow cooker hence allows the maker to buy the pot and lid that best fit his style and kitchen décor from a curated selection of pots and lids with materials ranging from cast iron to ceramic and glass. The pot is designed with handles and comes with a wooden magnetic trivet for easy transport to the table. The display is lowered to the countertop, unlike the competition, to "disappear" and help the slow cooker blend easier into the kitchen surroundings.