Stream of Consciousness: Kitchen Computing
October 21, 2007
I love gourmet cooking and more specifically, I really enjoy creating art using food. I was pondering the possibility of making a dedicated kitchen computer to help me while I am cooking. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that I did not want a bulky computer sitting on my counter collecting gecko excrement. I was also thinking that using a computer in the kitchen would cut down on the need to use printed photos or recipes for inspiration. However, I do not like writing down shopping lists and even with a kitchen computer I would have to write down the list or print it out. I thought a laptop might be the answer but I have no desire to lug a laptop around when I go out to buy food. After considering it a bit longer, I was thinking that I could install a laptop onto the cabinets and turn it upside down so you can only see the screen and then use a wireless keyboard and mouse.
I Googled and found someone who had actually done this. They were able to use the dead space next to the refridgerator which was really smart. Nearly every house I have ever lived in has had that dead space and it went unused. Unfortunately, this house does not have that dead space and the kitchen is somewhat irregular. I definitely do not want to take up much counter space for this.
Then I started thinking about creating an island in the middle of the kitchen that is on wheels. It would be great for parties and prep work. Alternatively, I could house the laptop on the island and just move it when I need the counter space.
Does anyone have any experience with creating a kitchen computer setup or something similar?
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I had just read your post today about the kitchen computer. I also gave some thought to the shopping-list situation. How about reviving or obtaining a PDA to sync with the kitchen laptop? Keep your list on the PC, then sync the PDA to it and off you go. I used to keep my shopping list on my PDA all the time… However for a while I’d stopped using PDAs and that idea went to the wayside. I do need to pick up a new one. This new job is rather demanding and keeping track of ideas, schedules, notes and tasks is just too much for pencil and paper. I already burned through two legal pads in the last three weeks.
On a side-note, my parents are thinking about a little remodel in their kitchen. New counter tops, appliances and lighting. My mother has decided on a man-made hard-surface counter top by LG. From the looks of the literature it’s some interesting stuff. Granite / marble appearance without the headache or cost of mining it. Also trying to get them to look at the idea of a continuous string of high-intensity halogen track lighting. Dad wants to just put in top-hat lights… so 1980s….
comment by Dan — October 30, 2007 @ 1:09 am
I appreciate all the suggestions you gave me - they really were great! Yeah, I thought about the PDA too - I may add that sooner rather than later. I decided I would totally do the projector idea that you had when we move so that I can build it into the kitchen (maybe an island) and project it onto a wall so that way it can be really large. But, I’ll definitely be doing the infared keyboard and that mouse you showed me.
Fun! That sounds similar to what my parents have - except they just went with Corian. Of course, my parents don’t even know how to cook so they probably should have put in a minibar instead of a kitchen. My Dad was all for that idea but my Mom swore that she would cook. Apparently, “cook” means that you will use the coffee maker. Not that your parents would want them, but what do you think of concrete counters? I really like all the strange counters that have come out over the last few years - they are much more earth friendly and cost efficient. Halogen lights are great - they would cut down on heat in the kitchen too - those crazy 1980s lights make things heat up too much, I think…
comment by Katy — October 30, 2007 @ 10:48 am