If you don't have space for a full-sized oven but want to release your inner chef, then Panasonic has got you covered.
The company took the wraps off the Countertop Induction Oven (CIO), a cooking appliance that provides an easy way for induction cooking, packaged in the same size as a regular microwave or oven toaster.
At first glance, it looks just like any ordinary microwave or toaster oven, but right inside, it has an induction plate at the bottom that has different heating zones. Incidentally, that's what makes it easily distinguishable from the others.
It boasts the capability of thoroughly cooking meals such as a nice, hot chicken meal with veggies in just 20 minutes, thanks to the cooktop surface and cookware that generates heat via magnetic fields. What's more, it sports an infrared broiler at the ceiling to boot.
To go into detail, it "grills, bakes, toasts and reheats" with little or no preheating required, according to Panasonic.
In other words, it's a convenient way to prepare nutritious meals, especially for people with hectic schedules.
"Our new, one-of-a-kind Countertop Induction Oven will change the landscape of the consumer's kitchen. The CIO is an example of innovation at its best. It delivers a quick, yet high-end and healthy cooking experience to consumers in a compact, easy-to-use design," says Lisa Knierim, VP of Panasonic Home Division.
Induction cooking typically involves a cooktop or perhaps a regular-sized oven, and it comes with a couple of restrictions, especially in terms of space. Essentially, the CIO is all of those things downsized to a smaller form.
Panasonic showcased the product at the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago, and it definitely turned some heads at the event.
However, people should hold off setting up a plan for a big dinner party with the CIO, as it won't be hitting the shelves until sometime in October 2016.
Regarding the pricing, the appliance maker has yet to give out the official cost, but CNET says that the company made an estimation of about $600. Considering how the microwave was priced at $1,000 when it first launched in the 1950s, that figure is more or less expected.
Panasonic is taking the meaning of innovation one step up, from robots that can pick tomatoes to the small-sized CIO that can provide an easy way to do induction cooking even in a small apartment or home.
