Panasonic Teases Kitchen Geeks With Countertop Induction Oven

Kitchen geeks, beware: your sous-vide may just have been overshadowed. Panasonic's latest countertop cooker may look like a dull black box, but inside – so the company claims – is some serious culinary magic. Dubbed the Countertop Induction Oven, it's a multi-purpose device that threatens to replace most of the ways you commonly prepare food.

That might sound like the sort of thing they'd crow about on the shopping channel, but Panasonic could well be on to something.

The Countertop Induction Oven – or CIO – uses a combination of induction and double-infrared heating, taking place within a sealed cook-chamber. By controlling the amount of steam inside that box, Panasonic says it can maintain the moistness of food while still allowing it to be crisped up on the outside.

So, the holy grail of new cooking techniques, the humble – but so hard to perfect – steak can be juicy and tender inside, but seared as though fresh from the barbecue on the outside, at least in theory.

The CIO is capable of grilling, baking, toasting, and – for pizza-lovers – re-heating, and Panasonic says it gets going faster, too, with practically no preheating time required. Multiple meal presets are offered, including cooking multiple things at the same time, like a combination of meat and vegetables.

It's expected to be practical, too, with a dishwasher-safe grill that gives the distinctive BBQ markings.

Non-traditional ways to prepare food are a growing segment for the smart home geek, with technology previously limited to professional kitchens shifting into the realm of affordability for cooking enthusiasts. A good example is the sous-vide, which involves maintaining food at low, stable temperatures for extended periods, and which started out as something only restaurants could afford to do.

Affordable domestic versions are commonplace, now, such as Anova's Precision Cooker, with user-friendly features like connected apps that include recipes, timing guides, and remote control.

Meanwhile, more established but unfashionable cooking styles, like pressure cooking, have seen a resurgence as easy to use, safer electronic versions bring with them push-button simplicity.

Panasonic will be pitching the CIO as a healthier way to cook when the oven launches in October this year. No word on pricing at this stage.