RF Solid-State Cooking | Hacker News Reader

RF Solid-State Cooking

gojifoodsolutions.com

22 pointssannee15 comments

This is actually a lot more sophisticated than the comments here are making it out to be. With something like this you can basically get software defined cooking. If you combine it with computer vision and a bit of chemistry, you would get a perfect medium rare steak every time. (You don't need the computer vision part if you can get the RF feedback from the sensors directly) To be fair, there is nothing stopping you from doing this with a traditional magnetron microwave, just that you will need a lot of space for hardware and waveguides to have the same precision and control.

This seems like the jump from traditional pointed radar to phased array radar. I can’t wait to have my mozzarella stick breading crispy, and cheese gooey.

Indeed, the patent(s) [1] are particularly enlightening. Still a bit astonishing that it actually works though.

[1] https://patents.justia.com/patent/9040883

This is just a microwave but built with MOSFETs rather than a vintage 1940's era valve.

They avoid using the word microwave anywhere in the marketing material, which really is telling they're mostly trying to get rid of the 'low quality food' reputation that microwaves have.

I find pretty cool there is a company who is trying to improve a technology that haven't advanced in decades, but a whole simple microwave oven is probably a lot cheaper than the transistors driving those RF signals inside this "cooker".

I don't know how much people would buy this, but I'm pretty sure a lot of restaurants would have one of this if they deliver what they promise.

I'm curious how this system browns the steak (like in their photos), I didn't realise you could achieve that with microwaves alone?

This tech will soon enough get cheaper than classic magnetrons.

Magnetrons require quite large magnets, a vacuum and filament which eventually burns out, and a large transformer with a lot of copper and steel.

The solid state solution is just a bunch of mosfets. Less material means it'll be cheaper eventually when the patents etc. run out.

I work with low power RF stuff. My gut feeling is RF transistors will run you about a dollar to fifty cents per watt. Notable though high power RF transistors are a niche product. So you might have a good discount if you ordered a million of them.

One advantage is if you can direct the RF energy you could cook TV Dinner and Airline meals without over or under cooking. Could use machine vision and bar code to select the program.

Also wouldn't need a rotating plate.

I want to believe but what I see as the result is TV dinner DRM where you this only works for selected premium dinners.

To get decent quality, there is going to need to be integration between the meal-maker and the device maker.

The meat needs cooking one way, the veg another, and the salad on the side needs to remain chilled. To get all that right is going to require quite detailed data from the food manufacturer.

Non-RF MOSFETS can be about 2000 watts for 10 cents... [1]. RF transistors aren't substantially more difficult to make either. They're only pricy today due to low volume.

[1]: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32993849971.html

Magnetrons are basically like a sportsball coach's whistle, except it's electrons instead of air resonating.

The filament in them apparently lasts for decades, as you can usually find working Microwave ovens at yard sales for $20.

On the other hand, this is essentially most of a phased array radar, with all the attendant cost and complexity. The costs will come down, but not anywhere close to that of the magnetron.

The website doesn't provide a lot of technical detail, but I don't think there is any phased array stuff going on - there is just one transmit antenna, and it's measuring the reflected energy and using that to decide how to adjust the frequency and power.

It's really just a high power version of a 50 cent doppler radar unit [1].

[1]: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32861277615.html

So does this glorified smart microwave heat the good directly or a plate/stove thing on which you cook the food?

That’s awesome, basically it’s the Metcal of hotplates?

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