TRANSFORMING COOKING INTO AN EXPLORATORY PROCESS DRIVEN BY INGREDIENTS

A concept for the Electrolux - Europe’s largest appliance manufacturer.

Flavors was created in collaboration with Electrolux to inspire creativity in the kitchen by providing visual flavor-matching information. Shop for the freshest food without planning what meal you are going to make. Then at home, pick any number of ingredients that inspire you and place them on your kitchen counter. The system recognizes them and displays flavors that compliment your choices. All of your allergies, dislikes or dietary requirements are considered. Expand different flavor categories to see more choices and get inspired by unexpected matches. As you add new items to your ingredient node from the recommended choices, the flavor pairs are dynamically updated to match all your selections. When you're happy with your choices, get creative knowing that they will combine deliciously. If you're looking for a little extra inspiration, browse through recipes that use your chosen ingredients or get tips from professional chefs on preparing your selections.

Rethinking the cooking experience

The cooking process is generally though of as follows: find a recipe in a cookbook > write a list of ingredients > go to the supermarket and get ingredients > make the meal.
Talking to many different people revealed that the process often looks much more like this: open the fridge > see what's available > make something out of the available ingredients. The ideal creative cooking experience looks much more like this: go to markets and fresh food stores > see what looks the freshest > look for inspiration in a cookbook > create a masterpiece out of the carefully selected ingredients. At the heart of it all is the aesthetic experience of looking at, touching, smelling and carefully selecting fresh ingredients.