michael_nielsen

i don’t think these are smart toasters per se. they do seem to be focused on keeping the toast moist (??). curiously, i actually found them from a discussion of a 1950s toaster that points the thermostat at the toast rather timer. which does sound like a smart toaster.

How does a thermostat work on toast? Surely the color change will alter temp readings, and I’m not positive, but I don’t think Maillard browning is linked to final temp (I.E. you can have 400F toast that pale or dark depending on how long it took to get there or was held there.)

I was wondering if that was something you could control with a camera too. If you wanted to really dial it in.

The device I saw demoed a few years back used a camera, like the June. One issue: any of these would only works consistently as long as you use the exact same bread every time.

That’s a definite problem, it’s extremely hard to solve that computer vision problem. I do think at some point someone will nail it though.

I don’t think it’s uniquely computer. Even humans aren’t gonna be able to tell exactly what a piece of toast is like just by looking at it, especially if the bread changes. Think like a slice of whole wheat vs. white. You need to calibrate to both w/ experience.

What factors would you look for in “perfect” toast besides external appearance? Internal temperature? Moisture? I’m trying to think of the best toast I’ve ever had and that cinnamon toast in the Sunset is high up there. But that’s about thick slices and butter stabbed in there.

my new startup is revolutionizing toast. we're disrupting toast. we're democratizing it. butter, too. probably some blockchain in there too