Laurier student helps launch successful Kickstarter campaign for cooking app

Dorian Wilson – a communications student at Wilfrid Laurier University – and his business partners recently began their first campaign on Kickstarter in order to launch their mobile app which brings a ‘personal chef’ to a person’s smartphone.

NISE Tech Inc. launched their campaign on Kickstarter on June 18.

“Since then, it’s been going much more well then we could’ve ever expected it to. We’re currently, in all of Canada, the top funded live Kickstarter. We’ve made more than any other Kickstarter that’s live in Canada,” Wilson said.

As well, there have been approximately 23,000 Kickstarter projects within the food category. Out of all of these projects, the NISE Wave is in the top 25 most funded projects ever.

Wilson and his partners began creating the NISE Wave device and mobile app almost a year ago.

The device uses a cooking method called sous-vide, in conjunction with the mobile app to make the technique both automatic and specific to each person’s desired cooking.

The technology, which has been in use since 1970, works by sealing food and placing it in water. The device, which also sits in the pot or container in use, controls the temperature of the water which cooks the food to its desired specification.

The device, controlled by the mobile app, can heat the water as well as spin the water around. This action brings the water to the temperature which perfectly cooks the food being prepared.

“[Sous-vide is] a type of cooking that’s used a lot in high end restaurants. They love it because it takes the guess work out of cooking, they don’t have to worry about how long to leave it in the oven or when to take it out,” Wilson said.

Wilson explained that food is cooked primarily based on the temperature that it needs to reach, in comparison to the duration of it being cooked which is a common misconception amongst many individuals.

“Every single different food has its own specific temperature that you want it to reach in order for it to be done. For example, if you have a steak, the difference between rare or medium rare just depends on the temperature that the steak reaches,” Wilson said.

Wilson explained that the NISE Wave will be able to cook most meats, such as beef, fish and chicken. The technology and device can also cook foods such as eggs, rice, mulled wine and crème brûlée.

The unique aspect which NISE Tech has added to the sous-vide technology is the mobile app’s ability to control how and when the food is cooked.

“We’re trying to bring that technology to everybody at home and with the app, it also makes cooking simple because it has recipes right in it. It helps you with the cooking prep and with the actual cooking,” Wilson said.

Also within the app is the ability to schedule when you would like to eat the desired food. For example, the app has the capability to begin cooking food in the morning for seven or eight hours, and finish cooking right before the time chosen.

“[We] realized that we can actually heat it at different temperatures throughout the cooking time and that way, if you lower the temperature down a bit, you can schedule your food for when you want to finish cooking,” Wilson said.

“It’ll start cooking right away, but it won’t taste weird even though it’s cooked for 7 or 8 hours. You can come home and your dinner is ready because you’ve set it up in the morning which is kind of neat.”

For example, Wilson said that common uses of the NISE Wave might include having eggs cooked and ready in the morning for breakfast or having a steak cooked to your desired preference as soon as you get home from work in the evening.

Not only does the NISE Wave save time, it also makes cooking simple and easy for those who may not have the skills or experience.

On the mobile app, in addition to being able to specify how and when you want your food cooked, users have the ability to use the app as a social network

Built into the app are various features such as recipes with the necessary supplies and ingredients needed for the recipe. Additionally, users will be able to track their nutrient goals and post photos of their results after using the NISE Wave as well as see finished recipes posted by others.

“So we’re trying to bring that technology to everybody and with the app, it also makes cooking simple because it has recipes right in it. It helps you with the cooking preparation and with the actual cooking,” Wilson said.

For students, Wilson explained, the NISE Wave can help to save money in addition to saving time.

“Eating out gets expensive, but we do it because it’s convenient,” he said.

“We know that eating at home costs less, but it’s more work so this way you can save the money by not eating out but have less work as well.”