Overview/Thesis Statement
Brief “Elevator Pitch” Description of your thesis project. What is your focus? Your direction? What’s new/unique about your project?
The Überbaster is the only turkey baster that permits basting without opening the oven. It is the first to break existing models like the brush and bulb-and-barrel basters. The Überbaster is a simple device that is as easy to operate as existing models and resolves potential complications such as dry poultry and extended cooking time stemming from other basters. Besides solving such problems, it allows for frequent basting that aids in the development of a rich, colorful and crispy skin.
Rationale
Why is your project important? Interesting? Relevant? Why now? Personalize if possible.
My project demonstrates a helpful technological advance in a field flooded with ripoff gadgetry. It is useful not only for turkey but also for chicken, ham, and any type of roast. It has few parts. Once set up for cooking, the cook needs only to squeeze a bulb outside the oven as frequently as he or she desires or as often as there are pan drippings available.
I have been interested in using my experience and resources available at ITP to create some kind of kitchen solution. After exploring various ideas with software I decided that none had the potential to make the great impact on cooking that I sought. I will argue that most solutions that require software or excessive electronics do not belong in the cooking sphere because of the low-tech nature of the activity itself and the satisfaction it can provide by using the fewest tools possible.
Software is basically useless in an activity that requires hands-on practice that leads to the intuition that makes a great cook. Resources like Epicurious.com that provide tutorials, articles, and thousands of recipes online for free are valuable and existing.
Few electronic gadgets aid the cooking process. The instant-read thermometer and remote probe thermometer are probably the only two electronic devices a cook will ever need. The hand mixer and stand mixer are important as well, but such devices will be considered tools in this discourse. Gadgets like the Quick Chop are the type of which we need fewer. The Quick Chop intends to replace a required skill of cooking: chopping. Poultry basting on the other hand requires no skill; it is merely a minor step in cooking certain dishes. Thus the Überbaster will not detract from the joy and practice of cooking.
Goals
What problem are you trying to solve? What issue are you exploring? What are you trying to find out or achieve? What do you want people to get out of using/experiencing your project? Goals can be creative, technical, business-oriented, social, etc.
Using proper techniques, a competent cook can already roast a perfectly fine turkey at home. The Überbaster simply attempts to make the dish more delicious. With the Überbaster the user will be able to baste as frequently as possible – yielding tastier skin – by operating the baster from outside the oven. Keeping the oven door closed, critically important throughout the entire roasting process, external basting will make the bird as juicy and moist as possible.
I would love to see the Überbaster for sale on the market, but I currently have no plans to market it. However a delicious turkey in every American home on Thanksgiving, with the help of the Überbaster, must be the ultimate goal. The potential to use the Überbaster in everyday cooking is also an important feature and underscores its versatility. The Überbaster is used mainly in large meals that feed more than one. A table full of happy eaters is implicit in the baster’s goal.
Audience
Who are you creating your project for? What are their unique characteristics that will inform your design (interests, age range, language, geographical location, culture, etc.)? Will it be used/experienced alone? In groups? With guides, teachers, signage, or other assistance?
The Überbaster’s user base is potentially vast. Cultures all over the world use ovens and eat meat. Anyone responsible enough to operate an oven is qualified to use it. The cook will use the baster, and those who eat the food that it assists in preparing enjoy its results.
Location
Where will your project be used/experienced (homes, galleries, public spaces, outdoor areas,
theaters, offices, schools, etc). Is it a repeatable experience or a one-time experience? How will these inform your design and process?
The Überbaster is intended for use at home. It has potential to be used in restaurants, but as someone who has no experience inside a professional kitchen, I feel unqualified to guarantee its value in such a setting. I wager that it will be just as useful in a restaurant that is not achieving desired results using in-house cooking techniques as at home.
Description of Core Features and Functionality
What do you plan to build? What is the intended effect? What is the intended nature of the user’s experience? What will people do when using it? What is the attitude? The look and feel? The content or theme? Will it have a point of view? What kind of media will be used – graphics, video, animation, sound, photographs, projections, etc? What kind of technology will be used? What kind of materials? Describe the functionality of the piece. What will the interface be like? What are the components of your project?
The Überbaster will be composed of silicone and stainless steel. The core functionality is in the external bulb and two silicone tubes equipped with check valves. The check valves allow for liquid to flow through the tubes in one direction only. Both tubes are attached to the bulb and extend into the oven through the oven door. One tube draws pan drippings into the bulb, and the other tube distributes them over the roasts. Hence one basting action requires the same action as existing basters: one squeeze of the bulb to draw liquid in and one squeeze to squirt it back out. The internal end of the in tube is fixed to a section of the roasting pan that is angled to let pan juice flow to it. The internal end of the out tube is attached one of two possible ways: either a brace attached to the roasting that has an arm that extends over the roast, or simply a sturdy steel skewer that sticks directly into the roast. The out tube squirts its juice through something not unlike a shower head to maximize distribution.
Success Measures/Future Plans
How will you know your project is complete? What will be the success measure(s)? (ex. It works, people like it, it’s easy to use, people find it insightful, it helps them, it’s valuable, it’s controversial, it’s inspirational it’s fun, people learn something, etc). How will you measure this (user testing, technical testing, etc). What are your future plans for this project?
The Überbaster will be complete when it achieves the best results with the fewest components combined with the greatest ease of setup. Operation will never change in any instance, so it is important to be able to easily set up the Überbaster to promote frequent and long-term use.
