Samsung launches new multifunctional cooking appliance in S. Korea

Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday unveiled a new multifunctional cooking appliance to target consumers who enjoy meal kits and home meal replacement (HMR) products amid the stay-at-home trend.

The BESPOKE Qooker was launched in South Korea with a price tag of 590,000 won ($510). An overseas launch of the product has not yet been confirmed, according to Samsung.

"Qooker" comes from the word "cooker," with the letter Q representing "quality" and "quick," the company said.

The BESPOKE Qooker is a four-in-one product that can serve as a microwave, a grill, an air fryer and a toaster.

With a 22-liter capacity, the product has four cooking zones inside, allowing users to cook four kinds of food at the same time.

The latest cooking appliance also supports a "scan cook" feature with Samsung's SmartThings Cooking mobile app, which allows users to have the right settings on the BESPOKE Qooker for pre-prepared meals by just scanning the packaging's barcode. With this feature, any kind of food can be cooked within 18 minutes, according to Samsung.

The South Korean tech giant said it worked with eight major food companies here, including Ottogi and Dongwon, for six months to develop its scan cook algorithms and establish related services.

Such food companies have introduced 117 recipes for the BESPOKE Qooker, with some ready to launch meal kits and HRM products dedicated only for Samsung's new cooking appliance. Hotel Shilla, South Korea's leading luxury hotel and duty-free shop operator, will also join the program to release meal kits for the BESPOKE Qooker.

Samsung said it will partner with more food and service companies to expand its ecosystem for the BESPOKE Qooker.

To boost the product's sales here, the company has also launched My Qooker Plan, in association with Samsung Card and local food companies. The marketing program allows users to purchase the BESPOKE Qooker at a discounted price when they sign up for a monthly food subscription service provided by the companies. (Yonhap)