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Sensor keeps cooking on the boil


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Sensiboil reduces the chance of a pan overheating.
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A watched pot never boils, as the saying goes, but sometimes that can be a good thing, says a London-based design graduate.

Chris Aram has designed a gadget that automates the boiling process on stovetops, ensuring pots never boil dry or catch fire.

The self-described cooking enthusiast came up with the idea for the device, called the "Sensiboil," after being fed up waiting around for pots to boil during his own cooking.

"My research showed that the average person spends about 28 hours a year waiting around for pots to boil during cooking," Aram said.

"That's where inspiration for the idea came from. I wanted to try and save that time, which could be spent doing something more productive."

The Sensiboil is fitted with a sensor in the oven's extractor fan, which detects humidity levels.

It automatically turns the heat down to a simmer temperature once the pan begins to boil.

If it reaches a temperature that is too low, it automatically turns the heat up again, eliminating the need for a human to wait for it to reach boiling point and monitor whether it stays there.

The Sensiboil turns itself off if there is nothing on the stovetop, or if the contents have boiled dry.

The former Brunel University student, 25, constructed the device during his final year of a product design degree.

During his research, he consulted several professional chefs, who said such a device needed to be compact so that it would not get in the way.

As a result, the Sensiboil is largely hidden to the eye, apart from a green and a red button that activates or stops the device working.

The sensor and the motors that control the sensors are well out of the way, Aram said.

Now graduated, Aram is investigating a career in the Army as an engineer.


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