A former Hollywood producer’s concern for his disabled son has put him on the cusp of what may be the next big thing in microwave ovens.
Robert Schaffel, who produced “Diggstown” and other films, wanted to help his son who has cerebral palsy become more independent by preparing his own meals.
One thing led to another, and now Schaffel owns an L.A. company with a computer software technology called TrueCookPlus, which is being marketed as the first major breakthrough for microwaves in decades.
Essentially, it takes the guesswork out of cooking packaged, branded foods.
“It brings everything to exactly the right temperature,” said Schaffel, 65, who founded Microwave Science JV LLC to buy the technology from its inventor. “It cooks your food perfectly every time.”
At least one major manufacturer apparently sees enough potential in the technology to have licensed it for inclusion in its microwaves – LG Electronics U.S.A. Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate LG Group. It recently began building the chip into one of its own ovens, as well as a Kenmore model it makes for Sears and Kmart.
In addition, several food manufacturers have purchased licenses allowing them to make use of the technology, which requires consumers to input codes into the microwave for each food – the one possible down side.
Still, the technology promises to breathe some life into the $1.2 billion microwave oven industry that has radically cut prices over the past decade but has seen few innovations. (About the biggest recent change has been at the low end where mechanical timers have been replaced by cheap digital displays.)
Nevin Montgomery, president of the National Frozen & Refrigerated Food Association in Harrisburg, Pa., said he’s seen the new ovens work and is convinced that they represent a breakthrough by allowing individual foods to be either cooked or reheated perfectly the first time around.
“Microwaves have been around for a while, but this is new and innovative,” he said. “It will stimulate interest. I think it’s huge. It’s almost foolproof.”
Chip shot
Currently, most home cooks use only the most minimal functions of a microwave, such as the time function that turns it on and off. Keypads also allow users to cook by food type, weight and whether a dish is being defrosted, heated or cooked.
However, Montgomery said that the advanced functions are too complicated for most people. Schaffel’s software simplifies those functions and takes them a step further, though it does require some effort by the user.
First, when consumers buy their units, they must input their ZIP code, which allows the microwave to adjust for altitude. More importantly, they must input a code that informs the microwave what type of food is being cooked, whether it’s a Banquet frozen roast, a ham-and-cheese Hot Pocket or a Celeste Pizza for One.
The microwave takes over from there, with the software accounting for the oven’s size, wattage, age and internal temperature, which is monitored by a sensor. The first models on the market sell for $130 to $140, about 10 percent to 15 percent more than comparable ovens without the chip and heat sensor.
Schaffel said he first became familiar with the technology about four years ago after meeting its inventor, Steven J. Drucker, while trying to help his son, Sam, now 21. Schaffel said he was introduced to Drucker by his brother, an investment adviser, who was working in Atlanta at the time and had crossed paths professionally with the inventor.
An engineer and former restaurateur, Drucker serves as Microwave Science’s chief technology officer at the company’s laboratory in Atlanta.
“I got a prototype which we had for several months,” Schaffel recalled. “My son started using it and had great success. Before long we were getting calls from his friends’ parents saying that they couldn’t equal the cooking.”
Backed by several investors including his brother, Steven, who is now the company’s chief financial officer, Schaffel spent about $2 million acquiring the patents, setting up the company, and beginning a marketing and licensing campaign.
The company got its big break when it showed off its prototype to LG, which decided to license the technology.
“They were very impressed,” Schaffel said.
LG declined to comment for this story.
However, Schaffel does face stumbling blocks, not the least of which is the necessity for the microwave’s software to be given cooking instructions for each food. Those instructions are derived in the Atlanta laboratory from testing that carefully measures a food’s weight, packaging geometry, water content and other characteristics, such as whether it’s a protein or vegetable. Those instructions are then identified with the code input by consumers.
To date, Schaffel said, at least three food manufacturers, including giant General Mills Inc., have purchased licenses to place TrueCookPlus codes on their products’ packaging. In addition, the company lists more than 200 codes on its Web site derived from testing in Atlanta.
Though sales figures for the existing models were not available, Schaffel said he is already negotiating with at least three other oven manufacturers about bringing out new models next year.
He hopes to make back his initial investment next year. The company now employs 15, including lab workers and sales agents.
“Through people using it, we get calls,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll even make a small profit. We’re already doing better than I expected.”
Even with the higher prices, some experts expect the new ovens to sell despite that the technology is far from the microwave industry’s Holy Grail, which would presumably allow users to cook food perfectly with the push of a single button.
“Once the ice is broken people will want to get on the bandwagon,” Montgomery said. “Being foolproof is a very attractive selling point. I could see this becoming the standard.”
