I am the designated photo friend. You know me, you love me, I took a pre-pandemic Facebook profile photo that you still haven’t changed. If you’re the host and also have friends who want to be photographed, it can be difficult to take group photos while doing everything else for the party.
However, there is an automatic solution. For my latest parties, I brought the HP Sprocket Photo Booth Machine ($600), and it was a hit. It’s a 21-inch-tall, portable photo booth that automatically prints 3 x 4-inch photos and lets you download digital versions via QR code. I loved that you can create events on the device and set up customized filters — mine had the word “Soupsgiving” below them, though it was in an incredibly smaller font than the regular filter design — and you can also add settings for how many prints of a photo guests can print. We kept the default setting of two for the soup-themed Friendsgiving, but I think I’ll bump it up to at least three for future gatherings. Be sure to stock up on HP’s Zink Paper packs ($40 for 50) for printing at the photo booth, especially if it’s a large gathering. This will require both Wi-Fi access and a power outlet.
How to Automate Your Appetizers
It’s hard to feed a crowd. Feeding a crowd that includes some serious allergies and dietary restrictions doesn’t make it easy. In the spirit of automating everything I could, I turned to ChatGPT to come up with my own appetizers for a group that included two vegetarians and one person whose allergies included avocado, beans, shellfish, and eggs. (Those two groups of friends getting their protein needs at the same time leads to a singular overlap in the Venn diagram of what they can all eat: tofu.)
ChatGPT did a good job brainstorming some possible options, and when I asked about the holidays, he came up with new options that were nice and seasonal. I chose to go with the lowest-lift option—the Pomegranate and Ricotta Crostini—but the Baked Brie Bites were also a big contender. I was able to have this digital conversation and get all the recipes on ChatGPT’s free tier, but when you ask too many questions or ask things that require more research from the artificial intelligence, you can hit the paywall.
How to Automate Your Cooking
Fellow Wired reviewer Matthew Korfage is currently testing two different robots that will cook your dishes for you, but in the meantime, the closest I found is the 10-in-1 Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker Pro ($119). You can choose from options ranging from sear and slow cooking to sous vide and even baking. This turned my broccoli-cheddar soup experiment (I was looking to replicate my favorite Panera soup for SoupGiving) into a one-pot dish where I could saute my onions, stir in my béchamel, and then add all my ingredients and let it simmer until done. It even comes with an integrated pot.
Using it in an already busy kitchen was really helpful, and I think it will be indispensable for larger, Thanksgiving-style dinners where the stove and oven have a monopoly. While I still had to cook, I was able to move around in my small space and let the PossibleCooker help me. It has a timer on the front to help remind me how long I’m cooking on that setting, although I wish there was a medium setting (low and high are your choices for cooktop settings).
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Ninja
Foodi PossibleCooker Pro
Automate Your Food Disposal
There is a lot of food left over when you’re cooking for events like Thanksgiving and holiday dinner parties. I loved taking a canister from the FoodCycler and bringing it next to where we were cooking soup so everyone could put their leftovers in it as we left. When it’s full, simply set it in the machine and it will grind and dry the scraps (or leftovers!) into a type of nutrient-rich food that can be mixed into potting soil or sprinkled on your lawn. I have the new FoodCycler Eco 5, and WIRED reviewer Kat Merk recommends the FoodCycler Eco 3 as one of her favorite home food recyclers.
What else am I testing this holiday season
The holiday season is just getting started, and I’ll be testing more gadgets and gear throughout the season. Here’s what I’m testing next:
Bartesian Cocktail Maker ($349): This cocktail maker promises to be the Keurig of cocktail machines, with capsules for mixing cocktails instead of coffee. You will need to bring your own alcohol, but once you fill the included containers with liquid, the machine should be able to take it from there. I’ll also be testing some fun holiday cocktails.