I watched the Nymble cooked a pasta dish at the Smart Kitchen Summit this week, and the result was surprisingly good.

A $1,500 robot-powered induction cooktop, it automatically adds all the ingredients at the correct time, uses a robot arm to stir them, and a camera to watch over the process. But you still have to do the washing up.

Refurbished models start at $929 for the base 13-inch one. That’s cheaper than most retailers’ deals on new MacBook Airs, and Apple’s refurbished models tend to feel every bit as new as an unused one, as MacRumors noted.

Read our March review for Joanna Nelius’ thoughts on its key upgrades, two external display support (versus one in older Apple silicon Airs), and faster base storage.

With 8 temperature sensors, the Combustion Predictive Thermometer works even if you don’t place it “just right.” Those sensors also track temperature on the food’s surface and in the oven to “predict” when your food will be ready within minutes of starting to cook.

Reviews say the Combustion is very good at its job and makes guessing when the turkey will be done or overcooking a steak a problem of the past.

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Most induction requires a 240V outlet, but this new cooktop from Impulse Labs has a battery inside that stores up juice for when you want to cook.

This means it will still work when the power is out, but the company plans to make more appliances with batteries to eventually form a “fractionalized home battery backup system.”

The Impulse Cooktop costs $6,000 and should ship later this year.

Geometric Future’s Model 0 Flamingo folds over a mini-ITX motherboard with the help of a few magnets and pins. It’s too small for a graphics card, and I’m not sure how it would stand up over time, but I appreciate the creativity. Sort of reminds me of that one Teenage Engineering case.

I have a lot of questions about the Chefee — a robotic kitchen insert that stores, preps, and cooks meals for you. And I’m not alone. At the Smart Kitchen Summit this week, there was plenty of chatter about the impressive-looking contraption. Helpfully, the company’s CEO put together this Instagram reel to address some of them. But I still want to know how anyone is supposed to afford this.

The Chef IQ Mini Oven is a $300 smart oven that can heat up 40 percent faster than the fastest air fryer, the company told me at the Smart Kitchen Summit in Seattle this week.

The countertop oven features a ceramic interior, edge-to-edge glass door, and touchscreen display. It works with the Chef IQ app and wireless thermometer for guided cooking, and is coming this September.

Sounds like it’s mostly knockoff Apple Earpods. Wired explains:

What’s going on is this: The plug on the buds using this workaround goes into the Lightning slot, which then doubles as a Bluetooth receiver that receives power from the port but routes its signal through the phone’s Bluetooth. That means your wired connection is actually wireless.

The cordless kitchen could soon be real. Kitchenery showed off a wirelessly powered blender and kettle at the Smart Kitchen Summit this week. But — unlike other wirelessly-powered gadgets — it doesn’t require a special (expensive) charging pad. Instead, both devices can be powered off an induction cooktop.

The company is also developing a silent blender, cordless toaster, air fryer, and pressure cooker.

Our colleague Ash is in the building, and we’ll be covering everything live right in this stream.

Ash called it “an unexpected triumph of tactics and friendship.” If you haven’t picked up the XCOM-and-Fire-Emblem-meets-Marvel superheroes game yet, there’s no better time than now — it’s free, no strings attached, at EGS through June 13th.

I was just chatting about The Moon, a movie I watched last year about a Korean astronaut getting stranded in space. It was a fun sci-fi flick but to my surprise, Korea actually launched its very first space agency last week.

This comes at a time when China, Japan, and India have heavily invested in space exploration. Korea’s pledged roughly $72 billion to its new agency, with a lunar landing planned for 2032, and a Mars landing for 2045.

Gainax, which also produced iconic works like Gurren Lagann, filed for bankruptcy after facing large amounts of debt, along with a lawsuit from a debt collector. The anime studio Khara has acquired the Gainax trademark.

Astro’s Playroom got a stealth-dropped update today, with new trophies, collectible in-game gatchas, and secret “PS Labo” rooms.

It also features a riddle-like mystery to rescue special bots — including a Bloodborne one. Forum-goers are donning tinfoil hats ahead of potential announcements at Summer Game Fest, which starts within the hour. Team Asobi already has an upcoming Astro Bot game.

Following a shocking World Cup cricket win by the US over Pakistan, people are learning about players like Super Over hero Netravalkar. Other than being a “zippy left arm quick bowler with an efficient action capable of swinging the ball in both directions,” he’s also an Oracle software engineer.

If you need to become a cricket expert before next Wednesday’s matchup with India, try this explainer.