CU introduces its smart cooker. [Provided by CU]
CU introduces its smart cooker. [Provided by CU]

Convenience store chain CU said it will introduce a "smart cooker" — a single appliance combining microwave, air fryer and oven functions — on Thursday.

The smart cooker automatically sets the cooking method and duration based on each product's characteristics. Customers scan a product barcode and the food is prepared according to a preset recipe, with no need to check cooking instructions or manually adjust time and temperature.

The device also expands the range of food customers can enjoy in-store. While heating in a microwave has been the standard approach, the smart cooker can handle a wider variety of items — including frozen chicken, pizza and baked goods — and supports multi-stage cooking that combines microwave heating with an air fryer or oven finish.

The appliance supports around 1,000 preset recipes, configured by CU's merchandising team to suit each product's characteristics and updated wirelessly via Wi-Fi. In internal testing, more than 90 percent of participating employees rated food cooked in the smart cooker as tastier than food prepared by conventional methods.

CU plans to roll out about 500 units initially, focusing on university districts, studio-apartment neighborhoods and officetel buildings popular with customers in their 20s and 30s and single-person households. The company said it will expand the rollout based on operational results and customer feedback, and will also launch dedicated products optimized for the smart cooker.

Jin Young-ho, head of BGF Retail's product and overseas business division, said CU will "continue applying the latest technologies to help customers enjoy convenience store products in the most delicious and convenient way possible."


siuu@heraldcorp.com