‘Survivor’ producer is fired up over oven
Reality television impresario Mark Burnett doesn’t think his latest business will be half-baked. The man behind such hits as “Survivor” and “The Apprentice” announced Tuesday that he had invested in microwave oven technology that aims to fully cook food.
Burnett, 47, said he had a 25% stake in the firm, Microwave Science, which owns the rights to a trademarked technology called TrueCookPlus.
The software works like this: A consumer punches into the microwave control panel a numeric code found on a package of food. The software then calculates how long a food needs to be cooked by considering several variables, including elevation, the size of the oven, the size of the package, power levels and the temperature the food should achieve for thorough cooking.
“Yeah, I am a television producer, but I am also a logical business person who saw an opportunity a couple of years ago and got very involved with this company,” Burnett said in an interview. “It would be very nice to have a successful and lucrative business that provided for the health and safety in cooking for families.”
In addition to fully cooking foods to eliminate bacteria, he said the technology could also solve the problem of burnt microwave popcorn.
The technology is Burnett’s latest pursuit of a product that will have a longer shelf life than episodes of his reality-TV programs.
Although those shows have made the British-born producer enormously wealthy, they don’t repeat well so there is little syndication value after the initial episodes run.
Burnett has invested in other companies and ventures.
In 2004, he received a 5% stake in Martha Stewart’s daytime television program as well as a 15% interest in Everlast, the company that makes boxing apparel featured prominently in Burnett’s “The Contender,” which runs on ESPN. Burnett has since divested his Everlast stake.
Electronics maker LG has included the TrueCookPlus technology in a microwave oven that is expected to be available in retail stores beginning next month.
General Mills, maker of such products as Pop Secret popcorn, has agreed to include TrueCookPlus numeric codes on some of its food products, Burnett said.
Ruth Frechman, a Burbank dietitian and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Assn., said that “if the technology works, it would eliminate the risk of improper cooking. Until then, this shows the importance of having and using a thermometer.”
Food should be heated to at least 165 degrees to kill bacteria, she said. “If there is any way to save time and make things easier, then it could be a benefit.”
--
