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The Honeywell Kitchen Computer
Explore the Honeywell Kitchen Computer, a 1960s innovation designed for meal planning that was too expensive and impractical for its time.
Marketed by Neiman Marcus as part of its annual collection of extravagant gift ideas, the Honeywell Kitchen Computer—formally known as the H316 Pedestal model—carried an astronomical price tag of $10,600, equivalent to about $85,000 in 2024 and weighed over 100 pounds (over 45 kg). Regardless of these advanced features, the machine’s functionality was limited to pre-programmed recipes and basic calculations for meal planning or checkbook balancing. Adding to its domestic rebranding, the pedestal’s writing surface was promoted as a built-in cutting board, and its software came pre-loaded with a handful of recipes.
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