Intelligent cooking robots are here. Will America warm up to them? 

Imagine a kitchen where a robotic arm dices onions, a vision system judges the perfect sear, and an AI tailors meals to your gut microbiome. Autonomous cooking machines promise convenience, consistency and culinary personalization. It’s exciting to see this sort of tech on a demo stage. But how accessible is it to us?

For reasons like labor shortage and time and cost saving, markets like the US and Europe are beginning to see an adoption in autonomous cooking in restaurants. For example, Remy Robotics deployed in Paris and Barcelona, Miso Robotics has been a success with Flippy, Hyphen, and Chippy in US fast food joints like White Castle and Jack in the Box, and Sweetgreen has robots flipping salad bowls. But will US homes welcome a robot that cooks Michelin star recipes as well as grandma’s recipes to perfection, albeit at a cost?

Yes, the road to mainstream adoption in the US is rocky, but the upside is real. We’re talking labor relief, waste reduction, and new business models that could reshape not just restaurants and institutions, but premium homes as well.

The Tech Panda spoke to Stefano Pedrazzi, Founder and Co-CEO of Liffo, the first fully autonomous cooking robot bringing authentic Italian cuisine to American homes. 

You load ingredients once, even the night before, and Liffo does everything else, dosing, mixing, stirring, cooking, and plating. Already a success in Italy, Liffo is now being re-engineered for the US market with adapted electronics for US power systems, English-language software, US-friendly recipes, and local support.

Will this Italian robot cook find a place in American consumers’ hearts? Pedrazzi says they have reason to be confident.

“It’s not just convenience—it’s about reclaiming time without sacrificing food quality. Think of it the way households adopted robotic vacuum cleaners or lawnmowers: once people experienced full automation in those areas, there was no going back. Liffo brings that same leap to the kitchen,” he explains.

Consumer culture & trust: Challenge turned opportunity

Cooking is cultural, but attitudes are shifting. Busy lifestyles, growing acceptance of food technology like meal kits and smart appliances, and rising interest in personalized nutrition are creating fertile ground. Early adopters, affluent tech-savvy homes, eldercare facilities, and restaurants can prove value, generate word-of-mouth, and normalize the idea of a robot assistant in the kitchen.

Pedrazzi relates that in Italy, Liffo’s strongest advantage has been credibility rooted in tradition. Partnering with the Accademia Gualtiero Marchesi, Italy’s most prestigious cooking academy, founded by the country’s first three-star Michelin chef, and with Casa Artusi, the international center dedicated to Italian home cooking heritage, gave Liffo an immediate cultural and culinary legitimacy. 

“Italian consumers value heritage, and showing that AI can respect tradition has been key,” he says.

He acknowledges that in the US, the drivers are different. 

“Consumers are more accustomed to adopting disruptive technology quickly, and the value proposition resonates strongly around time, convenience, and innovation,” he admits.

That’s why the Liffo team is tailoring their Kickstarter campaign, launched in the US, not only around Italian authenticity but also around the promise of healthier, smarter lifestyles. 

“In Italy, trust is built on tradition; in the US, adoption will be fueled by innovation. Liffo can stand at the intersection of both.”

“In Italy, trust is built on tradition; in the US, adoption will be fueled by innovation. Liffo can stand at the intersection of both,” he states with confidence.

Manufacturers that emphasize safety, easy remediation, and clear benefits, like time back, consistent quality, and dietary adherence, can overcome cultural friction. Framing autonomous machines as “assistant chefs” rather than replacements can help preserve the human connection to food.

Competitive landscape: Complement, don’t just compete

There are challenges though. This kind of a product will be up against meal delivery apps, ghost kitchens, meal kits, and smart appliances like connected ovens. Americans might prefer just smarter kitchen aids over a fully robotic cook. 

Liffo sees those as complementary solutions, not direct competition. 

“Delivery apps and ghost kitchens solve the “I don’t want to cook” problem, but they often compromise on health, freshness, or cost. Connected ovens and smart gadgets still require the user to be present, prep ingredients, and manage the process. Liffo is different—it’s about true autonomy.”

“Delivery apps and ghost kitchens solve the “I don’t want to cook” problem, but they often compromise on health, freshness, or cost. Connected ovens and smart gadgets still require the user to be present, prep ingredients, and manage the process. Liffo is different—it’s about true autonomy,” says Pedrazzi.

Ghost kitchens might also use robots for base preparation while chefs add the finishing touch. Hospitals and eldercare can benefit from consistent, nutritional meals. High-end consumers may buy premium units as part of a connected home stack. Positioning is key.

Regulation & food safety: A compliance hill, not a wall

Introducing robot chefs into US kitchens triggers standards, FDA/USDA rules, local health codes, appliance certifications, and liability frameworks. Navigating that landscape is no cake walk. That said, regulators tend to respond when safety evidence is clear. 

The Liffo team, which is well aware of US regulatory needs, approached the US launch with the same rigor that they applied in Italy. Liffo has already been certified under CE and MOCA regulations, which are among the strictest for consumer and food-contact products. Under EU regulations, CE marking signifies that a product meets EU safety, health, and environmental protection standards for sale within the EEA. And MOCA (Materials and Objects in Contact with Food), regulated under EU Regulation 1935/2004, specifically ensures that materials and objects intended for food contact are safe and do not transfer harmful substances into food.

“Our philosophy is simple, credibility is built on compliance, and as a food-tech company, consumer trust is non-negotiable.”

For the US, Liffo is pursuing UL and FCC compliance, and adapting power systems to local standards. 

“We’ve also built traceability into our supply chain, from stainless steel components to food-contact plastics, so that every part of Liffo meets international safety requirements,” Pedrazzi reassures.

“Our philosophy is simple, credibility is built on compliance, and as a food-tech company, consumer trust is non-negotiable,” he adds.

Companies that prioritize certification, transparent hygiene procedures, and third-party audits can turn compliance into a market advantage, a trust signal for cautious buyers.

Why investors & operators are excited

As per Market Research, the kitchen cooking robot market, valued at US$12.04 B in 2025, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.57% from 2026 to 2033, touching US$22 B by 2033. Food is recurring and massive. Autonomous kitchens address several high-value pain points, for example, it eases staffing pressures and lowers labor costs for restaurants and institutional kitchens. Also, machines can deliver uniform quality at scale, which is crucial for ghost kitchens and chains.

Then there is AI, which can enable tailored meals for allergies, diets or health goals, a clear differentiator for premium consumers and care facilities. And from a sustainability point of view, precise portioning and predictive forecasting can cut food waste and improve margins.

Those use cases create multiple commercial levers like hardware sales, software-as-a-service for recipe optimization, consumables, and ongoing support contracts, a diversified revenue mix that investors love. 

The Liffo team is excited about the Kickstarter campaign which will launch in the US, expecting to appeal to those who want to be the first to experience automated cooking with refrigeration and AI. The Kickstarter-exclusive “Italian-American Fusion” recipe pack will accompany the package. Liffo looks to roll out its US shipments by 2026.

The complex engineering — but solvable — problems

Cooking can be messy and variable. Ingredients differ in size, texture, and moisture, which means the tasks often need a delicate touch. Also, can machines truly gauge sensory cues like aroma and mouthfeel? Building reliable systems demands advanced robotics, computer vision, sensor fusion, and AI recipe engines.

Yet, progress is steady. AI is getting better at seeing and adjusting, modular robots make things less complicated, and mixed workflows, where robots handle routine prep and people do the finishing, provide a practical way to use them today. In short, the technical hurdles are significant, but not insurmountable.

Robots like Liffo are ready, says Pedrazzi.

Liffo claims to be the first fully-automatic cooking robot, meaning, it’s a personal chef that can cook dishes without any supervision. The user can schedule recipes to be ready at the desired time, even when the user is not at home, monitoring the robot live from its integrated camera and dedicated app.

Moreover, it learns in real-time how to customize recipes according to user preferences, remembering them the next time cooks. The user can update a personalized version of their dish at any time.

A realistic but upbeat future

Autonomous cooking machines won’t replace every stove tomorrow, and they likely won’t steal grandma’s role in family recipes. But they do offer meaningful wins today, like solving labor gaps, improving consistency, reducing waste, and unlocking personalization at scale. The likely path is incremental, commercial adoption first, premium home adoption next, and broader affordability as hardware costs fall and software scales.

For founders and investors, the playbook is clear, prove ROI in commercial settings, obsess over safety and compliance, design modularly, and tell a human-centered story. Done right, AI-powered kitchens won’t just automate dinner, they’ll expand what foodtech can deliver, better nutrition, less waste, and more time at the table.