A new year brings a whole new crop of food fads to test the culinary skill and will power of those who choose who are resolute in their resolutions. Whether its paleo, raw, mediterranean or some sort of golden ratio, new diets require new tools and techniques for execution. And as the designer Massimo Aurelio Cappella argues, each person’s “food history” can be gleaned from the techniques they employ when preparing a meal.

The One Way project is a collection of four different sets of kitchen tools designed for four different archetypes and their approach to food and cooking. After observing several different chefs working in professional kitchens, Cappella was most intrigued by the idea that the, “same plate and taste could be created by the chefs in many different ways according to their experience and their perception.” He created four sets of kitchen tools to cater to the personas of four chefs and their varying attitudes and needs in the kitchen.

one-way-cappella-high precision cooking

PRECISION COOKING
A cooking set for the kitchen engineer
Based on a chef with strict expectations for how a dish should look and taste, the precision cooking set is a set of four steel instruments and spice “pills” that are exacting in their measurements.

one-way-cappella-high precision cooking steel tools set

These objects ensure precise quantities for following a recipe. The tablespoon syringe measures exactly one imperial tablespoon of liquid; the teaspoon scissor measures exactly one imperial teaspoon of solids; the scalpel knife creates precise cuts on seafood and meat; and the Mediterranean sea salt pills provide exactly 1.5 grams of salt and the olive oil pills add exactly 0.5 mL to a dish.

one-way-cappella-low precision cooking

IMPRECISE COOKING
For the culinary artist
Although her kitchen may appear disorganized, the persona behind the “Imprecise Cooking” set is a technically adept chef with deep culinary knowledge—she started working in his family’s bakery at an early age and continues to work in restaurants. Following instinct and experience, the chef’s approach is confident and improvisational.

one-way-cappella-low precision cooking curry mixer palette

The curry palette represents this approach. This palette contains five basic spices for creating a curry sauce. The shape takes references from a color palette since the approach reflects the attitudes of a painter. The center of the palette is a mixing well for all the spices. The scoop has a dual function—the front collects and mixes spices based on the cook’s preference and the back is a taster pin for adjusting flavors in mid-process.

one-way-cappella-low processed food cooking

LOW PROCESSED FOOD COOKING
Farm-to-table kitchen tools
Anti-industrial, raw and vegetarian, the chef behind the low processed food cooking set is concerned about the ethics of food.

one-way-cappella-low processed food cooking uncontaminated copping board with tools

A rough slab of wood serves as a cutting board—the centerpiece of food prep for the “Low Processed Food Cooking” kit. The board represents, “an immaculate and natural environment” where raw foods can be handled on a raw (and untreated) pedestal. Two simple wooden tools, a fork and knife, allow for minimal “processing.” Despite its simplicity, a third tool, a sharpener, allows for control and efficiency for the chef.

one-way-cappella-high processed food cooking

HIGH PROCESSED FOOD COOKING
An aesthete’s tool box
For the “foodie” who doesn’t cook, this food make up set is a mix of products that allow diners to style and retouch what they are about to eat.

one-way-cappella-high processed food cooking make up set in use

All the food cosmetic products are edible. Beeswax for polishing; food powders for coloring; food pastes for filling and food glue for composition. This set allows diners to recolor, fix and adjust their food to match the pristine presentations of processed products in advertising and on packaging—the foundation of this chef’s culinary expectations.

one-way-cappella-high processed food cooking make up set