The Cubodira cutting board transforms into a dish rack
A story of invention, the Cubodira looks to save space on the kitchen countertop. Combining two disparate objects into one, the gadget has the potential for perpetual use.
Doing the dishes is one of those annoying kitchen chores that is easy to put off. After all, the meal has already been made and presumably eaten. Clean dishes add nothing to the past. However, the future is another matter entirely. Last-minute cleaning to plate a waiting feast of deliciousness is an annoyance that can easily be avoided by just doing the dishes ahead of time. Especially when prep cooking requires it.
There is a certain order to doing things in the kitchen and the JonJas Cubodira wants everybody to follow along. The kitchen gadget combines a dish drying rack with a cutting board. The folding contraption converts from a prep tool to an after-meal essential simply by unhinging the lid to open. With a footprint of 14.5 inches by 16.5 inches, the device measures 1.5 inches tall when used as a cutting board. In the open position, the dish rack can hold up to nine plates. Prep, eat, clean, dry, and repeat.
Invented by Paul Chalifoux, a dentist in Wellesley, Mass., the device is new to the market and was prototyped using orthodontic wire attached to plates with tape. From there, he graduated to using bent clothes hangers and polyethylene cutting boards. Judging initial successes worth following up on, Chalifoux took his idea to a prototyping company and now, the Cubodira will be available for shipment in May and is expected to retail for $49.95. Good stories are worth hearing time and time again. Good meals, too, are worth repeating -- even if that does mean doing the dishes.