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Dry-age your own steaks at home with the Steaklocker?

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Skip the expensive butchers and stuffy steakhouses. According to the founder of a new device called the Steaklocker, the process of dry-aging steaks could be a reality in the average home.

A fridge of sorts, the Steaklocker is about the size of a regular 50- to 60-bottle wine chiller and claims to be the world’s first at-home appliance that properly dry-ages beef. Nadia Bruno, Steaklocker founder and former restaurant marketing executive, insists that dry-aging is the only way to go when it comes to great steaks.

Dry-aging involves hanging beef or placing it on a rack to dry for several weeks. Dry-aging evaporates the moisture from the muscle, concentrating the flavor, and the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which tenderizes the meat.

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This process is often extremely expensive, as the beef shrinks in weight. Furthermore, only high-quality meats should be dry-aged because the process requires meat with a large, evenly distributed fat content.

Because of this, dry-aged beef is seldom available outside of steakhouses and upscale butcher shops. And it comes at a steep price, specifically $30 to $50 a pound.

By bringing the dry-aging process home, Bruno claims users will save at least 50% on beef that is equal in quality, and she says her Steaklocker’s patent-pending sensors ensure a safe aging environment.

Steaklocker has a matching smartphone app that provides instant feedback regarding the temperature and humidity of the fridge at any given time. The sensors in each fridge are connected via Bluetooth with a smartphone, giving consumers accurate data regarding their meat.

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Bruno and Steaklocker Inc. are currently hunting to fund this new device through Kickstarter. She needs about $70,000 by mid-July to get her project going and hopes to send out the first Steaklockers to customers in November. Each appliance is priced between $555 and $675.

Her Kickstarter page includes a 5-minute video and pages of additional information about the steak fridge, including a detailed layout of the device, explanations of each component and background on the entire Steaklocker team. It also includes a link to the Steaklocker website, where you can preorder a fridge for yourself.

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