Complexity in the Kitchen

Abstract

Axiomatic Design and Complexity theory are often applied to highly complex and technological systems which provide educators with many engineering examples and case studies. The use of Axiomatic Design is applicable outside of these areas. However, there are not many examples outside of these areas. As a result, students often have trouble understanding the breadth and impact of Axiomatic Design’s application to problem-solving. One large complex system that is often overlooked is that of the kitchen. In this paper, we present different food-related preparation tasks that are inherently complex: cooking a turkey, baking an apple pie, reverse-engineering a recipe, and designing ecologically-minded food packaging while also discussing the impact of prepared food’s packaging approaches on the environment. The authors believe such examples demonstrate Axiomatic Design’s applicability in a new aspect that is approachable to a wide audience.