Upliance 2.0 Review: A smart cooking solution

Upliance

Cooking, for many of us, sits somewhere between necessity and avoidance. It’s a daily act that demands time, focus, and instinct — three things modern life doesn’t always leave much room for. Between long work hours, unpredictable schedules, and the convenience of food delivery apps, home cooking often slips into a weekend ritual rather than a weekday habit. I’ve felt that gap too: knowing what I want to eat, but rarely wanting to go through the process of making it from scratch.

The Upliance 2.0 positions itself right in that gap. It’s marketed not as a chef’s toy but as a solution for people who want to cook better and more often — without mastering the complexities of heat control or spice sequencing. It promises to automate much of what makes cooking intimidating, using guided recipes and built-in sensors.

Design and setup

At first glance, the Upliance 2.0 feels like a glimpse of the future of everyday cooking — or at least an attempt to make the kitchen more approachable for people who often struggle to balance time, precision, and energy when preparing meals. It’s designed with an understanding of how modern households operate: limited time, fewer hands, and an ever-growing dependence on convenience.

Upliance 2.0 setup

The device itself is compact enough to sit comfortably on a kitchen counter, though you do need to plan its placement near a plug point and a little clearance for the jar. The 10-inch touchscreen display feels responsive and neatly integrated. The interface is minimal, with soft animations and clearly laid-out options. During setup, the on-screen instructions make the process straightforward. Connecting to Wi-Fi and pairing the companion app took about five minutes, after which the device downloaded a range of recipes automatically.

There’s a practical, machine-like honesty to its design. It isn’t flashy(in terms of looks) or trying to look futuristic; instead, it resembles an appliance built for steady daily use. The lid mechanism locks with a satisfying click, the jar has a good weight, and the integrated scale immediately stands out — accurate, quick, and surprisingly responsive even to small quantities. The accuracy of the weighing scale is good and fast as well.

Upliance 2.0 box content

It’s only when you start using the blender-jar for actual cooking that the Upliance 2.0 reveals what it really is: a multitasking system that chops, blends, stirs, and heats — all within a single controlled vessel. You still prep your ingredients (basics), but from there, much of the active decision-making shifts to the device.

Performance

I started my testing with something I make often — Palak Paneer. It’s a dish that looks simple but usually requires attention to timing, especially when sautéing onions and blending spinach without losing its bright colour. The Upliance 2.0 handled this sequence with quiet efficiency. Once I added the onions and oil, the machine stirred them automatically as it heated up. I didn’t have to worry about uneven cooking or browning. When it was time to add spinach and spices, the recipe flow on the screen guided me step-by-step, including real-time measurements using the integrated scale.

Upliance 2.0

The cooking felt strangely hands-off — almost clinical at first — but after a few minutes, I realised that’s the point. The machine wasn’t trying to replace me in the kitchen; it was trying to ensure I didn’t have to think about the repetitive parts. When the dish was ready, the texture was consistent, and the gravy had a uniform thickness. The flavour was clean and balanced, though a little less smoky which is not a bad thing overall. The clear instructions – both on the display as well as the app comes really handy and more often than not I found myself putting everything into the jar and watching my favourite TV show while Upliance 2.0 cooked for me.

Next, I tried Dal Tadka, another everyday staple. Here, the Upliance 2.0 surprised me. The lentils cooked evenly, and the final consistency was smooth. However, the tadka step, which normally gives the dish its signature aroma, felt a little subdued. The device managed to replicate the process technically — it heated oil, added spices, and mixed them into the dal — but the flavour lacked the sharp, smoky edge you get when tempering over an open flame. Still, the convenience of not having to monitor the pressure cooker, time the release of steam, or adjust water levels manually made it feel like a reliable weekday solution.

Finally, I made Chole Rice, which turned out to be a solid test of the system’s ability to handle layered cooking. The interface guided me through chopping onions, grinding masala, and simmering the chickpeas. I could walk away and return only when prompted to add the next ingredient. The rice was cooked separately using another pot, but the chole came out evenly cooked, rich, and homogenous in flavour. It was clear that the Upliance 2.0’s real strength lies in how it simplifies multi-step dishes that normally demand constant supervision.

Dish

But these are the few recipes that I tried, there are 100s of other prepload options to choose from and it expands across multiple cousins and regions. For instance, you can make pasta, dishes from South Indian cuisine, and many more.

Real-world use
The Upliance 2.0 offers a consistent and methodical cooking experience, ideal for busy The Upliance 2.0 simplifies cooking with automated temperature, stirring, and a guided system, supported by an extensive recipe database and app integration for portion adjustments. However, it faces several limitations. Food can stick, requiring manual cleaning despite a rinse cycle, and chopping/blending functions are loud. Its small jar capacity restricts it to about four servings, making it unsuitable for larger families. But it is aimed at nuclear families mostly and most people won’t have a problem with it.

There’s one feature that Upliance could have offered is pressure cooking. I know that’s a little difficult to implement but not having it makes things a little difficult. For instance, I still have to pressure cook rajma or chole separately and then cook it in Upliance 2.0. For me, the easy part is to add everything into the pressure cooker and then simply cook it.

While the touchscreen interface ensures consistent results, it lacks flexibility for mid-recipe changes. Manual cleaning is frequently necessary, and food residue can accumulate. The device's most significant drawback is the loss of spontaneity and tactile interaction, transforming cooking into a mechanical process rather than an engaging experience. The Upliance 2.0 excels as a specialized assistant for main dishes and curries, but not as a full kitchen replacement.

Who is it for?

The Upliance 2.0 is best suited for a particular group of users: busy professionals who still want home-cooked food but lack time or energy; beginners who fear the complexity of Indian cooking; and those who simply want predictable, low-stress weekday meals.

It’s not designed for enthusiasts who enjoy experimenting, adjusting spice levels intuitively, or who find joy in the act of cooking itself. For them, this device may feel too procedural. Likewise, anyone expecting it to fully replace a gas stove will find it limited.

But for people who often end up ordering food out of fatigue or fear of failure, the Upliance 2.0 can be quietly transformative. It brings structure and confidence to the act of cooking —
something that’s often missing in today’s kitchen routines.

Verdict

The Upliance 2.0 redefines cooking accessibility, offering reliable, stress-free everyday meals rather than gourmet outcomes. While food tastes authentic, it differs from traditional methods, especially for dishes like Palak Paneer and Dal Tadka. Its guided system, integrated scale, and temperature control make cooking approachable. Despite flaws like sticking food, noise, and limited flexibility, these are not fatal. The device is a cook's assistant, not a chef's replacement. It eliminates hesitation for those who cook out of necessity or fear complex dishes, working as promised within its boundaries.