Video: A Saucepan That Stirs Its Own Contents

Last week we wrote about the world's first automated espresso machine, designed to take your coffee order via text message. Continuing the growing trend of "self-active" cooking tools, here's a look at an astounding new saucepan that actually stirs its contents as they heat — no automation or batteries required.

The Kuru-Kuru Nabe pot, created in Japan by Hideki Watanabe, is a perfect example of brilliant new inventions continually being conceived through simple design.

The saucepan features a grooved, spiral-like interior that results in a more efficient dispersal of heat. Liquids boil faster and more evenly, and here's the most brilliant part: the grooves actually create a vortex as the contents boil, causing them to spin in a stirring-like motion.

The Kuru-Kuru is currently being produced for commercial sale. Until you can get your hands on one, watch it in action here: