Smart Kitchen Buying Guide

As a gathering place for friends and family, the kitchen is still the heart of the home. While all the familiar appliances we rely on for food storage and preparation have stayed true to their purpose and style, the technology behind their design has changed and evolved. The kitchen is now one of the most connected rooms in the house, with many appliances and gadgets that can be controlled wirelessly and touch-free.

These high-tech, smart appliances and tools were designed with today’s household in mind, to make it easier and more convenient to tackle the many tasks in the kitchen. Whether you contend with a daily commute or the chaos of pets and family demanding attention, the right smart kitchen appliances can make mealtime and baking projects easy and intuitive.

What Is A Smart Kitchen?

An updated, connected kitchen with appliances and fixtures that respond to voice-commands and app-based, remote control is known as a smart kitchen. They offer home automation advantages by syncing up to other smart devices and applications, either with wi-fi or Bluetooth connectivity. These smart appliances can be used in the same way as other kitchen appliances, with push-button or knob controls, or they can be activated and monitored with a phone or tablet app, a smart hub, or by simply talking.

Smart home connectivity is there to make your life easier, so consider what your kitchen is missing. These upgrades offer convenience, superior cleanliness, and the cool, modern look of smart tech. The technology isn’t the only thing smart; most smart appliances are built with energy efficiency in mind. Energy Star certified smart appliances can cut down on your home’s overall energy use and save money on the electric bill.

What is Smart Technology?

The defining feature of the appliances in a smart kitchen is that they “think” about the task you use them for and use their connectivity to make your work easier. They offer a variety of sensors and settings that let you customize every task. All of these features are supported by their wireless access to either the home internet or to other appliances and devices.

This connection is provided two ways:

• By Wi-fi: Wi-fi connected appliances connect to your home’s internet and allow access to the manufacturers’ specific applications and resources, as well as giving you access to the appliances’ operation from your phone or tablet from virtually anywhere. If you leave the house without remembering to turn off the oven, or you want the oven to preheat while you’re out picking up the frozen pizzas, just tap into the app and make the change.
• By Bluetooth: Bluetooth enabled appliances can communicate with other appliances and smart devices within range of their short-wave radio frequency signal. It transfers data and control signals that allow multiple devices to work as one unit, such as a smart device hub turning on the range hood ventilation when the stove top burners or oven reach a particular temperature or humidity level.

This supports a host of other features across a range of different appliances. Kitchen appliances equipped with smart technology can include:

• Refrigerators
• Oven ranges and cooktops
• Range hoods
• Microwaves
• Dishwashers
• Coffeemakers
• All-in-one small appliances
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Leak detectors

The list goes on. Even the lighting in the kitchen can be upgraded to connected options, allowing them to be controlled via apps that can change the light tone and color, or turn them on or off on a schedule. A connected kitchen faucet allows a user to turn the water flow on or off using voice commands. Every part of your kitchen can be updated to allow a completely customized experience.

Smart Tech Features in The Kitchen

There are many common features between different smart appliances. They include familiar interfaces, such as glass-paneled, touchscreens and lighted displays, and an assortment of shared technologies.

Refrigerators, range hoods, and smart hubs may have interior cameras to give you quick and easy visuals of the food inside or above the stovetop.

Some are equipped with microphones and speakers. This provides voice-activation commands via the smart devices connected to the appliances. It can also allow the use of audio/visual media through any connected apps, whether a video chat while you cook, or to watch a step-by-step instruction video of a new recipe, or to watch TV in the kitchen.

These connected systems allow some appliances to email you alerts when it’s time for maintenance or to restock supplies. This can include access to helpful tips or customer service help.

Smart Kitchen Ideas

Updating to a modern smart kitchen means finding the best kitchen appliances that fit your space and how your household uses it. Whether cooking-in after a busy day, or finally trying that baking recipe you found online, the smart technology behind these new appliances is designed to make it simple and even a little fun. Multitask by listening to music or podcasts, or even video chat with friends as you prepare or cook your favorite meals.

It’s a little like living in the future, but these new kitchen designs are already here. It’s up to you which futuristic features your household will use most, so take a look at the variety of choices already available.

Smart Refrigerators and Food Storage

A smart refrigerator looks and functions the same as any other refrigerator, with features such as ice-makers and customizable, shelf-by-shelf, zoned temperature control. But there are a few stand-out differences, too.

The right refrigerator can serve as a smart hub to communicate with all connected appliances in the house. They can be fully interactive, with a user-friendly interface that can provide everything from the local news and weather to apps for leaving video memos on the door, no magnets needed.

These apps can assist with regular kitchen and planning tasks, like:

• Set up a shopping list
• Online ordering when you run out
• Online recipe books
• Meal planning tools
• Social media access
• Message boards and household calendars
• Weather and news updates
• Music apps
• Video apps, for streaming cooking shows or phone calls
• And many more!

Many of them have a glass-panel touchscreen display on the door. The door panels display images of what’s inside the refrigerator, putting an end to the open-door hunt for a midnight snack. Others offer a door-within-a-door that allows immediate access to items stored on the door shelves, without having to expose the entire interior of the fridge to room-temperatures for only a small item.

Some models allow you to scan in the barcodes of the items stored inside to remind you of expiration dates. Check if there’s milk in the refrigerator from the dairy aisle at the grocery store by checking the cameras’ view of the interior shelves. The features are there to make shopping trips easy, with no need to call home when you forget the shopping list.

Smarter Cooking Appliances

The connected appliances aren’t just for keeping things cool. The right technology improvements can make preparing dinner quicker and more thorough, with less watching the clock for complicated recipes and sensors to make sure everything comes out ready to eat.

The standard functional features can always be improved with smart ranges and cooktops, like precise temperature controls and the option to set the oven to preheat while you aren’t even in the room. Set the smart oven to different cooking methods, from well-distributed convection heating to infrared heating to grill the perfect steak, whether you prefer a gas or electric range. They can be found as induction cooktops, which allow placing the pots and pans where you need them, and some offer fast-boil settings, making the work of monitoring cook time easier all around.

All of it comes together with a digital or app-based interface, which for some models means that even the right oven range can be voice-controlled. Pre-heat the oven from your phone or tablet and monitor the oven temperature as the meal cooks. The app may connect to recipes to help ensure the cooking temperature and that the time is always right, so you don’t have to spend so much prep time watching the clock. Another feature includes use and care tips, and in-app notifications when the smart appliance is in need of maintenance, as well as quick access to customer service.

Look for a connected range hood that can provide powerful ventilation along with the more high-tech features. Bluetooth connected range hoods turn on automatically, whether triggered via humidity sensors or when the stove or oven passes a temperature set by the app controls. It can be activated or have the vent speed adjusted remotely from another room. Some range hoods provide viewing screens to display recipes or video and audio playback, allowing you to watch the contents of the pan on the stove from across the room, or stream a video call.

Innovative Microwaves

Even the microwave can be voice-activated and smart hub controlled. Some smart microwaves have a scan-to-cook feature that allows you to scan in the label of your food item for the microwave to select the appropriate cooking settings and time required from the manufacturers’ recipe database. Specialized internal sensors are built in some models that help adjust the cooking time as the food is cooking, helping ensure every bite is cooked through.

You can find countertop microwaves or over the range microwaves, with included defrost sensors and pizza drawers, even some that offer convection cooking. With futuristic features in these smart appliances, even yesterday’s leftovers can taste freshly cooked and perfectly heated.

Smarter Cleanup

When the meals are served, the smart kitchen can make cleanup easier with the right connected appliances. Whether they’re app-based or voice controlled, the smart features are there even in the dishwasher and the kitchen sink.

Yes, even the kitchen faucet can come equipped with smart technology. These smart touch/touchless kitchen faucets can be hands-free and operate via voice-command with a simple set up through a smart hub device. The voice activation allows the faucet to deliver precise water measurements out of the tap as well as the convenience of touchless on/off operation.

For a smart dishwasher, look for the scheduled operation times and custom settings provided by an app or smart device hub. In addition to setting up a timer to run the dishwasher cycle in the middle of the day or at night when it won’t interfere with the household, the app can send notices when the cycles are complete and the dishwasher is ready to be emptied.

Another app-based benefit is that the smart dishwasher can monitor the amount of detergent and rinse aid that gets used with every load and assign it to the shopping list before you run out, or even order it directly for shipping to your door if you choose the option. Look for newer options like lighted interiors and steam settings that offer a superior clean.

Smart Home Extras

There are a few smart kitchen devices that overlap with devices that can be used anywhere in the house. Every kitchen should have a smoke or carbon monoxide detector, but so should many rooms of the house. A smart smoke or carbon monoxide detector is a home safety alarm system that syncs up over wi-fi and can alert you via app or text message from anywhere that there’s an emergency at home.

There are also wireless leak detectors that install under your kitchen sink and can alert you to overflows and leaks, so you know promptly when there’s something needing maintenance, before it causes damage to the cupboards or floors. These types of home emergencies are very time sensitive, so the ability to respond quickly from anywhere can make all the difference.

Finally, there are an assortment of smart lighting options for the kitchen and other rooms in the house. This can include lamps and smart indoor lighting fixtures or even just smart bulbs that can fit in any standard lamp. These smart lighting fixtures are wi-fi or Bluetooth equipped to allow you to sync the light with an app that can customize the brightness, tone, and even color of the light for some smart lights and smart bulbs. Set a timer so the light turns on at the same time every day, or at different times if you’re going on vacation and need to make the house appear occupied.

Smart wall controls and electrical outlet switches allow some of the same functionality, but they go right to the power source that a lamp or other appliance or fixture relies on. Many have a digital interface rather than the familiar manual wall switch that gets flicked up or down. Look for outlets that provide USB ports and pop-out, tamper resistant ports.

A Last Note on Smart Appliances

A smart appliance such as a refrigerator or oven range can be used independently of their high-tech connected devices. Keep in mind, however, that doing so misses out on the convenience they were designed to provide.

The connectivity of these appliances often requires the additional purchase of a smart device or a smart hub, such as Google Nest or Amazon Alexa. Others can have their connected hub built-in that allows them to start searching for signals from other appliances at the touch of a button. Each smart appliance manufacturer has its own recommended app and features, so take some time to research which smart hubs and appliance app options are right for your kitchen.