Smart kitchens can be wonderful time savers, provide a safer environment and help save water and energy. Even if you love to cook, sometimes a busy schedule leaves you no choice but to put things on the back burner. Technology enabled appliances make it possible to monitor the cooking temperature from another room in the house and check the oven from half way across town to make sure you turned it off. If you find cooking a challenge, there are appliances with food recognition capabilities that will cook your food perfectly. Smart kitchens also provide conveniences that make life more comfortable. You can listen to music or watch your favorite television program on the refrigerator while cooking. Here are some of the latest smart appliances that can help automate your kitchen.
1. Barcode Scanning Microwave
It’s not always easy to determine the exact temperature needed to cook food perfectly. For those who find this challenging, there’s the Beyond Microwave. The microwave includes a wand for scanning UPC barcodes and has a database of more than 4000 UPC codes. All you need to do is simply scan the barcode on a foods’ packaging, and the microwave automatically sets the power level and cooking time. The Beyond Microwave also has learning capabilities, allowing new foods to be added to the database.
2. Smart Coffee Makers
If you’re one of those people who find it hard to face the day without your coffee, you now have several options for having your coffee made before you ever leave the comfort of your bed. The Siemens coffee maker allows you to start the coffee brewing with the push of a button on your smart phone. It also makes espresso, latte, macchiato and cappuccino. The Firebox coffee maker will grind and brew your coffee on command via an app. You can program the strength and set up recipes as well.
3. Automated Window Louvres
Automated window louvres are an attractive way to save on energy. They can be installed inside or outside of the home. Motorized actuators are used to open and close them. You can adjust the louvres to control the amount of sunlight and airflow entering the home to balance interior and exterior temperatures. Automated louvres can also be beneficial where windows are difficult to reach.
4. Smart Ovens
Smart ovens are now available with chat functions as well as interactive displays. You can chat with the LG Smart Oven as if it were a real person. Its WiFi connectivity allows you to pre-heat it while you’re on your way home from work, set temperature and timers remotely and tell it to clean itself. The Wifi capabilities also allow any problems that may arise to be diagnosed and remedied over the internet. In addition, the oven features an easy to use touchpad and the fastest broiling element in the industry.
5. Motorized Spice Rack
A motorized spice rack frees up space while providing easy access to spices when needed for cooking. It is usually built into an upper cabinet and controlled by a wall mounted keypad. When you push a button, a signal is transmitted to lower the spice rack and brighten the lights over the sink and island.
6. Automated Cabinets
Automated kitchen cabinet doors will open with a wave or a touch. Opening all of the cabinet doors at once can make it easier to find what you’re looking for; however, there’s a security aspect as well. In addition to opening the cabinet doors, the system can prevent them from being opened. Fingerprint scanners can keep the kids from snacking on cookies before dinner or more importantly, limit access to medications. Some systems will also lower the cabinet to provide access for people in wheelchairs.
7. Smart Refrigerators
Today’s refrigerators are designed to do much more than store food. Samsung recently announced their Family Hub model, which keeps tabs of how long food has been in the refrigerator to prevent you from eating something that is too old. A touch screen allows you to order and pay for your groceries. You can search through recipes and a voice will walk you through the instructions. LG’s newest refrigerator has an energy saving front panel that goes clear when knocked on to allow you to see the contents without opening the door.
8. Automatic Lights
Automating your lights provides energy savings and added security. You can set the timers to turn them off automatically when you leave the home and turn them on at a specific time in the evenings. The SmartThings Hub allows you to control numerous lights at once, and you can even have them turn off or on in response to certain conditions.
9. Smart Dishwasher
If you consistently run out of dishwasher detergent, you should take a look at Whirlpool’s Smart Dishwasher. It integrates with Amazon Dash Replenishment service and orders detergent when it detects the supply is low. The dishwasher also has a lock mode to prevent it from being turned on or off and a quiet mode to silence alerts.
10. Robot Chef
There’s great news if you’re not a fan of cooking. Due to be released in 2017 is a robot that can do all of your cooking. The robot chef is capable of creating as many as 2000 meals from scratch. The system is comprised of two robotic arms, a stove top, utensils and a sink. The company, Moley Robotics, expects to sell the automated kitchen for $15,000.
2 Point Highlight
Smart kitchens can be wonderful time savers, provide a safer environment and help save water and energy.
Technology enabled appliances make it possible to monitor the cooking temperature from another room in the house and check the oven from half way across town to make sure you turned it off.
