7 SMART DEVICES FOR A FUTURISTIC KITCHEN

Create a Futuristic Kitchen With These 7 Smart Devices
By Dan Price, Make Use Of, 21 March 2017.

It’s hard to know where to draw the line between useful and gimmick when discussing smart home devices for the kitchen.

Do you really need a US$85 toaster that prints the weather on your breakfast or a fridge that runs Windows 10? Probably not. But is an internet-connected smoke detector system in your kitchen a valuable addition to your home’s security? Almost certainly.

Which kitchen-based smart home technology is worth buying? In this article, I’m going to introduce you to seven awesome kitchen gadgets for smart homes.

1. Honeywell Smoke Sensors

Honeywell makes one of the best smart security systems on the market. You can arm and disarm the system from your smartphone, issue different codes to different people so they can only access certain parts of your property, and connect it to both the police and a private security firm.

However, one oft-overlooked Honeywell feature is the ability to add smart smoke detectors.

Every home should have smoke detectors installed. Three out of five home fire deaths occur because there were either no detectors on the property or the detectors were not working, and 41 percent of all home fires start in the kitchen.

If the smoke detector activates and you don’t manually disable it within a 15-second timeframe, the system will automatically alert the fire department. Honeywell’s smoke detector offers you peace of mind if you ever need to pop out while you leave something cooking.

2. Moley

I looked at Moley in a separate article discussing smart technologies we’ll see in our homes over the next few years - but it’s so cool it deserves another mention.

Moley is considered to be the world’s first “robotic kitchen.” It has two hands that have the same speed and range of movement as a human. It integrates with your oven and hob, and can both prepare and cook meals. You just choose your dish from the smartphone app, and Moley will take care of the rest.

And if you’re worried about entrusting your dinner to a robot, don’t fret. BBC MasterChef winner Tim Anderson was the model for the hands’ motions. It means Moley will probably have better cooking skills than you!

The device will have a US$75,000 price tag when it goes on sale in 2018, so it could be a while before you’ll find a Moley in every kitchen in the country. But if you’ve got the money and you hate cooking, it could quickly prove to be a “must-have” device.

3. Smarter FridgeCam

Are you fed up of forgetting your shopping list whenever you go to Walmart? Buy the Smarter FridgeCam and put an end to your woes.

It’s a smart camera that sits inside your fridge. It sends a live feed of the contents of your fridge through its accompanying smartphone app. If you’re ever out of the house and can’t remember whether you’ve got milk and eggs in stock, it’ll have the answer.

And the FridgeCam’s features don’t stop there. It can recognize food items and expiry dates, and will send you a notification whenever you’re running low on something. If you connect the app to a major supermarket chain, it’ll even fill up your online shopping cart on your behalf!

4. Triby

Triby wants to consign the trusty kitchen Post-It Note to the annals of history.

I’m sure we’ve all left notes on the fridge for our friends and family. Unfortunately, they can easily get lost amongst the countless other things stuck to your appliances or they can fall off and disappear under the table forever.

The magnetic Triby has a screen that anyone can leave a message on. And if you leave the house without writing your message, you can send one from the accompanying smartphone app. The device will sound an alert and activate a mechanical flag whenever a message is received.

But its features don’t stop at messages. Triby also includes a built-in FM radio, can play music from your Spotify account, supports Bluetooth, and can even make free VOIP calls (without signing up or paying a subscription).

The VOIP function is especially useful if you have young children; it enables them to contact family members without needing their own phone or computer.

5. Drop

You know what they say: “cooking is an art form, baking is a science.” Meet Drop, your new science teacher.

Drop is a smart scale. You choose the baking recipe you want from the app and load the ingredients in the scale. It’ll tell you if you’ve got too much or too little of something, and advise you on how to adjust the ingredient list for larger or smaller portions.

One of the device’s best features is its “Ingredient Substitutions” technology. If you’re baking a cake and you run out of milk or flour midway through, Drop will automatically suggest alternatives that won’t ruin your creation or necessitate a trip to the store.

Drop’s app (available on iOS) has thousands of recipes to choose from, including dishes from Food52 and Good Housekeeping as well as some of the web’s most well-known food bloggers and bakers.

6. Pantelligent Intelligent Frying Pan

Just when you think every conceivable item in your home has become “smart,” something else comes along to amaze you.

The Pantelligent Intelligent Frying Pan aims to make it even easier to cook your dinner. Just tell the smartphone app what you want to make, and it will take over. The pan can monitor the temperature using its built-in thermometer and you’ll receive alerts if it gets too high or too low, when you need to flip or stir the food, or when it’s time to add more ingredients. A buzzer will sound when the food is ready to eat.

If your kitchen is a hive of activity, it’s a great way to stop yourself from getting distracted and ruining dinner. The Intelligent Frying Pan currently costs US$129.

7. Weber iGrill2 Smart Meat Thermometer

Fed up of not knowing whether your steak is medium-rare or medium? Get an iGrill2 Bluetooth Meat Thermometer and put an end to the guessing game.

The iGrill is especially useful if you’re having a barbecue. Place the thermometer inside your meat and you can kick back and relax, safe in the knowledge you’ll be alerted as soon as the food is ready to serve.

One charge supports 200 hours of use, the magnetic gadget comes with four individual probes, and it has a range of 150 feet.

I’ve introduced you to seven smart home devices for your kitchen. I’ve tried to give you a broad range of tools to demonstrate how much kitchen-based smart technology has progressed.

Only a couple of years ago, manufacturers were solely focused on big-ticket appliances like smart dishwashers and smart fridges. Today, there is much more variety and the technology is considerably more useful.

Top image: Moley Robotic Kitchen. Credit: Moley Robotics/Facebook.

[Source: Make Use Of. Edited. Top image added.]