Home automation in the kitchen

Our homes are becoming intelligent. Each day, we interact with tiny little devices, such as our phones and computers, that are in place to capture personal data about our interests, wants and needs.

This data is collected and used to solve our problems, coordinating devices throughout our homes that can interact with and understand us. Appliances and other inanimate objects now have the power to wirelessly communicate information about when, how and the length of time to operate without you even lifting a finger; sounds like a dream, right?

In a room like a kitchen, home automation can be exceptionally helpful and enhance your life. Of course, smart technology is a topic that is still controversial. We’re here to offer some of the newest forms of home automation for the kitchen and give a rundown on how these technologies can improve your life and wellbeing.

Home automation in the kitchen

1- Smart Fridge

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Smart refrigerators come in all shapes and sizes, and these devices are enhancing the lives of homeowners across the country. In most cases, a smart fridge will feature a touchscreen interface that connects to the internet through your home’s wifi. It will come equipped with an internal camera, user-controlled temperature options as well as the ability to gain control of and monitor the fridge by way of a smartphone or tablet when you’re not home or are away on vacation. More advanced smart fridges have the ability to connect with other smart devices in your home, including the television, dishwasher or microwave.

Available smart fridge features will come down to the make and model that you choose, but here are some of the potential options:

• look up a recipe and have your fridge read the steps while you cook ;

• create real-time grocery lists that link with your smartphone ;

• receive notifications about expiration dates and which food in your fridge is fresh ;

• leave messages or personal to-do lists for your family ;

• look inside your fridge by way of a transparent touch screen ;

• use internal cameras for real-time checks of what you have in your fridge, ie: while grocery shopping.

The smart fridge is right for the homeowner who spends a significant amount of time cooking, or for those with a big family who could use an extra bit of help. Further, those with a disability may benefit from the use of a smart fridge, as some models have incorporated sensors that respond to gestures or taps to open and close.

2- Smart Stove and Oven

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A smart oven will likely appear just like a regular oven, but will make cooking quicker and easier than ever. In most cases, it’ll need to be used with a companion app that allows you to control this appliance or to set it to do things automatically. Some offer voice control options and can be connected to other smart appliances around your home such as Google Home.

A smart oven has the ability to integrate appliances such as a smart microwave or even your smart fridge to provide advanced cooking techniques. Some of the features offered by smart ovens are as follows:

• preheat oven, adjust cooking temperature or turn it off by way of a smartphone or tablet ;

• additional oven cycle settings ;

• heating and cooling technology that will help food to cook more evenly and faster ;

• two different cooking spaces that allow you to cook different food items at different temperatures ;

• connect with that provide recipes, will preheat your oven to the right temperature ;

• dual fuel options ;

• built-in alerts for preheating, temperature setting or a malfunctioning device.

Most smart ovens also have a smart stovetop designed to accommodate almost any pot, pan, or cookware style. Generally, these burners will allow you to cook in new, inventive methods. A smart oven is a fairly serious investment and for homeowners on a budget, there are smart plugs that can be added to your existing oven and offer similar features similar to the ones stated above.

3- Smart built-in hoods and microwave ovens

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Listening to your favourite cooking show while cooking yourself? We're not talking about the future, but about the present! Although the model seen in the image is just a built-in hood without the microwave, a new version announced in 2020 included a microwave oven (GE brand model).

These are normally connected to a virtual assistant (Google Home) which can also connect to your other smart devices.

With its touchscreen, you can easily navigate the menus and recipes you want, just like on your phone. Here are some other features offered:

• preheat your oven to the desired temperature ;

• front camera that allows you to interact with your family or friends while you are cooking your meal ;

• overhead cooktop-facing camera which can detect your ingredients and suggest recipes depending on what you have, as well as a camera in the oven so you can check on your meal ;

• control of the smart functions of your kitchen (such as lights, temperature, camera) via the same portal ;

• creation of grocery lists, meal planning, internet access, access to your calendars, etc.

All these options may vary according to the different brands that will be offered to you, but many will remain similar or will want to offer you the same perks.

4- Smart Water Valve

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Smart water valves work as a preventative measure to prevent or avoid water damage in your kitchen. These devices are only now beginning to gain traction. As with many other smart home devices, a smart water valve is controlled and monitored by way of an app, which will work to alert you if there is a problem. Most smart water valves will connect to your home's wifi and will offer additional features, depending on the make and model you choose to buy. Some common features of smart water valves are:

• monitor water usage ;

• detect leaks, even tiny drip leaks ;

• automatic water shut off in the case of leaks ;

• frozen pipe detection ;

• detailed measurements of water flow.

Depending on the sophistication of the device you choose, some models are much more intuitive than others. Do bear in mind that this will be reflected in the price, as the smarter they are the more they’ll cost.

5- Smart dishwasher

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Another smart appliance that is changing the game is the smart dishwasher. The main capability that sets this apart from a regular dishwasher is its efficiency. Smart dishwashers come equipped with technology that will take care of stubborn food particles and connect with the rest of the smart appliances in your home.

Although many of the features of a smart dishwasher are mechanical updates, these are still important points when it comes to considering if the smart dishwasher is right for you. Smart dishwashers include some of the following advances:

• LED lights for increased visibility ;

• bottle jets to help carefully clean reusable bottles of all shapes and sizes ;

• efficient filters to clean tiny food particles ;

• water recycling which allows you to reuse water from one cycle to the next ;

• better dish drying capabilities ;

• the ability to start and stop a wash cycle by way of an app ;

• sensors with the ability to detect the size of the load ;

• the ability to monitor the energy consumption in the area where you’re living and activate the wash cycle at low energy consumption hours.

What’s most interesting about a smart dishwasher is its green-friendly properties. The ability to recycle water and program wash cycles at environmentally convenient times should be appealing to the green-aware homeowner.