The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the home. For many people it’s the heart of the home, and where they spend the most time. As with other rooms in the home, the advancements in technology have meant kitchens are now becoming smart! To highlight some of the most interesting and useful tech products, which can transform your kitchen into a smart kitchen, we have teamed up with Bespoke Interiors who are kitchen specialists to give you some tips.
Smart fridges
One of the most significant developments in smart kitchen tech in recent years has been with fridges. There are two distinct options available here depending on budgets and needs. The first is a dedicated smart fridge, which depending on the make and model can be packed with features. Top of the range models come with the ability to see what’s inside while out of the house, add notes remotely to the display screen for your family to see and alert you to when the door has been left open. However, smart fridges can be very expensive, so be prepared to spend more than usual if you do want one.
The second is a less expensive option, and which essentially does the same main job, a ‘fridge-cam’. These are cameras which you can install on the inside of your fridge which allow you to view the contents of your fridge wirelessly. Some cameras even claim to recognise use-by dates on food in our fridge and send you notifications when you’re close to the date. Fridge-cams, while still expensive offer a good alternative to the high costs of a smart refrigerator. They also allow you to see if this is something you think it useful and would use before going all out and buying a smart fridge.
Adjustable smart lighting
Popular in many rooms in the house but something which works well in the kitchen is adjustable smart lighting. The most common version of smart lighting comes in the form of individual bulbs which can be installed in any room and the controlled with an app from your smartphone. The app can change the brightness of the light but also the colour.
This can make for some really creative uses and based on the colour scheme of the room could create some stunning lighting options. As the kitchen is a room often used for entertaining, having the ability to control the colour of the lights can really enhance the atmosphere during parties or special occasions and help set the mood.
Smart assistants
This is perhaps an obvious one, but having a smart assistant in the kitchen can be very useful! There are so many options available now, so it really comes down to your brand preference and budget. However, how you use a smart assistant in the kitchen can be really interesting.
There are two key areas where they are particularly useful. Firstly, the kitchen can often be a busy place for families in the morning. Everyone trying to have breakfast, sort out lunches, finishing last-minute homework, it can get crazy. Having a smart assistant can allow you to check things such as the weather forecast much quicker than searching manually on your phone or waiting for the information from the TV or radio. When you’re rushed off your feet in the morning, every little bit of time you can save can help. The second area where smart assistants can be beneficial is during cooking. Following a recipe can be challenging, particularly if you have your hands full. Having a smart assistant that can read the recipe out for you can be really helpful, particularly when making something like bread where your hands may be covered in flower. Not being able to scroll down on a tablet or turn the page in a recipe book without spending time washing your hands can be really irritating. Simply asking your smart assistant to read you the next step can be a real help.
Air monitors
We should all have smoke alarms in our house and particularly in the kitchen. However, there are now monitors which track so much more than just smoke. Some monitors will track carbon monoxide, pollen, particulates, humidity and the temperature of the room. The systems will then alert you should any of the levels get too high. The alerts will come to your smartphone so even if you are out of the house, you can know if something is wrong and do something about it quickly.