When setting up a smart kitchen for your home, it can daunting to figure out what kind of smart appliances you need, and what features to look for. With all of the smart appliances on the market, and all of the smart gadgets available, deciding what features to look for to compliment your smart kitchen setup can get confusing.

Looking over many of smart appliances available on the market will help to give you an understanding of the features that people find useful in a smart kitchen setup, and what you should plan on buying when you decide to upgrade your kitchen. Many of the features available today sound impressive, but the more common features that you see in smart appliances can help give you clues as to what people really find useful in a smart home setup, especially in the kitchen.

All smart appliances should connect to WiFi, and interface with assistants like Google Assistant & Alexa, so we are not going to mention obvious features such as those, but concentrate on the features specific to each type of appliance we recommend.

1. Smart Refrigerator

A smart refrigerator is really one of the cornerstones of a smart kitchen setup. A refrigerator is one of the appliances we depend on the most in our kitchens, so it’s no surprise that smart refrigerators have some really useful features that we see in most models. Here are a few things to look for in a smart refrigerator:

Camera, so you can check on things running low or that you are out of.
Remote monitoring, so you can see if there is a problem with temperature regulation, or if there are maintenance issues that need to be addressed.
Smart organization features that allow you to adjust areas of the fridge for storage of bulky items.
Smart air flow systems to help keep foods in crisper areas fresh for longer periods of time.

2. Smart Oven / Range

Another essential smart appliance, smart ovens allow you to simplify the cooking process with useful and time saving features. Most models will also allow for remote control of the oven via an app, so you can make adjustments to your cooking temperature and time while you are on the go. Here are some things we look for in a smart oven / range:

Induction ranges, with temperature sensors that can handle different sizes of cookware simultaneously.
Oven camera so you can view you foods cooking progress while not in the kitchen.
Temperature regulation that adjusts temperature while cooking so you get more consistent results.
Compatibility with smart range hoods, that allow for guided cooking and adjustable ventilation.

3. Smart Dishwashers

Although many people may think that a smart dishwasher is not an essential item to a smart home setup, the added features they provide that help to make washing dishes easier and less time consuming come in very handy, as we tend to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cleaning. Any device that saves time in this area is a really useful addition to any kitchen. Some things to look for in a smart dishwasher are:

High efficiency filters that remove food particles during the wash cycle.
Versatile racks that allow for adjustments to handle bulky and oddly shaped items.
Hygiene rinsing and quick wash features
Intelligent washing that makes speed and temperature adjustments based on the amount of items being washed.

Check back next month for part two of Setting Up a Smart Kitchen, where we will be covering some innovative Smart Gadgets that can be really useful additions to a solid smart kitchen setup.