Isn’t the digital age just wonderful? Not only can you leave home and monitor the entire property via web cams, but you can connect to the IoT (Internet of Things) to remotely access various devices, appliances and thermostats within the home from anywhere you happen to be. That is to say, you can be almost anywhere if there is Internet connectivity! With a mobile phone, that isn’t too farfetched, but again, there needs to be a tower in range.
More and more connected appliances and apps for the kitchen are being developed almost daily, so keep up with the latest technology on news sites like White Summary to see what’s hot and what’s not. With that being said, here are 3 of those connected devices that make today’s kitchen a literal digital paradise of connectivity.
1. Cooking Appliances
Here is where the fun begins. Did you know that there are cooking appliances that hold food at safe refrigerated temperatures until you remotely activate it to begin cooking? Devices like Mellow are a tech savvy appliance for the 21st century kitchen and although a bit pricey, close to $400, they are great to have around if your schedule is off the charts. Get in the car, hit cook, and by the time you arrive home, your meal is ready in its vacuum sealed bag. How cool is that? (Or, hot as the case may be!)
2. Thermostats & Temperature Control
If you think your HVAC system is the only thermostat you need be concerned with, it’s time to think again. Actually, hot water is a huge issue, and an equally huge drain on your energy bills! Whether you set controls at sinks and tubs so that each person gets the water temperature most comfortable for them, or at safe temperatures for children, you can program faucets and hot water tanks to heat and dispense water at any temperature you desire.
These are especially important for kitchens which require the proper temperature for washing and sanitizing dishes. Then there are remote range thermostats for such things as ovens and slow cookers so that you can remotely activate thermostats if they exceed or fall below safe cooking temperatures.
3. Shopping Assistants & Inventory
Oh, these are so much fun and extremely handy for keeping an inventory of items for your grocery shopping list. You can quickly scan items as they begin to get low, place them on your digital shopping list and when you’re ready to order, they can send orders to the appropriate sites for shipping. Some inventory devices can actually measure how much of a product you still have left and if that amount falls below a certain pre-set level, it will automatically communicate with your shopping assistant to add it to your shopping cart. Check out products like a Neo jar to see just how handy these products are.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a good sampling of what today’s digital kitchen could look like. With so many connected devices available, it’s possible to reduce the amount of time spent on mundane chores, leaving more time for leisure. In the end, that’s what we all need anyway, so why not invest a little to get so much in return?