Kitchen smart devices have revolutionized what people want in kitchens. The last time kitchen technology changed so radically was with the introduction of electric appliances, which first became available in the 1890s. While it took American households until the 1930s to embrace electric kitchen appliances, the desire for smart appliances blossomed almost as soon as the technology became available. Today, 65% of American houses have at least one smart device, and the demand for smart kitchen design continues to rise.

Smart kitchens can perform a wide array of tasks and connect to phone apps through your internet service. You can set a smart oven to preheat just before you get home or use a smart fridge to check if you’re low on milk while you’re grocery shopping. In the event of malfunctions, smart kitchen devices push alerts to your phone, allowing you to resolve minor problems before they lead to costly repairs.

Key Features of a Smart Kitchen

What is a Smart Kitchen?

Smart kitchens use modern internet-connected devices to create safer, more functional, and more energy-efficient spaces. Smart kitchen devices are part of the large group of devices that make up the Internet of Things, or IoT, which connect to each other using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Smart kitchens use AI to improve kitchen tasks, including self-cleaning modes, precise temperature control, recipe suggestions, and more.

Benefits of a Smart Kitchen

Smart kitchen design comes with a range of benefits, including:

  • Increased convenience.
  • Increased energy efficiency.
  • Automated cooking features.
  • Alerts for potential safety hazards.
  • Innovative storage solutions.
  • Improved cooking experiences.
  • Streaming music right from your smart refrigerator speaker.
  • Controllable or motion sensor kitchen lights.
  • Touchless faucets with sensors that control water flow.
  • Modern aesthetics.

Essential Smart Kitchen Gadgets

If you’re looking for smart kitchen ideas, start by adding some of these smart devices:

Smart Appliances

  • Smart refrigerators use sensors to detect temperature and humidity changes and automatically adjust to keep food fresher for longer. Many include internal cameras for remotely checking what’s in the fridge, or they come with touchscreens or voice control.
  • Smart ovens provide remote control over cooking features, allowing you to control the appliance from your phone remotely. Smart oven apps can also offer recipe suggestions and push important maintenance alerts to your phone. Advanced cooking features such as air frying are increasingly common, giving you more options than traditional ovens.
  • Smart dishwashers allow you to start the appliance from anywhere and choose from preset cycles. These cycles use AI to adjust water and energy usage based on the dishwasher load. Advanced cleaning options, such as zone-specific wash cycles, help you clean dishes more efficiently while saving on utility bills.

Smart Cooking Devices

You don’t have to purchase a new oven to start your journey towards a smart kitchen. Several smaller smart kitchen devices increase your cooking options:

  • Smart slow cookers allow you to adjust cooking times and settings through a phone app. Most will enable you to set delayed start times; many come with additional options like sauteing or steaming.
  • Smart sous vide cookers cook food in sealed pouches, reducing nutrient loss and improving flavor. They connect to apps that often include recipe suggestions and allow you to monitor cooking remotely.
  • Smart air fryers use hot air to circulate around food, creating crispy exteriors while trapping moisture inside. A healthy alternative to deep frying, smart air fryers cook food faster than traditional ovens, heat up quickly, and include roasting, grilling, baking, and reheating options. Air fryers are much more energy-efficient than ovens.

Smart Coffee Makers and Beverage Stations

Smart coffee makers and wine fridges round out the list of tempting kitchen appliances for the first-time smart kitchen owner. Smart coffee machines connect to an iPhone app through your home internet network and allow you to set brewing times, turn the coffee machine off and on remotely, and adjust the strength and temperature of your coffee. Some will even automatically order new coffee pods before you run out.

Smart wine fridges use sensors to control the temperature and humidity for optimum wine aging. Inventory management and voice control features are also available.

Smart Lighting and Faucets

Smart lights can be voice-activated or use motion sensors. Motion sensor lighting is beneficial in pantries, allowing you to find what you need quickly. Smart lights are also highly customizable, allowing you to adjust brightness, warmth, and color according to your needs.

Smart faucets allow hands-free use through voice commands or motion detection sensors. Some will enable you to control temperature and flow with preset settings and automatically shut off to prevent water waste.

Connectivity and Setup Tips

Choosing the Right Ecosystem

If you already have a smart home, choose kitchen devices compatible with your existing ecosystem. If not, look for an ecosystem that supports your kitchen devices and the security, lighting, and entertainment products you’ll want in the rest of the house.

The three most popular smart ecosystems include:

  • Google Home uses the Google Home App and voice-activated Google Assistant to control its Nest ecosystem.
  • Amazon Alexa is compatible with many smart devices through voice commands and the Alexa app.
  • Apple HomeKit has fewer device options than the other two ecosystems, but it offers high security and data control and is compatible with most major smart electronic brands.

Internet and Wi-Fi Requirements

Smart kitchens require strong Wi-Fi signals, as each device consumes a small amount of internet bandwidth. If you’re only using a smart oven and coffee maker, you probably won’t notice an impact on your signal strength and speed, but a fully kitted-out smart home can slow your network speed.

Run an internet speed test to see how fast your current signal is before and after adding smart kitchen devices. Adding a Wi-Fi extender or Mesh nodes helps ensure your network signal can reach and support all your devices.

Integration of Devices

While you can control each smart device from its app, linking devices to a centralized control hub is more efficient. A control hub allows you to change settings on all gadgets from a single app.

5 Tips for Designing a Smart Kitchen

1. Start Small

You don’t need to put all your smart kitchen ideas into operation simultaneously. Start small, with a couple of gadgets and a central control hub. You can add more devices as your familiarity with smart devices increases.

2. Prioritize Safety, Convenience, and Efficiency

Choose devices that automate tasks, provide safety features, or improve energy usage. A smart vegetable peeler probably won’t add to your kitchen’s functionality, but you’ll use a hands-free faucet daily.

3. Invest in Smart Lighting

Adjustable lighting is a great way to revitalize your kitchen’s functionality and style. Consider voice-activated under-cabinet task lighting and motion-detected cabinet lights to make kitchen tasks more enjoyable and efficient.

4. Use Organizing Apps

Wi-Fi pantry tracker apps allow you to manage your grocery inventory and expiration dates. Many include barcode scanners to make management easier.

5. Integrate a Smart Hub Early

We’ve already discussed using a smart hub with your kitchen devices. Adding one at the beginning of the smart kitchen design process will help you choose compatible products and grow your smart home ecosystem.

Budget-Friendly Tips for a Smart Kitchen

Smart kitchen design doesn’t have to be expensive. Start with lighting, smart plugs, and small cooking gadgets like smart air fryers. Large ticket appliances such as ovens, dishwashers, and fridges can be upgraded to smart versions when you need to replace your existing appliances.

Common Challenges in Building a Smart Kitchen

Compatibility Issues

Smart devices from different manufacturers do not always communicate well with each other. Either choose a single manufacturer for all your major smart appliances or invest in a smart hub that acts as an intermediary link between devices.

Connectivity Problems

Large electronic appliances such as ovens and fridges can interfere with Wi-Fi signals, making smart kitchens a source of connectivity problems, especially as those same appliances emit wireless signals. Avoid locating your router in the kitchen, and consider adding a Mesh node to the kitchen to strengthen wireless signals.

Privacy Concerns

Smart devices collect user data, which raises privacy concerns. Check each device’s privacy settings to see how your data is used, and change settings to reduce data access when possible.

Cybersecurity Threats

Hackers and malware can target smart kitchen devices. Your best defenses are strong device passwords and a password-protected wireless network. Keeping your router’s firmware and software updated with the latest security patches reduces the risk of unauthorized device access.

Physical Limitations

Your kitchen’s existing layout impacts your smart kitchen designs. Some technology may require new wiring, cabinet changes to accommodate sensors, or rearranging the kitchen to better position large appliances. Unless you fancy a complete kitchen renovation, use smaller gadgets such as smart plugs to work within your layout.

Looking to the Future

Smart kitchen devices are only going to become more popular as time passes. Most new appliance models have wireless capabilities and at least some smart features.  They’re addictive, too—once one smart device finds a home in your kitchen, it’s hard to resist the urge to get more. Remember to start small, work within your budget and the physical limitations of your kitchen, and use a high-speed internet service for best results.

What are your experiences with smart kitchen design? Let us know in the comments.