11 Best Smart Gadgets
The recent explosion of connected products has made its way into the kitchen. Some of these smart gadgets are pretty cool and have a bright future. Others, not so much. I have scoured the web and found 11 products that I think enhance your kitchen experience and can make your lives more convenient.
#1 Anova WiFi Sous Vide Precision Cooker
You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to get gourmet flavor food right from your own kitchen with the Anova WiFi Sous Vide Precision Cooker. Sous Vide is a cooking technique used by gourmet chefs around the world. It involves sealing the raw food in a water-tight plastic container and then submerging it in a hot water bath. The temperature of the water bath can be controlled precisely and the food gets cooked to the exact temperature for optimal taste-bud pleasing results.
Clamp the cooker to the side of a pot and fill the pot with water and ice. Then, put your food in a freezer bag and make sure all the air bubbles are removed. Submerge the bag in the pot. Find a recipe and start the cooker from anywhere using the app from any WiFi enabled device.
#2 Mr. Coffee Smart Wifi-Enabled WeMo 10-Cup Optimal Brew Coffeemaker
The Mr. Coffee Smart Wifi-Enabled WeMo 10-Cup Optimal Brew Coffeemaker gives you a quality cup of coffee. Plus, it gives you the ability to schedule it to start brewing at anytime from anywhere. What it does do is give you an advanced scheduling function with the convenience of doing it from a touch-screen smartphone instead of a clumsy LCD screen on a programmable coffee maker. It also will send you an alert if it’s scheduled for a future brew, but it’s missing some ingredients.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t automatically load the water, coffee or filters. Someday a robotic WiFi coffee maker will probably make its way to the consumer market and when that day comes it can take its rightful place on this list.
#3 Crock-Pot Smart Wifi-Enabled WeMo 6-Quart Slow Cooker
The Crock-Pot Smart Wifi-Enabled WeMo 6-Quart Slow Cooker is another classic kitchen appliance that has gotten the WiFi facelift. The WeMo app allows you to set a temperature and cook time. When it’s done cooking, the heat automatically switches to “warm” and the app sends you an alert letting you know your food is ready.
Being able to program a Crock-Pot is a useful feature, so why not make it easier with a mobile app? Right now, the app allows you to remotely start/stop and change temperature. It will also send you alerts when the food is done.
#4 Pantelligent Intelligent Frying Pan
The Pantelligent Intelligent Frying Pan is a virtual chef that will guide you step-by-step through preparing a meal. It tells you when to flip, when to add ingredients, and when it’s done.
The app includes a library of recipes ready for you to saute, simmer and sear your way to a delicious meal. An embedded sensor measures the temperature of the cooking surface and adjusts the required cooking time as you go.
If you really want to take it up a notch, then you can look into Pantelligent’s Autopilot feature. In order to use the autopilot, you need an extra $100 of accessories (an electric hot plate and a WeMo WiFi-enabled switch). In autopilot mode, the temperature is controlled automatically so all you need to do is worry about flipping, stirring, and adding ingredients when the app tells you to.
#5 Drop Kitchen Non-Slip Silicone Connected Kitchen Scale and Interactive Recipe App
The drop kitchen app includes hundreds of interactive step-by-step recipes. Each recipe shows you all the tools and ingredients you will need. It also allows you to adjust the size of the recipe and automatically calculates the correct scaled amount for each ingredient.
#6 iDevices iGrill2 Bluetooth Thermometer
This Bluetooth thermometer help to make you the Grill Master you’ve always wanted to be. It comes with 2 probes and can connect up to 4 probes. Each probe can be monitored using the app. You can also use preset temperature alarms or create custom alarms to let you know when your food needs flipping or is done.
#7 Brita Infinity Smart Water Pitcher and 1 Filter, with Amazon Dash Replenishment, Black, 8 Cup
You’re probably thinking, “Why would a water pitcher ever need WiFi?” Well, I tend to be a little stingy and/or forgetful when it comes to changing my water filters and I’m probably not the only one. The Brita smart pitcher tracks usage and automatically orders its own replacement filters through Amazon Dash Replenishment.
#8 Somabar Robotic Bartender
The Somabar can mix and pour drinks in 5 seconds with the touch of a button. You can load up to 6 different types of liquor into the Soma Pods. Then, use the app to find drink recipes using the liquor you have loaded into the Somabar. Click the following link for more details on the Somabar robotic bartender.
#9 Cinder Precision Griddle
The Cinder precision griddle lets you cook sous vide style meals without the water bags or hassle. The Cinder automatically adjusts time and temperature to cook whatever you want just the way you like it.
Choose how you like your steak done in the app and cinder does the rest. It even has the ability to sear your steak at the end of the cooking cycle to give it the fresh off the grill crispiness.
#10 iRobot Braava jet 240 Mopping Robot
The Braava mopping robot is a time saver and a back saver. It’s basically a robotic Swiffer. It mops and sweeps hard floors in kitchens bathrooms and other small spaces. It minimizes the amount of time you have to be on your hands and knees doing the scrubbing yourself.
Your floors will stay cleaner with this robot. The Braava gets into hard to reach places like corners and below cabinets. It avoids stairs and rugs won’t harm or spray the walls or furniture.
The Braava may not get it as clean as you do in one pass, but one of the great advantages of robots is their stamina. You can send the Braava out to clean your floor every day so that it stays as clean as ever.
Value: The Braava would be amazing if it had a docking station that switched out its cleaning pads and recharged its batteries. It doesn’t. However, it will still clean your floor while you’re busy doing something more leisurely, which is pretty cool.
