live better

let tech help you cook smarter and easier

- Fleur Britten

Journalist Fleur Britten investigates an area of life we could all improve, and the innovative solutions created to help us.

Imagine if burnt toast and soggy bottoms were consigned to history. Well, with the arrival of the smart kitchen, that much could be possible.

Already there are Wi-Fi-enabled fridges that you ‘open’ virtually from the supermarket, hobs that automatically cool down when things boil over, and extractors that respond to the air quality around your hob. There’s also a huge array of smart countertop appliances – kettles that can heat water to a specific temperature (great if, for example, you’re a fan of green tea, best brewed at 80°C), ice cream makers that appreciate the difference between sorbet and gelato, and perhaps the most useful, bean-to-cup coffee machines that can prepare your order before you’ve even rolled out of bed. It’s even possible to achieve ‘restaurant-quality cooking’, adds Damian Wright, senior designer at Smallbone – with, for example, hobs that know exactly how long to cook a steak, and ovens that can detect when a cake is baked.

Thanks to an array of sensors, cameras and connectivity, kitchen tech puts you in control and removes the guesswork – and some of the work – making it easier to achieve perfection. Food is less likely to burn, less organisation is required, and, when your hands are full, you can operate your appliances with just your voice.