The best smart kitchen appliances for 2022 - Digital Trends

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Smart home devices add easy automations to your daily life, allowing you to control lighting, locks, entertainment hardware, and more, all through simple voice commands or with an intuitive and personalized companion app. But when it comes time to throw dinner together for the whole family, who says the web-connected fun has to stop in the kitchen?
Whether you're looking for a hands-free microwave experience, a coffee maker that knows exactly how you like your morning joe, or a fully-loaded fridge that allows you to chat with family, listen to music, control your smart devices, and more, we've put together this roundup of the best smart kitchen appliances to help you pick out some of the best web-connected cooking (and cleaning) tech.
Why you should buy this: You want a web-connected microwave that can interact with your Echo devices.
Who it's for: Alexa households and those looking for a top-notch microwave from a trusted brand.
Why we picked the Toshiba ML-EM34P Smart Microwave:
Sometimes when you're jumbling a medley of kitchen tasks, it would be convenient to be able to ask a voice assistant to help with some meal prep. Well, now you can, thanks to the awesome countertop savant that is the Toshiba ML-EM34P Smart Microwave.
Featuring Alexa support, you can use an Echo device to interact with the ML-EM34P. Commands include starting and stopping a microwave cycle, activating a cooking cycle with a certain time ("Alexa, defrost for two minutes in my microwave"), and more. Do note that the microwave itself doesn't have Alexa built into it, so you'll need to have an Echo device nearby in order to use the voice features.
At 1.3 cubic feet, this stainless steel microwave is also plenty large for most reheated meals, TV dinners, and other types of small- to medium-sized cookware. We also love the inclusion of a humidity sensor that automatically adjusts the cooking temperature based on the food you're heating up.
Why you should buy this: Your sous vide cooking is picking up steam, so you want a fantastic appliance that matches your amped-up cuisines.
Who it's for: Those looking to add a little automation to their next batch of sous vide meals.
Why we picked the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker:
Sous vide cooking is a unique cuisine-style straight from the kitchens of France. The basics involve vacuum-sealed foods being submerged in a pot of boiling water that is brought up to a very specific temperature and then circulated evenly throughout the cooking cycle.
Where traditional sous vide machines require the manual inputting of temperature settings, this Anova Culinary cooker is web-connected, which allows you to choose and input recipes from the Anova app directly to the cooker. It even picks all the correct time and temperature settings! The only thing you'll need to do is clamp this bad boy to the side of your pot, and you're good to go.
While some users have complained about the unit losing its Wi-Fi connection, this seems to be a small enough trouble that a majority of sous vide cooks are not experiencing.
Why you should buy this: You want a faucet that will react to basic hand gestures, allowing for easy kitchen sink controls.
Who it's for: Those looking to cut down on water usage and cooks who always have their hands full.
Why we picked the Owofan Touchless Smart Faucet:
Smart faucets have seen a big step-up in popularity over the last couple of years, and Owofan offers an excellent product to match up with this increased demand.
While you're not going to be firing up your kitchen sink with a companion app, the Owofan Touchless Smart Faucet is equipped with a "smart" motion sensor. When you wave your hand past the front of the sensor, the sink turns on. Wave it past again, and the sink turns off. Turn on the water and accidentally leave the room for 15 minutes? The Owofan includes an auto shut-off feature that turns off the water after three minutes of inactivity.
Designed with stainless steel and lead-free materials, the Owofan also sports two spraying modes and a 23.6-inch extendable hose for the toughest of cleaning jobs.
Why you should buy this: You're looking for a pressure cooker that can access, prepare, and cook foods, all through a companion app.
Who it's for: Pressure cooker enthusiasts that want to cut out some meal-prepping time.
Why we picked the Instant Pot Pro Plus:
In the world of pressure cookers, Instant Pot reigns supreme. Designing and engineering some of the top countertop cookers on the market, Instant Pots include a medley of cooking options, are easy to clean, and are durable and long-lasting.
Now what about Wi-Fi connectivity? With the Instant Pot Pro Plus, the company has that covered, too. Once the Pro Plus is connected to your network, you can download the Instant Brands Connect app to automatically input step-by-step recipes into the pressure cooker. Just throw your food in, choose the meal from the app, and you're good to go.
On top of automatic meal-prep, you can also use the Connect app to manually enter cook times, choose cooking presets, adjust temperature, release steam, and more.
Why you should buy this: You love Keurig machines and want a coffee maker that knows exactly how to brew based on the pod you place into it.
Who it's for: Keurig fans and those looking to truly "set it and forget it" when it comes to brewing coffee.
Why we picked the Keurig K-Supreme Plus:
When it comes to coffee-brewing, Keurig has long been a celebrated name for both the home and workplace. The Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart takes things to the next level with a feature called BrewID.
After purchasing a set of Keurig coffee pods, BrewID is able to detect exactly what pod you've placed in the chamber, adjusting settings and cup size to deliver the best-tasting hot beverage. And with the Keurig app, you can even connect the K-Supreme to Wi-Fi, allowing you to dial in brew settings without even needing to be near the machine.
On top of five strength and six temperature settings, and the option to store up to 10 favorite brew presets, the Keurig K-Supreme is also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to fire up a cup of coffee without even lifting a finger.
Why you should buy this: You want a powerful dishwasher that is filled with easy-to-use features.
Who it's for: Those who want a heavy-duty smart appliance from a trusted brand.
Why we picked the LG Studio Top-Control 24-Inch Dishwasher:
A solid dishwasher can truly make all the difference in the kitchen, especially when said appliance is able to connect to Wi-Fi for a suite of awesome diagnostic features. And the LG Studio Top-Control 24-Inch Dishwasher is a perfect example of a smart appliance done right.
First and foremost, the LG Studio is absolutely loaded with cleaning tech. You've got four QuadWash spray arms for blasting your dishes and cutlery from every conceivable angle, TrueSteam for top-notch drying, a height-adjustable third rack, and extremely quiet operation. There's even Dual Zone cleaning, which automatically adjusts water pressure for both the top and bottom compartments of the washer.
In terms of smart features, the LG Studio is part of LG's ThinQ lineup of appliances. Once you download the ThinQ app and connect your washer to Wi-Fi, you can control the unit with Alexa and Google Assistant, monitor wash cycles, and receive alerts if there's something wrong with the washer.
Why you should buy this: You want a smart refrigerator that the whole family can use to store food, keep up to date on what the next grocery trip will look like, and more.
Who it's for: Homeowners that want a refrigerator that functions like a whole-home smart command center.
Why we picked the Samsung FamilyHub 4-Door Refrigerator:
Aside from your HVAC system, what large appliance could be more important than your home's refrigerator? While Samsung has always been a reliable name when it comes to fridges, nothing says "cutting-edge" like the company's 28-cubic-foot FamilyHub 4-Door Refrigerator.
With Twin Cooling Plus onboard, the FamilyHub is able to maintain perfect humidity levels inside the fridge, ensuring your food doesn't receive freezer burn or spoil. That's on top of a FlexZone drawer with four unique temperature settings, a 4.2-pound ice tub capacity, and adjustable shelves.
But the real fun starts when you connect the FamilyHub to Wi-Fi. The fridge's interactive touchscreen allows the whole family to add digital sticky notes and pictures, stream music, access and control Samsung smart devices, and even see inside the fridge on the go through the FamilyHub's three built-in cameras.
There's even Samsung Bixby support, which allows you to control the fridge through voice commands and receive alerts on your mobile device.
When it comes to smart kitchen tech, it's important to know what features you're looking for your appliances to have. Do you want hardware that throws in a couple of basic sensors to add automation? Or are you looking for a fully-outfitted smart refrigerator that doubles as a command center for your home's Internet-of-Things ecosystem?
You also want to go with a trusted brand whenever possible. Big names like Samsung, LG, and Toshiba have been producing long-lasting kitchen tech for decades and are typically the best models when it comes to expanded, web-connected features, companion apps, and overall customer support.
Yes and no. If you're looking at cheaper appliance categories, like coffee makers and pressure cookers, the addition of smart features shouldn't bump the price up too immensely.
That being said, larger, more industrial appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators can be pricy to begin with. So after tossing in web features, you could be easily looking at a $1,500-plus investment for your home.
Yes! There are a number of smart kitchen appliances that feature support for voice assistants, including Alexa, Google Assistant, Bixby, and more. Commands can be as basic as starting or stopping a cooking cycle or as advanced as automatic meal preparation for devices like web-connected pressure cookers.
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