Technology around the home – The kitchen

Megan Iemma will be doing a series of posts about the nifty, useful technology she uses around the home. This week, we’re starting with the kitchen!

One of my favourite rooms in my house is the kitchen. This is because it involves two things I love: food and people. When I moved out of home, I spent a lot of money buying gadgets for my kitchen. The more adventurous I became with my cooking, the more advanced the gadgets became.

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In fact, I’ve managed to accumulate so many since my uni days that they’ve taken over the linen cupboard in the laundry (and overflowed into kitchen cupboards and the garage).

What’s hot these days are devices that connect with apps for your smartphone or tablet. Companies such as Samsung and LG are beginning to release connected versions of appliances we think of as ‘normal’. Samsung has the Samsung Smart Home service, while LG has come up with the LG Homechat system. Both were released earlier this year at CES (Consumer Electronics Show)—however, some of these items are still in product development, or have a limited range.

The biggest problem that we have is that technology changes quickly, and the lifespan of these products is becoming shorter. If you have heard the phrase ‘They never make them like they used to’, you would be right. Don’t get me wrong, I love my gadgets—especially in the kitchen. But something you should consider is if the product doesn’t continue getting updates, will it still work in two years or more into the future?

Currently Available

iGrill

iDevices-iGrill2-Lifestyle-iPhone_Steak

For all those who love to BBQ and (for those who wish they could) this is the perfect device along with the app to help you master that perfect steak! There are three devices in this range and this takes the guesswork out of your next grilled dinner!

Kitchen Thermometer

iDevices-KitchenThermometer-Lifestyle-iPad-Roast

With the next season of Masterchef fast approaching in Australia, a digital kitchen thermometer is a must-have device in any foodie’s kitchen, especially when cooking chicken.

Prep Pad

Prep_Pad__3

Digital scales are valuable in any kitchen, and working out the nutritional value of each of your ingredients really makes healthy eating trackable. The Prep Pad is easily wipeable, and connects with the app. It weighs up to 6.8 kg of produce and is 22.86 cm long for easy chopping and preparation.

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Egg Minder

egg minder

This device is a 12-egg carton that tracks how many eggs you have, as well as their freshness. I love eggs and they are usually well and truly gone before they ever get to the expiry date—however, I can definitely see this being an advantage for those who live on their own.

Editor’s note: Currently unavailable on the main store, but it can be found in other online stores such as Amazon.

Coming Soon

WeMo CrockPot

WeMoSlowcooker

There is nothing worse than when autumn or winter comes around and you want to use your slow cooker/crockpot… but you have to leave the house at 7 in the morning and won’t get back home till 5 pm! How about a slow cooker you can control via an app? You can turn it on or off, and change the heat settings, all while at work. This is coming in mid-2014.

Future wishlist (for the serious foodies!)

Whirlpool Interactive Cooktop

Now, this definitely could be a key feature in my kitchen one day. It has an induction cooktop as well as an interactive screen for your social media, email, recipes etc. No more dirty fingers on the iPad as you are trying to find the recipe from Pinterest or Taste.com.au.

What technology do you use in your kitchen? Tell us in the comments – we’d love to hear about it!

Featured Image: Philips Communications
All other images taken from press-provided photos from the companies.

Megan Iemma
Technology Coach and “IT” girl Megan Iemma is a thought leader in the world of technology and its uses. An educator and techno geek, Megan combined her passions for education and technology and founded Tech Coach HQ working with businesses and their teams to improve processes and embrace the productivity technology has to offer.