Benefits of Smart Kitchen Appliances

Recent advances in technology are changing the way homeowners interact with their living spaces and appliances. From smart home lighting to smart speakers, technology in the home helps increase efficiency and improve everyday life. Most recently, smart technology has been integrated into kitchen appliances. Many people might not know what smart kitchen appliances can do, especially those who currently own older-generation products. For homeowners planning kitchen remodeling in Clarkston, here are some of the benefits that can improve cooking, food storage, and dishwashing, as well as enhance appliance safety. Smartphone Control Smart appliances can be connected to a smartphone using mobile applications, which control appliances remotely right from the phone. Smart appliance apps also allow homeowners to receive messages and alerts about appliance function and usage. Cooks can monitor an oven’s temperature from the back yard, or turn the oven on or off remotely while watching a movie in another room. These helpful conveniences make life easier and more efficient. Safety and Maintenance With most household appliances, the sooner a problem is discovered, the better, but many appliance issues aren’t noticed until they become visible, which is often too late. Receiving alerts when an appliance detects a tiny performance issue can greatly improve safety and reduce maintenance costs. Whether it’s a gas leak, an open refrigerator door, or an oven that was left on, appliance problems waste energy and money, and can potentially be very dangerous. Remote alerts can notify homeowners of problems right away when they’re detected, so that issues can be resolved sooner rather than later, providing safety enhancement and savings. Smart Refrigerators Smart refrigerators now sport a variety of impressive features that help homeowners with everything from meal planning to troubleshooting. 

• Inner cameras. Some high-tech refrigerators have interior cameras that take a picture whenever the refrigerator door is closed, allowing the image of what’s inside to appear on a display screen on the outside of the door. This feature allows the contents of the fridge to be displayed without opening the door, saving electricity and money. The camera inside the appliance also sends the photo to a smartphone, eliminating stressful moments at the grocery store - no more trying to remember the contents of a forgotten grocery list!

• Food tracking and meal planning. Food tracking features allow an owner to scan the barcode of every item that goes into the fridge and to receive a text when each item is about to expire. The app can also recommend dishes and recipes to cook based on current fridge contents. Food tracking features greatly assist with meal planning and prevent food from spoiling or going to waste.

• Monitoring and control. Many high-tech refrigerators will send a text to a smartphone in the event of a power outage, or if the refrigerator door was left open. A refrigerator’s smartphone app also allows a homeowner to control temperature and humidity settings, and will display whether the appliance is in energy-saving mode. In the event the refrigerator stops working or performing efficiently, some apps run diagnostics and communicate that information to tech support, potentially saving a repair house call. A kitchen remodeling professional in Clarkston can explain monitoring features available on today’s smart refrigerators.

 Smart Ovens Today’s ovens have been modified to improve the kitchen experience, as well. Many smart features provide cooking convenience and allow for multi-tasking while preparing food. 

• Auto warming. With a new smart oven, a homeowner can simply place food in the oven to bake and then walk away. Once the desired bake time has been achieved, the oven switches to warming mode and keeps the food hot until it is ready to serve.

• Monitoring and control. Some oven apps allow the cook to check the status of a dish while it bakes and receive a text when it’s ready. Cooks can also preheat the oven remotely or adjust the temperature and oven timers.

• Recipes and tips. A demonstration of how to make favorite dishes with helpful tips and detailed steps is a built-in feature of some oven apps; they can also search for recipes and queue up cook time and temperature accordingly, saving steps and valuable time.

• Calorie counting. Some oven apps can display how many calories are in a prepared meal and how much the food weighs, a fantastic feature for health enthusiasts and those following weight-loss plans.

     Smart Dishwashers Today’s dishwashers are now equipped with a variety of smart features that provide convenience while saving time and effort. Smart dishwashers and their apps provide a variety of features depending on the model. 

• Many smart dishwashers will send a text alert when a cycle is complete. Some feature cycle and performance monitoring, including sending alerts when rinse aid is low. A Livonia kitchen remodeling professional can explain the many monitoring features available on today’s smart dishwashers.

• Energy usage. This helpful feature allows monitoring of energy used by the dishwasher. Monitoring energy use allows homeowners to see how much it costs to run the dishwasher and to make budget or usage adjustments when necessary.

• Leak sensor. A smart digital leak sensor can send a text alert when it detects a leak as small as one ounce. Some smart dishwashers will even shut themselves off when a leak is detected, protecting flooring.

• Downloadable cycles. This feature allows an appliance owner to download and add special wash cycles. This feature is incredibly convenient when family circumstances change; the addition of a new baby in the house or the arrival of a teenager home from college can mean increased dish volume not anticipated when the dishwasher was purchased.

• Supplies restocking. This feature keeps track of how many dishwasher pods have been used, and automatically ships a new box of pods when supplies are low.

• Control lock. The ability to lock and unlock controls remotely is especially helpful for families with small children who might be curious about pushing buttons.

 Some elements of a smart home may require significant investment and lifestyle adjustment, but most smart kitchen appliances are simple, affordable, and make a positive impact right away. Making small changes to kitchen functionality can provide convenience and peace of mind. A kitchen remodeling professional in Livonia can discuss smart kitchen appliance options and help choose the models that make the most sense for homeowners’ needs and lifestyles.