Welcome to the intelligent kitchen

In our increasingly connected world, communication is always taking on new forms. People communicate with devices and vice versa, devices communicate with each other. All of this should make our lives easier. Particularly the kitchen, which is often the centrepiece of our apartment, offers many areas where smart applications can carry out a meaningful task. Many manufacturers of kitchens and kitchen appliances have recognised this and are enhancing their products for the kitchen section to include intelligent technology and networking options.

For example, Berbel offers customers the opportunity to control the extraction of cooking smells, steam and fat particles even outside the kitchen via smartphone using their Control App. Via the menu of the app, 4 settings for the extraction fan can be selected as well as setting the cooking and effect lighting. The smartphone links up with Berbel Connect products and Skyline models. The app runs on iOS and Android operating systems.

Light also plays an important role in the kitchen and can vary depending on the mood and situation. Hence, Nolte Kitchens offers a kitchen lighting app that enables a connection to the smartphone per Bluetooth via the L&S Emotion Driver. The brightness and colour temperature of the different sources of light in the kitchen area can be individually set using the app. Individual lamps can be controlled or several lights can be clustered together as a group and operated. In this way, several lights can be regulated at the same time, which reduces the energy consumption and electricity costs. Via the function "Light scenes", the app also offers the option of creating different light atmospheres, depending on the time of day, lighting conditions and desired room atmosphere.

In order to offer their customers the best service possible, the manufacturers of the appliances are also entering cooperations with other app suppliers. For example, an app by Sharp offers a recipe collection for its users. From now, all Sharp smart kitchen appliances are to be equipped with an app developed by SideChef and will contain recipes developed especially for Sharp's smart kitchen appliances. Instructional videos and tips on different recipes that vary depending on the ingredients, season and location, aim to make cooking easier and more varied. Furthermore, the app enables the control and operation of the entire cooking process via the smartphone (including automatic timer and temperature settings).

Late risers no longer need to rush around to make their early morning hot beverage. Combined with the respective app, the Smarter SMK20EU iKettle 2 can already be operated from one's bed. Via Wi-Fi, the kettle can be operated from anywhere in the house and set to the desired temperature between 23 and 100°C to ensure a perfect cup of tea. Coffee lovers don't have to do without a remote-controlled, freshly brewed morning coffee either. Armed with the Smarter SMC10EU Coffee, the time the coffee is prepared can be pre-set - this also works simply via an app with a Wi-Fi reception. After setting up an account, the "Smarter Coffee" appears under the Wi-Fi settings of the smartphone or tablet. Subsequently the strength, grinding degree and number of cups can be set individually. Thanks to a water level sensor, the app also informs the user how many cups can still be brewed. And once the coffee is ready, a message is sent straight to the mobile phone. Both apps can be installed on iOS or Android.

Alongside the kitchen appliances, the kitchen assistants are also becoming increasingly more intelligent. For example, meat dishes can be prepared perfectly using the first wireless, smart thermometer Meater. The thermometer is simply poked into the meat and the app notified which meat is being cooked and how well done it should be. The Meater app then works out how long the meat has to be cooked and informs the chef when the desired level has been achieved.

However, before one starts cooking, the shopping has to be done. There are several assistants that can help us here too. In addition to monitoring the contents of the fridge, the smart dustbin can now also take over compiling the next shopping list. The scanner GeniCan and the respective app come to our aid here. To this end, the barcode scanner is simply attached to the dustbin. Each packaging with a barcode that is disposed of in the dustbin is scanned and appears on the shopping list on the GeniCan app. If something without a barcode ends up in the bin one can simply tell the appliance what one has thrown away and it is added to the list. Those, who meticulously separate their waste, can of course attach the scanner to the wall and simply scan pizza boxes or plastic packaging before disposing of them.