The Smart Kitchen

By: Dallis Stamps

Smart: Showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness; Capable of independent and apparently intelligent action; "smart weapons."
Kitchen: a room or place equipped for cooking.

We can define The Smart Kitchen as a room or place that is equipped for cooking that has mental alertness; provide calculations and resourcefulness, capable of independent and apparent intelligent action.

The Smart Kitchen is not a new concept, but it is constantly evolving to address the needs and demands of people today. The Smart Kitchen of the Future will act as the nerve center of the home.

Let’s take a closer look at Smart Kitchens of the Future: Interconnection of Kitchen Appliances, Inventory, and Information and Innovations.

I. Interconnection of the Kitchen Appliances:

1. Refrigerator: A sensor knows what has been placed in the unit and updates an electronic list of all contents. The unit uses this information to assist the consumer by not only offering an inventory of foods available but also by working with the inventory from the pantry to suggest menus. The sensor also knows an item's relative position and will automatically adjust local atmospheric conditions (temperature and humidity) for optimal food preservation. Advanced aero-gel and vacuum panel insulation afford thinner walls creating more room for what consumers want to store with greater efficiency. Organic light-emitting diode technology (OLED) evenly distributes lighting and saves space.
2. Speedcook Oven: Bright halogen light delivers oven-quality food up to eight times faster than a conventional oven. A sensor recognizes pre-packaged foods and automatically selects the right cooking time and levels for fast, no-touch cooking.
3. Multi-Technology Oven - Microwave: thermal and convection energies combine to cook food better and faster. Based on a menu selection, the oven automatically pre-heats. A thermo-scan of the oven shows which areas of food are at proper temperature. Waste heat is used to heat water for washing dishes.
4. Slide-Out Cooktop: The cooktop features sensing technologies that sense where a pan is placed and optimize the burner size for efficiency. Boiling sensors sound an alert if liquids have boiled away. A self-cleaning feature activates upon retraction.
5. Ionizing Vent: The slide-out vent will be used as a downdraft, eliminating smoke and odors and, with the use of ionizing HEPA filters, will release clean air back into the room.
6. Water System: Clean water will be purified via ultraviolet light that ensures that water is free of bacteria without using chemicals. Pure water and ice are available through the refrigerator, and instant hot water is available on demand. The system will monitor water quality as it enters the house and will communicate with the consumer should there be a problem. The water system will eliminate tastes, odors, color, bacteria and chemical contaminants from the water.
7. Dishwasher: Water for kitchen cleanup is heated through thermo-waste created by the wall oven. Detergent is loaded in bulk once per year, and dispensed via algorithms to minimize the cleaning agents in wastewater. Grey water created though dish cleaning is reprocessed for use in other areas of the home and garden.

II. Inventory:

New technologies will include a barcode reader so you can keep track of all the groceries in your home, items you purchase, and what items you are out of for your grocery list. With all this information, the refrigerator can suggest recipe ideas, what additional items you may need to cook a specific meal, tell you where to store certain foods in the refrigerator, and warn you when foods are nearing their expiration date.

III. Information:

Smart new refrigerators not only keep food preserved, but many new versions come with TV screens, DVD players, radios, recipe finders, voice messaging systems, weather centers and forecasters, inventory managers, calendars, and photo centers.

IV. Innovations:

Cabinets haven’t changed much in 500 years — they swing open and they shut, right? Anvil Cabinet and Mill has taken a huge leap forward with Anvil Motion, a cabinet system that opens cabinets with a wave of the hand. Cabinets can also be programmed to open with certain settings — say, to expose all of your baking needs at once. Or you have the option of fingerprint-recognition software to keep drawers with knives, prescriptions or valuables locked unless you open them. Below: The Magic Cabinets

Wondering why your ice cream is melting? Your fridge knows. Appliance maker Miele has taken the concept of the service call into the 21st centuDo you like to cook but hate waiting for that roast? Here’s a Jetsons-esque oven for you impatient types. The TurboChef oven cooks in insanely short times. Imagine cooking a 12-pound turkey in 42 minutes instead of four hours. Or steaming family-size quantities of asparagus in less than a minute. Or a 2-pound roasted chateaubriand in 11 minutes instead of an hour. Using patented technology, the oven circulates currents of heated air from the top and bottom of the oven cavity to brown, sear and caramelize food, up to 15 times faster than conventional cooking. Microwaves assist when needed. Such convenience doesn’t come cheap: Ovens run $7,900 to $10,000.ry with its RemoteVision technology now available in several models of its fridges, washers and other appliances. When its sensors detect that something’s wrong — say, the freezer temperature rises too high — a wireless signal either alerts the homeowner via e-mail and offers a corrective strategy or alerts a Miele service center, which then gets in touch with the owner. Below: The fridge that calls the repairman.

Do you like to cook but hate waiting for that roast? Here’s a Jetsons-esque oven for you impatient types. The TurboChef oven cooks in insanely short times. Imagine cooking a 12-pound turkey in 42 minutes instead of four hours. Or steaming family-size quantities of asparagus in less than a minute. Or a 2-pound roasted chateaubriand in 11 minutes instead of an hour. Using patented technology, the oven circulates currents of heated air from the top and bottom of the oven cavity to brown, sear and caramelize food, up to 15 times faster than conventional cooking. Microwaves assist when needed. Such convenience doesn’t come cheap: Ovens run $7,900 to $10,000. Below: The Lickety-Split Oven

Now more than ever, people are obsessed with keeping their kitchens clean and sanitary, says Susan Serra, a certified kitchen designer in Huntington, N.Y., and author of a kitchen design blog. Touch the faucet with hands sticky with dough or covered with juices from raw chicken? No way. But now you can keep the kitchen clean, with Delta's Touch2O technology faucet. The faucets can be turned on and off by being touched anywhere — including with a clean wrist or forearm. Below: The touch-anywhere faucet

Gaggenau’s Telescopic Swivel Ventilation System ($2,899) may be the most mobile stove vent out there: Turn the dial and the vent rises to whatever height you need to suck up any offending smoke or vapors. (It also rotates 90 degrees.) Turn it off and it retracts; a sensor makes sure nothing gets caught on the descent. Another sensor tells you when the vent’s grease trap needs cleaning. Below: Up! Periscope

“Color is hot, on a huge trend,” says Susan Serra. Another place color is shining is through countertops — literally. ThinkGlass makes textured and colored countertops that can be lit by LED lights so they literally glow. The countertops also can be made to glow in hundreds of different colors, programmable with a remote control — including the option to change the colors or even have them fade out or strobe. Below: ThinkGlass

Appliances that can do multiple things for people are really taking off. So are ones that can be controlled remotely. To wit: the Tmio Oven. The oven ($5,895 and up) functions like a regular oven — except that you can call it from your cell phone, PDA or computer, and it will switch from refrigerating food and begin cooking what’s inside. Below: Do-It-All Ovens

References and Sources:
www.msn.com
www.geconsumerproducts.com
www.fesmag.com/article/446688-Redefining_Smart_Kitchens.php
www.chicagolife.net/content/home/Smart_Kitchens