Homes today are getting more and more high tech and connected. Today Show tech contributor, Carley Knobloch, talks about kitchen tech trends and smartening up your home.
Go go gadget
Move over Crock-Pot, Instant Pot is taking the lead when it comes to aking millennials (and everyone else), an overnight chef. Knobloch says Instant Pot is so popular because, much like its predecessors, you can leave it on overnight and have a meal in the morning. But the Instant Pot includes a few other bells and whistles slow cookers don’t, like functions for making foods as diverse as rice and yogurt.
Another gadget making its way into homes is a sous vide. This device helps wannabe-chefs prepare meals with gourmet-like exactitude. This precision tool only requires a medium-sized pot, water and air-tight plastic bags to cook Micheline star-worthy food at home.
If you don’t have enough outdoor space for a grill or barbecue, infrared grills are the way forward. All you need is a regular electric outlet and this appliance will heat up just like a barbecue to give your good that perfect sear. Connected grills are also becoming more popular. “You set how you want your food cooked, and walk away,” Knobloch explains. “The barbecue will adjust itself and let you know when it’s perfectly cooked; no more having to slave over the barbecue.”
Delivery
For people who don’t cook much or don’t enjoy cooking, there are delivery options, including several convenient apps. Did you know you can now order delivery from your favorite local restaurants directly from Facebook? As of October 2017, Facebook users across the United States can order food straight from the app under the “Explore” option on the menu.
For those who want to get more upscale food delivered, the folks behind the ChowNow app are “going out of their way to partner with higher-end restaurants that maybe were hesitant to sign on with the other delivery apps,” says Knobloch. “It’s more of a unique selection of restaurants.”
Connected coffee
Coffee aficionados have been praising Behmor Connected Brewer because you can customize how you want your coffee to taste, or as Knobloch puts it, “You can brew your perfect cup of coffee so the same beans are going to taste different depending on how you set it up.”
Smart homes
From lights and locks to your security system, most everyday functions can now be controlled through an app or on a set-it-and-forget-it mode. Once you start connecting your home, you’ll quickly see how all the pieces can work together to truly give you a smarter home experience.
“It’s nice because it’s modular, you can start with one thing and build it over time and you don’t have to make a huge investment at the outset,” says Knobloch. But she also warns of its viral potential: once you start, you’ll want to keep adding to the system.
Whirlpool now has a suite of smart appliances you can control through an app, which are also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant’s voice controls. Set up your Nest smart thermostat to switch to energy-saving mode when no one is home. Take it one step further, and you can set up your Nest thermostat to tell your Whirlpool dishwasher to turn on when everyone is out.
