14 Best Smart Kitchen Devices

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  • Post last modified:May 26, 2021
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If you’re looking for the best smart home devices to deck out your kitchen or dining room, this article is for you. There’s no end to the number of kitchen appliances and accessories that can now connect to Wi-Fi and be controlled with your voice.

Some kitchen gadgets are a little over the top (the Wi-Fi-enabled mug springs to mind), however, most of them are highly useful and well worth the investment if you value convenience.

Best Smart Devices for the Kitchen

So let’s jump straight in with my round-up of the best smart kitchen devices currently available in the UK:

1. Smart Display

The ultimate smart device for the kitchen is without doubt the smart display. As with all rooms in the house, this is how you will control your smart devices in the kitchen, play music, and ask questions.

However, there are many additional kitchen-specific uses such as bringing up recipes to follow along with, watching a how-to’ video when you get stuck, or even checking in on your cameras or video doorbell whilst you’re in the middle of cooking.

Top Pick: Nest Hub

I always jump back and forth between favouring Amazon’s Echo Show and Googles’s Nest Hub. Ultimately, it comes down to which ecosystem you prefer.

For automation, Alexa routines are far superior to Google Home routines, however, casting music and video is important to me so I tend to prefer Google Home.


2. Smart Kettle

Take your hot drinks to the next level with a Wi-Fi connected kettle. This will allow you to boil the kettle from the comfort of your sofa via a companion smartphone app.

Top Pick: Smarter iKettle

I have put together a full guide to the best smart kettles in the UK, but the Smarter iKettle was easily my top recommendation. It has full Alexa compatibility and you can choose exactly what temperature you want it to boil at by simply asking.

This is ideal if you frequently make green tea, coffee, or prepare baby milk, all of which require certain temperatures below boiling point.


3. Smart Coffee Machine

If you’re more of a coffee drinker than a tea drinker, you might want to consider fitting out your kitchen with a smart coffee machine instead.

The two main types of smart coffee machines are drip coffee (also known as filter coffee) and espresso. You’ll find that the espresso machines are far more expensive as they handle everything from bean grinding to milk frothing.

Top Pick: Smarter Coffee Machine

Again, Smarter have taken the top spot as the best smart coffee machine thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity and voice assistant support. The Smarter Coffee Machine is a filter machine that can have your coffee ready and waiting for you on command or according to your routines.

If you’d prefer a smart espresso machine with a built-in automatic milk frother, the Melitta Barista TS Smart Coffee Machine can make Espressos, Lattes, Cappuccinos, and more. Although this one comes with a hefty price tag.

 For a full breakdown of the features each machine has to offer, I have a full guide to the best smart coffee machines.


4. Smart Bulbs

It should go without saying that your kitchen could do with some smart lighting. For your main lighting, you can replace your light bulbs with colour smart bulbs.

This will give you voice control and the option to change the feel of the room easily with different colour scenes.

Top Pick: Philips Hue Bulbs

I’m a big fan of Philips Hue bulbs as they work with every voice assistant (Alexa, Google Home, Siri, etc) and they’re the most reliable. No matter what fitting you have, Philips Hue has a suitable product, from Edison-style bulbs to spotlights.

Keep in mind that you’ll need a Philips Hue Bridge as they run on the Zigbee wireless protocol.

If you’d like to avoid the additional cost of a hub or bridge, look for some Wi-Fi bulbs that will connect directly to your router. See my full guide to the best Alexa bulbs.


5. Smart LED Strip

Now that you’ve got the main lighting sorted, you can add some extra ambiance to your kitchen with some LED strips. You can place these under your counters or above them like shown in this image.

I’d recommend opting for RGB lights that can change colour according to the mood and situation. Keep in mind that Zigbee LED strips will require a hub whereas Wi-Fi strips can connect straight to your router but need to be within range.

Top Pick: Lepro LED Strip Light

These Lepro strip lights are great value for money and have full Alexa and Google Home support. At 10m long, this should be enough to provide some epic backlighting in your kitchen with the full spectrum of 16 million colours to choose from.

They are Wi-Fi lights so you don’t need to worry about a bridge or hub, simply connect them straight to your router and set them up with the companion app.

They can also be synced with music via a built-in microphone which is great when you have a few friends over for a party.


6. Smart Fridge

Now it’s time to talk about some of the larger kitchen appliances and how you can smarten them up, starting with the fridge.

A basic smart fridge will have Wi-Fi connectivity with a companion app for updating the settings, however, I’d recommend looking at some of the higher-end devices that have built-in cameras and screens.

Top Pick: Samsung Family Hub

My top recommendation is the Samsung Family Hub which is available as an American-Style, French-Style, or Classic Fridge Freezer. As with all Samsung smart appliances, it has SmartThings support which can be used with Samsung’s native Bixby voice assistant or connected to other major voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant.

The Family Hub has three internal cameras which can be used to view its contents remotely and works in tandem with it’s food management system which can help plan meals.

It also has a built-in touchscreen on the door which can be used as a family noticeboard or calendar to keep organised or you can stream your favourite shows to it whilst your cooking. It also has three internal cameras


7. Smart Washing Machine

You might think that a washing machine can’t be smart, but you’d be wrong. Smart washing machines can update their own settings based on the contents and thanks to built-in NFC or Wi-Fi  can alert you when they need to be emptied – no more damp clothes left in the machine for days on end!

Top Pick: Bosch Serie 6 i-Dos

Bosch have a range of excellent smart kitchen appliances including the Bosch Serie 6 which makes use of the Bosch Home Connect app to integrate with your smart home allowing you to check progress remotely and get notifications when a cycle has finished.

However, it’s clever features don’t stop there. It has Bsoch’s i-Dos technology which will detect the fabric type and level of dirt to automatically choose the right settings and add the powder and conditioner. You just need to occasionally fill up the onboard containers and the Serie 6 will do the rest.


8. Smart Air Fryer

If you’re not familiar with air fryers, they are a cross between a deep frier and an oven. They are simply countertop devices that bake food until it’s crispy but don’t use as much oil as a deep fryer.

These are already a great innovation, but some manufacturers have taken things even further with smart air fryers. These connect to a smartphone app allowing you to change the settings and turn them on remotely. This is ideal if you want your food to be ready when you get back from work, simply load it in the morning and turn it on when you’re ready.

Top Pick: Poscenic T21

The two main contenders are the Proscenic T21 and the COSORI Smart Air Fryer which are very similar in terms of their size and functionality with Wi-Fi and Alexa support. For me, the Proscenic T21 just takes the lead thanks to more customisation of the cooking schedules and has a keep-warm function.


9. Motion Sensor

When setting up routines and automations in your kitchen, a smart sensor can be a very helpful device to have. The most popular use for these is to ensure that your kitchen lights only stay on when there is someone present, this is great for saving energy in the long term.

However, you can be more creative with the uses for them using Alexa routines. For example, you can sound an alarm when a certain cupboard is opened if you have small children, or you can pop it in your fridge for a motivational reminder when you attempt to break your diet with some mid-afternoon treats.

Top Pick: Philips Hue Motion Sensor

I recommend the Philips Hue motion sensor which is a compact battery-powered device that can easily be hidden from view. It links with most voice assistants, however, it does require a Hue Bridge so would be best suited to an existing Hue setup.


10. Smart Kitchen Scales

This is one of those devices that you didn’t even realise you need until you have it. Smart kitchen scales will connect to an app on your phone, allowing you to easily portion recipes and check the nutritional content of food.

Top Pick: RENPHO Digital Food Scale

The RENPHO Digital Food Scale connects to the Gennec app on your Android or iPhone using Bluetooth. It is designed to help you keep an eye on your calorie intake, simply pop your food on the scales and select it from the app to add it to your nutrition calendar.

Unfortunately, its food database is currently limited to the USA so you’ll need to manually type in your ingredients each time. There are rumours that the app is being updated for the UK but I’ve yet to hear anything confirmed about this.

However, I recommend using these scales for fresh ingredients and adding them to the MyFitnessPal app which can also be used to scan barcodes on preprepared ingredients.


Other Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets

Not every kitchen gadget needs to have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to be useful. Here are a few other useful additions to your kitchen:

11. Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus

The original Instant Pot Duo was the first multifunction cooker and garnered a cult-like following. It works as a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sous vide, sauté, food warmer, cake maker, and stockpot all-in-one.

The Evo Plus upgrade has an added digital interface and other improvements that make it even easier to use. You can use it to make everything from soup to rice, all at the touch of a button.


12. Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker 2.0

Sous Vide is a way of cooking that involves putting food in a vacuum-sealed bag and leaving it in hot water. It requires a Sous Vide machine that maintains the temperature of the water to ensure the food is cooked.

This is where the Anova Precision Cooker comes in. This device has been engineered to circulate water in the pot at the exact temperature and can be programmed to ensure optimum tenderness of the food you’re cooking.

The device connects to the Anova app which has access to recipes from Anova and the community. It can also be used to monitor the temperature of the device. However, keep in mind that you’ll need a vacuum sealer too which can cost quite a bit if you’re new to Sous Vide cooking.


13. Stirrtime Automatic Pan Stirrer

Do you get fed up standing next to the hob stirring the pan? Me too. That’s why I was ecstatic when I found out about the Stirrtime Automatic Stirrer.

Simply pop it in the pan, choose the speed settings, and set a timer between 1-10 minutes for it to begin stirring. This allows you to get on with the rest of the cooking without worrying about burning on the bottom of the pan.

This gadget is super cheap and would make a great stocking filler or birthday gift for any avid chef.


14. Gricol Touchless Tap

The finishing touch your smart kitchen needs is a touchless tap. This might not be a smart gadget, but it will certainly make life easier and impress your guests too.

There are plenty to choose between but this Gricol touchless faucet is my top pick. It’s made from high-quality zinc alloy, has two water flow modes, and can swivel 360 degrees.

The automatic sensor starts the water when it detects your hands in front so you don’t need to dirty the taps.

Kieren

I have been building up my smart home since 2016 so I'm a bit of a smart home expert by now. On this blog, I share my favourite smart home devices that I've tested along with tips and tricks I learn by watching countless YouTube videos, scrolling through forums, and tinkering around with my own smart devices. I've always been a Google Home user but I'm starting to think Alexa might have the edge, what do you think?