The New Year is the perfect time for a fresh start. Why not start with the kitchen? Kitchen innovations are always popping up in the market, so we’ve scoured the web to find the recent, smartest kitchen products, from fun conversation starters to functional tools you won’t believe you’ve ever lived without.
Here are 10 new kitchen products that will give you a smart start in 2016.
A Refrigerator That Makes Coffee
GE’s Café series refrigerators include a neat K-Cup brewing system in the door dispenser, allowing single-serve coffee at the push of a button. The magic refrigerators come in French door or side-by-side models.
Latte Art Pen
The cinnibird spice pen allows you to add personalized art to your home-brewed latte. Want a great gift for Valentine’s day? Writing romantic statements in your partner’s cup of coffee (or dessert plate) can certainly spice up your love life.
Wi-Fi Coffee Maker
Programmable coffee pots are nothing new. But how many times have you gone to bed at night and forgotten to set the timer and fill the coffee pot so that you have a hot cup first thing in the morning without having to do anything?
The Smarter Coffee Machine seems to have solved this dilemma. This Wi-Fi coffee maker works through your smartphone or tablet while you’re still in bed; it even grinds the coffee beans. Unfortunately, it is only available in Europe. For those of us in the US, the Mr. Coffee Smart Wi-Fi coffee maker will do the trick through the free WeMo app.
Food Prep Pad
A new year often brings good resolutions; for many, that includes healthy eating. Whether you want to lose weight or just improve your overall health, keeping track of what you eat plays an important role.
The Orange Chef Prep Pad works with your iPad or iPhone and serves not only as a digital scale, but also as a nutrition guide. It has a “food library” of over 300,000 items and gives you the breakdown of calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates.
High-Tech Slow Cooker
The Crock-Pot Smart slow cooker with Belkin’s WeMo technology allows you to turn on your smartphone from anywhere (as long as you remember to plug it in before leaving the House).
You can also adjust the cooking temperature remotely, which is especially useful if you need to have it on high for a certain time, and then go down. You can also change the cooking time from your smartphone.
Smart Egg Tray
Even the person who has everything probably doesn’t have the quirky egg any less. Fill the container with eggs (there can be up to 14 in it), put it in your fridge and connect it to your smartphone, and the Wink app will let you know when you run out of eggs and if they go bad. Of course, you could just look in the fridge – but where’s the fun in that?
Plonk Preserver
While some of us drink a bottle of plonk at once, others prefer to sip more slowly. The EuroCave Plonk Art keeps one or two open bottles of plonk at the ideal serving temperature for up to 10 days, keeping it as fresh and vibrant as the day you opened it.
Air-Fried Cooker
Now you can enjoy “fried” food without breaking your new year’s resolution. The Philips Airfryer gives you that crisp, crunchy texture you love without all the grease — just a spritz of oil is needed. You don’t have to sacrifice the texture of your favorite fried foods, and they won’t ruin your diet: win-win!
powered station
If you plan to change your kitchen in 2016, consider adding a powered station. For many, the perfect place is integrated into the kitchen island, so you can power your electronics all in one location without the hassle of cords.
iPort’s Launch Port serves as a docking and powered station for your iPad. The base station fits your countertop; a wall-mounted version is also available. Both give you easy access to your tablet while you cook, especially useful for those who use their tablets as recipe cards.
Kitchen Tablet
Speaking of tablets in the kitchen, you no longer have to worry about getting food or liquids on yours. The Sony Xperia Tablet Z Kitchen Edition is designed to prevent spills and greasy hands. In fact, Sony says it can be submerged for up to 30 minutes without being damaged.
The tablet is loaded with food and cooking apps, as well as recipes from Saveur magazine. It also comes with a wireless Bluetooth meat thermometer, so your iGrill app will let you know when your roast is ready.
We hope these new kitchen products will give you a head start in 2016. Let us know if you try any of them!