Smart technology innovations for your kitchen

A chocolate maker, combi-oven, voice-controlled faucet and more

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held every January in Las Vegas is traditionally when the biggest innovations across all categories of consumer electronics are announced. This year the show was completely virtual, which allowed me to participate in Monday’s Food Tech Live Expo and Summit sponsored by The Spoon. I was overwhelmed hearing and seeing all the talk yesterday. There were advancements in 3D food printing, plant-based food, cultured meat, personalized nutrition, food delivery, connected appliances, a kitchen OS that uses a voice interface, artificial intelligence, and the list goes on. While I’m not running out any time soon to buy the LG fridge with a Bluetooth speaker and a built-in Alexa, I did see a number of new products that appeal to the home cook in me.

CocoTerra Chocolate Maker

To be more specific, CocoTerra appeals to the chocoholic in me. The company has developed a tabletop chocolate maker that stands 13” tall, connects to the Internet and that makes customized chocolate from bean to bar in a couple hours. I never knew I needed a chocolate maker! When I told my techie, health-conscious son about CocoTerra, the first thing he said was, “I’ve been wanting to make my own chocolate.” Of course he has. I can see it now. A dairy-free, refined sugar-free and antioxidant-rich chocolate concoction. This is the beauty of the chocolate maker. You can pick ingredients according to your personal tastes and dietary needs or preferences, and even add designs or decorations to suit a birthday or sport event. The company also plans to sell a curated selection of cocoa nibs and other ingredients, some of which will be certified fair-trade, organic, sustainably grown and/or ethically harvested. The company hasn’t announced availability, but this could be worth waiting for. See the CocoTerra chocolate maker in action.

Anova Precision Oven

The new Anova Precision Oven is a fancy “combi-oven” that enables the home cook (pretty sure they were talking to me) to control both heat and humidity for perfect, more precise results. In addition to the combi-cooking with continuous steam and a detachable water tank, the oven also features precision convection cooking, a 50-percent faster sous-vide mode without using bags, and core temperature cooking. It can also replace your air fryer. The chief marketing officer at Anova Culinary made Everything Bagels in his demo that looked ahh-mazing. That right there was enough to sell me. (Coincidentally, the same day my sister made a tray of mouth-watering pretzels, which I’m pretty sure would be easy-peasy in this oven.) Imagine baking loaves of sourdough bread and baguettes with the perfect crust, spring and crumb, thanks to the controllable steam injection. A Wi-Fi connection lets you set your oven remotely and keep tabs on dinner with your smartphone. My mom always says, “Dinner doesn’t cook itself,” but I’m thinking it might do just that. The Precision Oven is currently offered as a countertop oven (22.4 x 17.7 x 14.1 in) but a built-in option may be on the horizon. Move over toaster oven (it toasts too!), the $599 Anova Precision Oven is going on my kitchen-upgrade list. I smell artisan loaves, bagels and pretzels in my future.

U by Moen voice-activated smart faucet

My future self is also dreaming about the U by Moen smart faucet, which was honored with a CES Best of Innovation 2021 award (along with the LG InstaView ThinQ With Voice Recognition mentioned above). This faucet is more than handsfree. It uses intuitive voice-controlled technology enabling you to communicate with your faucet through a smart speaker or existing smart home ecosystem. Ask the faucet to pour one cup of water at the desired temperature for your recipe. Create personalized presets for the amount of water your plants need to drink. Tell your kids how long to wash their hands. In addition to your voice, you can control the faucet via a touchless sensor control, the normal handle control, and through the Moen app. The aesthetics of this faucet don’t disappoint either. It comes in four beautiful finishes: matte black, brushed gold, spot resist stainless, nio matte black with gold handle, and black stainless. Prices look like they’ll start at $430 and go up based on the design and finish of the faucet.

Bonbowl mini-induction cooktop

A somewhat simpler innovation is the Bonbowl mini-induction cooktop that comes with a single-serving cook bowl that sits on top. Where was this when my kids were in college? This is a way better (and safer in a dorm room) college gift than the George Foreman grill (sorry, George). Designed for an individual to cook and eat from the same dish, Bonbowl eliminates the need for a full stovetop and multiple pots and pans. The founder created Bonbowl with the idea of making easy-to-cook, healthy, 15-minute or less homemade meals accessible to more people. I can see college students and city dwellers with space-constrained apartments, as well as empty nesters, whipping up bowls of quinoa, veggies, pasta, curry dishes or Chipotle-copycats on a whim. I have a friend who is currently remodeling her kitchen and trying to cook out of the laundry room. Bonbowl to the rescue! Bonbowl costs $149 and they currently have a $30 off promo for college students.

Cuzen Matcha system

Cuzen Matcha is an at-home matcha system that freshly grinds the matcha leaves, maintaining a higher level of antioxidants than pre-ground matcha powder. The design of this machine is so beautiful that it makes me want to drink matcha, which I actually only tried for the first time over the holidays. If you’re a regular at-home matcha drinker, you probably drink pre-ground matcha, however traditional tea masters grind matcha powder just before serving so the drink is at the height of its freshness. The Cuzen Matcha system was developed by two life-long friends committed to sustainability. Their system includes shade-grown organic Japanese tea leaves, a ceramic mill for grinding, and a magnetic whisk. It not only looks fresh and modern on your countertop, but it gives you a perfectly frothy cup of freshly ground matcha. The starter kit retails for $369. Serious matcha drinkers will want to sign up for the subscription plan.

PantryChic Storage System

The PantryChic Smart Storage System piqued my interest, especially since I recently wrote a blog on conquering your pantry. PantryChic was founded by Nikki Lee, an entrepreneur and mother of three, who invented the system to simplify the process of cooking and baking, make storage of ingredients less messy and guarantee consistent results. The Smart Storage System is a multifunctional appliance that stores, measures, auto-converts, dispenses and weighs dry ingredients. It consists of a base unit with a built-in interface and airtight SmartCanisters that connect to the top of the base and dispense ingredients directly into your bowl. Paired with the Chefling app, you can customize dietary preferences and even manage ingredients in your pantry. Her premise is that to achieve consistent results, weighing your ingredients is always better. With this system, you don’t need to fiddle with a scale for some things, measuring cups and spoons for others. You basically press a button and voilá, you get the amount you need. It’s an investment at $349.95 for the Starter Kit, but right now you can take advantage of this promo.

CHEF iQ Smart Cooker

The CHEF iQ Smart Cooker is not brand new but somehow, I missed the memo on this one! CHEF iQ is an electric pressure cooker similar to the Instant Pot. It has settings for: Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Steam, Sear/Sauté and Ferment. But the feature that I’m excited about is the built-in scale, which uses a Bluetooth connection. You just eyeball how much rice to dump into the cooker and then based on the weight; it will automatically calculate the amount of liquid needed and tell you when to stop pouring. Anyone else had their Instant Pot “burn” display light up because the liquid ran out? Oh, maybe that was just me cooking a pot full of beets that stuck to the bottom. After initial set up, WiFi facilitates communication with an app that provides more than 200 guided recipes. The company says its cooker gets smarter over time thanks to over-the-air firmware updates. The CHEF iQ is available for $149 on sites like Amazon and Target.

How much kitchen tech do we need?

As technology continues to advance and make our kitchens smarter, I have to stop and think about how much technology we actually need in our kitchens. The kitchen is the center of the home and therefore, it makes sense that it should be “smart” and “connected.” However, I realized It’s often the simpler kitchen tech innovations that sit on counters and don’t need internet connections that become popular with the masses. Things like the Instant Pot. And the air fryer. Me, I’ll never get rid of my KitchenAid and it’s not connected. But, handsfree interaction using my voice to communicate with a recipe on my phone or tablet (which are always covered with food) to aid me in the cooking process makes total sense. I’m not ready for robotic arms to help me chop or to relinquish my grocery list to my fridge. I still want to create, to be in control and accept accolades for the success of the food experience.