If there are two brands that stand out in the appliance category at CES it’s Whirlpool and Kitchen Aid for the simple reason that they have some of the coolest cooking gear at the show.
Many years ago, Australians were familiar with the catchphrase “Does your mother have a Whirlpool” now the brand that was once a household name is set to make a comeback with appliances that are cutting edge.
Take the all new WLabs Smart Countertop Oven, it’s a small kitchen appliance that on the outside looks remarkably plain and stylish and looks like a microwave. But on the inside, it houses big features for intelligent baking broiling and grilling.
There’s a real-time video feed for checking food as its cooks.
The oven monitors internal temperature to keep food healthy but not overdone.
Algorithms for different foods, including frozen foods, allow the oven to preheat itself to keep cooking times as efficient as possible.
And the oven integrates with voice assistants like Google Home and Alexa.
Then there is the Whirlpool Connected Wall Oven.
This adds a transparent screen through which you can view all sorts of helpful apps while cooking. Navigate the interface to find recipes, shop for deliveries, view cooking instruction videos, and check how cooked your food is. You can also adjust the interface depending on your space.
Whirlpool describes this as an augmented reality “concept”.
Also, on show is the KitchenAid Smart Oven+.
This device includes powered grill, steamer, and baking stone attachments to expand what you can do with this oven beyond basic cooking.
Unlike previous “smart ovens” that were little more than connected toaster ovens, the Smart Oven+ is a full-sized oven that fits into the wall of the home.
The Grill attachment helps to minimize smoke output and reduce flare-ups from food with particularly low smoke points. Whirlpool claims that this results in a better taste, but it also helps prevent your lunch from setting off your fire alarm.
The Steamer attachment makes it easy to cook pasta, fish, and vegetables for up to a family of four. The Baking Stone speeds up the baking process, heating up in half the time of a non-integrated stone.
This new smart oven features a 4.5-inch LCD touch display and can also be controlled through a KitchenAid app, so you can check on your culinary creation from anywhere in the house.
Voice assistant integration with Alexa and Google Assistant make it easy to control the oven when your hands are busy elsewhere.
At this stage it’s not known when the products will be released in Australia.
