The kitchen of the future
With the holiday season upon us, we spend more time in our kitchens than at any other time. Baking and decorating cookies and preparing big meals for the family to enjoy are all part of the holiday season. With all this extra time in the kitchen, we thought it would be fitting to cover some trends on the horizon.
Electricity Conducting Tables
A new product called Power-Tap glass is a conductive glass surface that can provide power without any cords. The glass is created by laminating several layers of conductive and non-conductive glass sheets into a single pane that electricity can flow through while remaining transparent. Initially designed for the workplace, this new material also has applications in the kitchen. Imagine setting your blender or mixer on the table and turning it on without any cords or having an integrated, electric stovetop built right into a seamless surface. All of this is possible with this new glass material.
Power-Tap should be available next year. While the see-through glass countertop would look amazing and futuristic for a while, it may become dated rather quickly. If style is important for you, maybe stick to quartz for now. At least you’d have the kitchen of envy for a few years, though!
Super smart refrigerators
How often have you gone to the store and come home only to realize you forgot something? All the time, right? What if your fridge could tell you what’s inside, when it expires, or even provide recipes based on available ingredients?. These intuitive perks could be coming to your kitchen soon.
The new Samsung Family Hub is leading the pack with this smart fridge. Complete with a 21.5 inch tablet-sized display, it can display pictures, stream music, lock your front door, and even use Alexa voice commands. At the store and wonder if you need butter? Using an integrated app, you can see what’s inside at all times. You can also see what’s inside it at any time using an app on your phone. Smart appliances are on their way in, and we can’t wait for the wave of convenience they will bring.
Autonomous waste removal
Another area of kitchen innovation is waste management. Most US households throw food scraps, plastic packaging, and paper products all in the same trash can. Some people recycle, but even fewer compost. 23% of Americans own a compost bin, but 67% of the non-composters would consider if it was more accessible or their community had more resources. One product looking to change this is Kalea. This fully automatic composter creates compost in 48 hours. It is the same size and profile as a trash can, but with a lot of tech built in. Over the course of 48 hours, food passes through different chambers, breaking down into smaller and smaller particles. In the end, nutrient rich soil emerges. The soil can be used for indoor and outdoor plants or stored for up to 2 years!
If you still need a trash can at home, try one that seals and replaces the bag for you. The TOWNEW T1 trash features a sensor that indicates when it’s full. It ties off the bag and opens the lid, so all you have to do is pick it up and throw it out. Once empty, it loads a new bag automatically. It even knows when it’s overfull and will adjust bagging accordingly!
We’ve embraced the blend of technology and traditional design elements, so it only seems fitting for the kitchen to follow suit. Whether you use your grandma’s oven or the newest sleek model, one thing will never change: the kitchen is the heart of the home. Innovation won’t change it’s importance, but will make it savvy for years to come.
