How to add smart kitchen technology to your home

Fancy making everyday life a little easier with some smart kitchen technology? If so, you're not alone. 

It isn't just those who are building a house from scratch that can look into how to set up a smart home - there are plenty of options for those retrofitting too and if you are looking to make everyday tasks run a little more smoothly, the kitchen is a great place to start.

'A kitchen is more than just a space to prepare food, it’s a place for friends and family to gather, eat and work,' says the experts at Leviton. 'As such, it’s important that your kitchen is equipped with the very best smart solutions to make your time spent there easier and more enjoyable.'

Here, we take a look at the best smart home tech to include in a kitchen and how it could enhance and simplify your day-to-day life. 

How to get the most from smart kitchen technology

It can feel a little overwhelming when bombarded with hundreds of smart home must-haves, particularly if you are still a newcomer to the world of smart tech. But it really needn't be complicated to enjoy all the benefits that come with upgrading your kitchen.

'By far the most important consideration is simplicity,' advises Lucy Han vice president of building & home automation solutions at ABB. 'Smart home technology can now help you manage everything from your blinds to your dishwasher – as well as your household energy consumption. The multitude of smart kitchen devices are by different manufacturers yet need to be managed in one place – ideally via a single App. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in device overwhelm.'

To keep things as straightforward as possible, we asked the experts to explain the best ways to use smart home tech in the kitchen for most homeowners.

1. Create a central management system

Despite being one of the biggest 2024 kitchen remodel trends, what puts most people off incorporating smart home tech into their kitchens is the fear that it will be complicated and costly, yet with the right kind of system, this needn't be the case. The key lies in streamlining your system.

'Look out for technologies in the home that are designed to talk to each other,' suggests Lucy Han. 'ABB’s products are ‘open’ systems, which means they easily interconnect. For example, our lighting, heating, energy, door entry systems, and so on can be integrated with Samsung's SmartThings platform. This allows users to centrally manage them and create customized scenes in one central app or touch panel.'

'Be sure to look out for products that are based on the smart home industry standards for networking and connectivity, Matter and Thread," further advises Lucy. "That really is the critical starting point.'

The Amazon Echo Show 15 is a great way to manage all your smart home devices from one screen. 

Lucy Han

Lucy Han was appointed Head of Global Product Group Building and Home Automation Solutions (BHAS) at ABB’s Electrification Smart Buildings Division in March 2023. As a member of the Division Management team for Smart Buildings, Lucy is responsible for driving the ambitious strategic growth plan for the BHAS business worldwide.

Lucy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Building Environment Technologies from Jilin University of Architecture in Changchun, China, a master’s degree in Management Technology & Economics from ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, as well as an MBA with the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland

2. Use smart lighting to make your kitchen the place to be

Smart lighting has to be one of the best starting points for anyone wanting to create a kitchen for all occasions.

'One of the key benefits of smart lighting is convenience,' says Derek Richardson, CEO and founder of Deako. 'Integrate your lighting system with voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. This allows you to control the lights hands-free while cooking or entertaining. Additionally, using a dedicated app on your smartphone gives you complete control over the lighting settings from anywhere in your home.'

There are so many smart lighting benefits when it comes to kitchens and this is one of the best ways to instantly change the mood, tailoring it to whatever activity is going on there, be that homework with the kids or a smart dinner party with friends.

'Set up automated schedules for your kitchen lights. For instance, you can program the lights to gradually brighten in the morning to help you wake up and dim in the evening to create a relaxing atmosphere for dinner,' explains Derek. 'Automation enhances energy efficiency and ensures the lighting matches your daily routine.

'Create customizable lighting scenes for different activities,' continues Derek. 'Whether you’re prepping meals, dining or hosting a gathering, you can easily switch between preset scenes that adjust the lighting to the perfect setting for each occasion. This adds a dynamic and personalized touch to your kitchen experience.'

Even smart light bulbs, such as the TREATLIFE Smart Light Bulbs from Amazon can help create the right mood in an instant.

Derek Richardson

Deako founder Derek is an entrepreneur and business executive with experience in sales, marketing and engineering. He has 18 years of experience. 

3. Organize your life with home tech

The kitchen can be a busy place and we expect a lot from this space. Not only is it the room where we prepare and cook meals, but it is also where families come together, school and work bags get packed, problems get solved and friends gather. As such, even if you have included all the latest kitchen storage trends, it can also get rather chaotic, yet with some clever choices when it comes to smart tech, you can iron out any creases in your daily kitchen routine.

'The kitchen can become a catch-all for grocery lists and sticky note reminders,' points out Katie Arrigan who works on the Amazon Devices and Services team. 'With something like the Echo Show 15, you can create a digital command center to house all of your reminders, shopping lists, and quick notes to family members without overwhelming your counter space and refrigerator real estate.'

3. Free up shelves with a digital library

The future of kitchen design lies in incorporating easy ways to declutter your space and simplify your routine. If you are guilty of cookbook hoarding, it might be time to rethink – after all, how many times have you completely ignored those groaning shelves full of recipe books and headed straight to the internet for instructions on how to create your next culinary masterpiece?

'Replace your cookbooks with a digital library,' advises Katie Arrigan. 'Cooking requires both hands, so it can be difficult to flip through the pages of a book when you elbow deep in a flour mixture. Using a product like the Echo Show 15 you can ask Alexa to share recipes by just sharing a few ingredients you have in your fridge. Simply say, 'Alexa, share a recipe using Pomodoro sauce, eggs, and parmesan', and Alexa will share a range of recipes that fit your needs!'

4. Put safety first with smart smoke detectors

While much of the time homeowners tend to focus on the entertainment-based side of smart home tech, it can actually come in useful when it comes to ensuring the safety of your household too.

'I believe that the best smart home technology you can incorporate into your kitchen is technology that keeps you safe,' says Hooman Shahidi, VP of product at SimpliSafe. 'Smart smoke detectors, for example, are pertinent smart home technologies that should be incorporated into every home kitchen. Some - such as SimpliSafe’s 2-in-1 smoke & carbon monoxide detector – can even distinguish between smoke from burning food and smoke from a dangerous fire, so you aren’t unnecessarily bothered with a loud alarm after you burn a pancake or two.'

It is also possible to fit smart devices that detect carbon monoxide, as well as water leaks, providing real-time alerts. If you don't decide to use a smart smoke detector, be sure to look into how often to check your smoke detector.

The X-Sense Smart Carbon Monoxide Detector from Amazon can be directly connected to your smartphone for real-time notifications. 

5. Combine smart lighting with music for the perfect vibe

The kitchen tends to be the room towards which everyone gravitates – no matter how hard you try to encourage guests to spread out into other areas of the home. Stop fighting this phenomenon and instead kit your kitchen out to be able to adapt to whatever social occasion is required of it. 

There are smart home devices out there that not only allow you to control your lighting scheme, but that also combine this function with music – perfect in kitchens for entertaining. 

'If you’re looking for simple ways to set the scene in your kitchen, a product such as the Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi 2nd Gen Scene Controller, from Amazon is perfect for you,' says Leviton's experts. 'You can use the My Leviton app to set custom scenes and automation activities for whatever mood you’re in – from anywhere in your house. Ready for dinner with the family? Use your custom 'Dinner Time' setting to dim the lights to your liking and even play your favorite dinner time music.'

6. Use automated lighting for midnight snacking

Whether you work shifts or have members of the household who enjoy nocturnal trips to the refrigerator, smart home tech can help. 

'Smart lighting can enhance safety in the kitchen,' says Derek Richardson. 'Use motion-activated lights to illuminate pathways during late-night visits to the kitchen.'

Using the right smart lighting is one of the best home security tips too, helping to deter unwanted visitors.

'We are firm believers that integrating smart lighting with your home security system can deter burglars by giving the appearance that someone is home, even when you’re away,' says Derek.

A good low-cost option would be the Matane Motion Sensor LED Ceiling Light with Remote from Amazon.

7. Save on your bills with smart devices

There can be few homeowners who aren't on the lookout for ways to save on household bills and while smart home tech requires some initial financial outlay, it can actually help you budget better in the long run. 

'Smart devices such as smart lighting sensors can help save on utility bills by turning off lights when the kitchen is not in use,' points out Joel Worthington, president of Mr. Electric, a Neighborly company. 'Smart faucets can help save on water consumption as they will run water when activated and automatically shut off. Smart leak detectors can shut off water when a leak is detected – the best way to find and fix common household leaks fast.'

The KRAUS Oletto Touchless Sensor Pull-Down Single Handle Kitchen Faucet from Amazon is super convenient. 

Joel Worthington

Joel oversees operations of 170 North American franchise locations and international master franchisees.

Established in 1994, Mr. Electric® is a global franchise organization providing electrical installation and repair services. Mr. Electric franchisees provide these services to both residential and commercial customers at almost 200 locations worldwide. Mr. Electric is a subsidiary of the Neighborly® family of service franchises.

8. Make cooking less of a chore with smart appliances

Your choice of kitchen appliances is key to how well your space works for you and this is where smart technology can really come into its own, helping future-proof your home for later life.

Everything from how you cook your food to how you store it can now benefit from the newest in the world of kitchen appliances that integrate systems to help make your life easier.

Cookers were perhaps one of the first appliances to get a smart home tech makeover, with most manufacturers now offering products that can do anything from calculate cooking times and sense when food is ready, to cleaning themselves.

The Whirlpool Smart 30-in Electric Range from Lowes, for example, lets you send cooking instructions to the oven from your smartphone, control your kitchen with voice commands and even scan food barcodes with your smartphone or tablet to send cooking instructions straight to your oven.

Three of the best smart countertop appliances

9. Never run out of the essentials with a smart refrigerator

When buying a refrigerator, bear in mind that these too have got in on the smart tech act. Take Samsung's AI Vision Inside, a model that uses an internal camera to see when fresh food items are put in or taken out to help you manage your food shopping list from the SmartThings App. It also allows you to view images of what is in the door bins and suggest recipes based on their contents - it even lets you manage use by dates.

It is also worth exploring the Samsung 28-cu ft 4-Door Smart French Door Refrigerator with Ice Maker from Lowes, which is Wi-Fi and Bixby enabled so you can use your smartphone to control the temperature and monitor it remotely.

You can even use kitchen smart tech when it comes to smaller kitchen fittings - consider faucets with sensors for hands-free water usage.

10. Control your kitchen windows and doors smartly

And finally, all kitchens need a good source of natural light and fresh air – so why not incorporate some natural light boosting hacks in the form of smart tech into your windows and doors while you are giving this room an upgrade?

'Windows and doors play a critical component in home design, especially in heavily used spaces like kitchens,' says Christine Marvin, chief marketing and experience officer at Marvin.

There is now a range of windows that allow you to set up customized schedules depending on your activities, as well as those that feature responsive reactions to outdoor conditions. 

'Marvin Connected Home is a system of smart windows and doors that make it easy for homeowners to operate windows and doors with a home automation system, voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, the Marvin Home app, a wall switch or on-unit control buttons,' continues Christine.

'This is an ideal solution above a kitchen island, where added daylight is a bonus while cooking and supplemental lighting provides a needed boost for evening meal prep.'

Check out the Amazon Echo Studio which features Dolby Atmos, spatial audio processing technology, and Alexa.

FAQs

How can you you connect the kitchen to the rest of the home?

While smart tech is incredibly useful in the kitchen, there is no reason why you should stop there – in fact, it makes sense to look at ways of expanding out your home tech while you are in the process of using it to simplify your life.

"Consider your kitchen design in the context of your whole home," advises Lucy Han. "Ask yourself (and your designers or installers) questions about room-to-room control, sustainability, energy management, electric vehicle (EV) charging, security, and so on. Our homes are our castles and should be designed around the way you live; safely, securely, and reliably.” 

What lighting is best in kitchens?

Smart lighting aside, what is the best lighting for a kitchen? While we have talked about the many benefits of smart lighting, it is important not to overlook your overall lighting design – as a room that needs to be both functional as well as a pleasure to spend time in, the types of lighting and the way they are set out is crucial.

'To create a versatile and efficient kitchen environment, consider layering your lighting,' suggests Derek Richardson. 'Use a combination of overhead lights, under-cabinet lighting, and accent lights. Color temperature adjusting bulbs and fixtures with smart dimmers allow you to adjust the brightness and color temperature to suit different tasks and moods.'

Still unsure of which smart features to invest in? Take a look at the smart home features designers love for some inspiration and advice – from water-saving devices to smart doorbells.