快速的谷歌搜索(Google search)将显示数十篇关于“如何构建终极智能家居”的文章。大多数所有这些文章都在谈论智能照明(smart lighting)、智能锁，有时甚至是智能百叶窗——但很少涉及家庭的核心：厨房！“智能”厨房电器无处不在，但大多数往往来自规模较小、知名度较低的公司。这也意味着并非所有人都可以一起玩得很好。
虽然遗憾的是没有机器人会为您做饭和清洁，但本文将引导您完成构建真正互联、真正“智能”厨房(” kitchen)的过程，让日常烹饪和清洁工作更加方便。
带上智能冰箱（三星(Samsung)）
如果说厨房是家的心脏，那么冰箱就是厨房的心脏。智能冰箱不仅仅是连接设备；有些，比如三星 Family Hub 冰箱(Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator)，有一个内置的语音助手(voice assistant)，可以播放音乐、从Grub Hub订购食物(order food)等等。最方便的功能是三个内置摄像头，无论您身在何处，都可以检查冰箱的内容。
没有什么比去
杂货店(grocery store)忘记你是否需要特定的食物更糟糕的了——除了回到家并意识到你必须再去一次商店。查看冰箱内部的能力完全消除了这个问题。
除了内部人员查看(insider look)冰箱内容外，三星 Family Hub(Samsung Family Hub)还可以让您创建带有自定义图片和注释的个性化“主屏幕”。内置的
SmartThings 应用程序(SmartThings app)使您能够从一个(home—from one)地方控制厨房和家中的所有其他设备。
使用智能烤箱进行智能烹饪
如果您搜索智能烤箱，您找到的绝大多数结果都是关于智能烤箱(toaster)的。对于真正的烤箱装置，市场上没有那么多选择。胡佛愿景(Hoover Vision)是个例外。
这款 80 升电动智能烤箱(smart oven)具有一些有趣的功能，使其在竞争中脱颖而出。其中之一是内置摄像头，可让您检查您正在烹饪的食物的状态，而无需打开门并冒着菜的风险。
纱门可以显示食谱、说明，并让您能够根据您制作的菜肴输入具体说明。您还可以一目了然地了解菜肴完成前还剩多少时间。
在市场上所有可用的智能烤箱中，Hoover Vision是最强大的产品之一。主要的缺点是它不能很好地与其他智能家居技术配合使用，并且与语音助手不兼容。
使用智能微波炉更好地流行（亚马逊(Amazon)）
智能微波炉？什么？
这是大多数人对智能微波炉的想法的反应，但大多数人忽视的设备有很多好处。Amazon Basics Smart Microwave是智能微波炉最实惠和最容易使用的示例之一。只需 60 美元，它就在大多数人的预算之内。
预设语音(Preset voice)命令可以轻松放入食物并解冻(food item and defrost)，制作爆米花，煮米饭(cook rice)等等。Amazon Basics Smart Microwave连接到Alexa 设备(Alexa unit)（尽管默认情况下
不附带），以便轻松输入命令。如果您通过微波炉重新订购爆米花，您最多可以节省 10%。这是双赢的，对吧？
除了智能功能外，
Amazon Basics 智能微波炉(Amazon Basics Smart Microwave)还具有十个功率级别、内置定时器、儿童锁和旋转转盘。即使您只是在寻找便宜的微波炉，这个也可以完成工作。
用 Drop 烤得更好（亚马逊(Amazon)）
Drop确实是一款独特的厨房工具，但它也展示了智能家居技术(home tech)的巧妙之处。如果您曾经尝试烘烤任何东西，那么您就会知道每种成分的测量必须有多精确才能确保菜肴的成功。这就是为什么烘焙和烹饪(baking and cooking)被认为是两种完全不同的艺术的原因之一——烘焙一个好的蛋糕需要一定程度的经验。
Drop是一款带有
配套应用程序(companion app)的厨房秤。只需(Just)选择您想要制作的食谱，Drop将帮助您确保您拥有正确顺序的必要成分。如果您正在为对食物敏感的人做饭，该应用程序甚至会建议某些成分的替代品。
(Wash Smarter)使用智能洗碗机更智能地(Smart Dishwasher)清洗（百思买(Best Buy)）
这需要一点解释。智能洗碗机具有有趣的功能，但由于它实际上不会为您装载餐具，而且您不太可能在不开始洗涤的情况下走开，因此可能需要一段时间才能了解为什么其中一个是必要的。我在这里提到它是为了包括所有主要的厨房用具。
市场上最好的选择之一是
三星 Linear Wash 24"(Samsung Linear Wash 24″) 洗碗机(Dishwasher)。是主力吗？安静。这款洗碗机的噪音仅为 38 分贝，不会在您每次饭后需要清理时都引起轰动。洗完碗后门会自动打开，让空气在整个浴缸中循环，您可以通过智能手机监控完成前的时间。
但是等等，还有更多
智能厨房(kitchen isn)不仅仅由“厨房”小工具组成。房间需要功能齐全，这意味着你必须能够看到。你最后一次因为手脏而不得不用肘部笨拙地拨动开关是什么时候？
安装一套智能灯，这不会是一个问题。虽然飞利浦 Hue 是一个不错的选择(Philips Hue are a great option)（尤其是现在他们的一些灯泡不再需要Hue Bridge才能运行），但市场上也有更具成本效益的选择。宜家和通用电气(as well as GE)生产一系列智能灯泡(IKEA produces a line of smart bulbs)。
(Pair)将这些智能灯与Google Home或Amazon Alexa等智能助手(Amazon Alexa)配对，您就可以开展业务了。您可以发出快速语音命令(voice command)来调亮或调暗灯光。也许更重要的是快速设置计时器的能力。智能助手可以同时设置多个计时器——非常适合同时烹饪四种不同食物的日子。
有许多工具和设备可以改善您的厨房体验(kitchen experience)，但它们并不适合所有人。另一方面，上面提到的冰箱、洗碗机、烤箱和微波炉等智能电器可以改变您日常烹饪的方式。其他设备（例如智能咖啡壶(coffee pot)）可以改善您的咖啡游戏(coffee game)，让您每天早上起来为第一杯咖啡而兴奋不已。可能性是无限的。
智能家居(Smart home)技术只会不断进步。如果其中一些设备现在看起来遥不可及(reach right)（或者太贵了，比如 4,000 美元以上的智能冰箱），那就等着吧。随着该领域的发展，消费者可以使用的选择也将随之而来。随着时间的推移，更多设备将能够协同工作并创建一个厨房，就像您记得的The Jetsons 厨房一样。(The Jetsons. )
How to Build a Smart Kitchen
A quick Google search will reveal dozens
upon dozens of articles on “how to build the ultimate smart home.”
Most all of these articles talk about smart lighting, smart locks, and
sometimeѕ even smart blinds—but few touch on the heart оf the home: the kitсhen!
“Smart” kіtchen appliances are evеrywhere, but most tеnd to come from
smaller, lesser-known cоmpanies. Αnd this also means that not all of them play
well together.
While there are sadly no robots that will
cook and clean for you, this article will walk you through the process of
building a truly connected, truly “smart” kitchen that makes the
day-to-day tasks of cooking and cleaning more convenient.
Bring in a Smart Fridge (Samsung)
If the kitchen is the heart of the home,
then the refrigerator is the heart of the kitchen. Smart refrigerators are more
than just connected devices; some, like the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator, has
a built-in voice assistant that can play music, order food from Grub Hub, and
much more. The most convenient feature are the three built-in cameras that let
you check the contents of your fridge no matter where you are.
Nothing is worse than getting to the
grocery store and forgetting whether you need a specific food item—except
getting back home and realizing you have to make another trip to the store. The
ability to look inside your fridge completely eliminates that problem.
In addition to an insider look at the
contents of your fridge, the Samsung Family Hub lets you create a personalized
“home screen” with custom pictures and notes. The built-in
SmartThings app gives you the ability to control all of the other devices in
your kitchen—and your home—from one place.
Cook Smart With a Smart Oven
If you do a search for smart ovens, the vast majority of results you turn up will be about smart toaster ovens. There aren’t as many options on the market for a true oven unit. The Hoover Vision is the exception to that.
This 80-liter electric smart oven has a few interesting features that make it stand out from the competition. One of these is a built-in camera that lets you check the status of what you’re cooking without opening the door and risking the dish.
The screen door can display recipes, instructions, and gives you the ability to enter specific instructions depending on the dish you make. You can also get at-a-glance information on how much time is left before a dish is finished.
Of all of the available smart ovens on the market, the Hoover Vision is one of the strongest offerings out there. The major downside is that it doesn’t exactly work well with other smart home tech and isn’t compatible with voice assistants.
Pop Better With a Smart Microwave (Amazon)
A smart microwave? What?
That’s the reaction most people have to the
idea of a smart microwave, but there are quite a few benefits to the device
that most people overlook. One of the most affordable and accessible examples
of a smart microwave is the Amazon Basics Smart Microwave. At just $60, it’s
well within most people’s budgets.
Preset voice commands make it easy to pop
in a food item and defrost it, make popcorn, cook rice and much more. The
Amazon Basics Smart Microwave connects to an Alexa unit (although it doesn’t
come with one by default) to make entering commands easy. And if you reorder
popcorn through the microwave, you can save up to 10%. It’s a win-win, right?
In addition to the smart features, the
Amazon Basics Smart Microwave has ten power levels, a built-in timer, child
lock, and revolving turntable. Even if you’re just looking for an inexpensive
microwave, this one gets the job done.
Bake Better With Drop (Amazon)
Drop really is a unique tool for the
kitchen, but it also shows just how ingenious smart home tech has become. If
you’ve ever tried to bake anything, then you know how precise the measurements
for each ingredient have to be to ensure the success of the dish. It’s one of
the reasons why baking and cooking are considered two totally separate
arts—there is a level of experience required to bake a good cake.
The Drop is a kitchen scale with a
companion app. Just select the recipe you want to make, and Drop will help you
make sure you have the necessary ingredients in the right order. The app even
suggests alternatives to certain ingredients if you are cooking for someone
with food sensitivities.
Wash Smarter With a Smart Dishwasher (Best Buy)
This one requires a bit of explanation. A
smart dishwasher has interesting features, but since it doesn’t actually load
the dishes for you and you aren’t likely to walk away without starting the
wash, it can be a stretch to see why one of these is necessary. I mention it
here for the sake of including all the major kitchen appliances.
One of the best options on the market is
Samsung Linear Wash 24″ Dishwasher. It’s main strength? Silence. At just
38 decibels, this dishwasher won’t cause a racket every time you need to clean
up after a meal. The door automatically opens when the dishes are done to let
air circulate throughout the tub, and you can monitor the time until completion
via your smartphone.
But Wait, There’s More
A smart kitchen isn’t composed only of “kitchen” gadgets. The room needs to be functional, and that means you have to be able to see. When is the last time you had to awkwardly flip a switch with your elbow because your hands were dirty?
Install a set of smart lights, and that won’t be a problem. While the Philips Hue are a great option (especially now that some of their bulbs no longer require the Hue Bridge to operate), there are also more cost-effective options on the market. IKEA produces a line of smart bulbs, as well as GE.
Pair those smart lights with a smart
assistant like the Google Home or the Amazon Alexa and you’re in business. You
can give a quick voice command to brighten or dim the lights. Perhaps even more
important is the ability to quickly set a timer. Smart assistants can have
multiple timers set at once—perfect for those days when you’re cooking four
different things at once.
There are a host of tools and devices that
can improve your kitchen experience, but they aren’t for everyone. On the other
hand, smart appliances like the fridge, dishwasher, oven, and microwave
mentioned above can change the way you approach cooking on a day-to-day basis.
Other devices like a smart coffee pot can improve your coffee game and make you
excited to roll out of bed for that first cup of joe every morning. The
possibilities are limitless.
Smart home technology will only continue to
improve. If some of these devices seem out of reach right now (or just too
expensive, like the $4,000+ smart fridge), just wait. As the field advances, so
too will the options available to consumers. In time, more devices will be able
to work together and create a kitchen like the one you remember from The Jetsons.
