The Best Smart Kitchen Appliances for 2021

There are ways to cook with your phone that don’t involve ordering delivery through an app. If you love cooking and technology, connected appliances and kitchen devices are the ideal gadgets for your smart home. They can automate parts of the cooking process, keep you updated on the progress of your food, or simply make sure you’re following a recipe correctly.

Smart kitchen gadgets are as varied as any kitchen appliance. There are broad, multi-purpose devices like ovens. There are specific but common tools like coffee makers. And there are unique but incredibly useful appliances you might not have heard of before but won’t know how you lived without, like immersion circulators. Whether you live in the kitchen or just brew coffee and toast bagels, there’s an appliance that can make your culinary life easier.

Helpful Gadgets

You don’t need to replace your appliances to make your kitchen smarter. Inexpensive, easy-to-store devices like the Meater+ can improve your cooking and help you out with cleanup. They’re usually under $100, and tuck into kitchen drawers and cabinets when you’re not using them.

The Meater+ is a Bluetooth-connected monitor that uses wireless probes to measure the temperature of your meat as it’s cooking. You don’t need even need to stick around the whole time to watch the numbers rise, since it connects with an app on your mobile device to let you know that something has reached its desired temperature.

Immersion Circulators (Sous Vide)

Sous vide is a relatively new cooking technique (at least, new in the timespan of the culinary sciences) that has become particularly popular in the last few years, so it’s only appropriate that multiple connected sous vide devices have popped up lately.

Cooking sous vide involves vacuum sealing food (though a carefully pressed freezer bag will do in a pinch) and immersing it in a water bath kept at a very precise temperature. The sealing process ensures that no moisture is lost, and the water temperature ensures the food can’t overcook. The result is tender, perfectly cooked food, often then quickly seared on a pan to provide a crisp outer texture.

You can cook sous vide using a big sous vide machine with its own water bath, or you can simply put an immersion circulator on the side of a stock pot or large plastic box. We’ve tested several immersion circulators, all available for $200 or less. Their designs and controls are different, but they all do exactly what they have to: heat the water to your desired temperature, down to the degree.

Countertop Appliances

If you have the space on your counter, you can get high-tech cooking devices that do all the work for you. The Tovala Steam Oven, for instance, is a super-functional multi-purpose smart oven capable of baking, broiling, and steaming foods through app control and QR codes. The Brava Oven is similar, with a touch screen and an app that let you access a library of recipes and cooking presets.

The AmazonBasics Microwave, meanwhile, costs about the same as any other small 700-watt microwave, and instead of direct app control, you can simply use Alexa voice commands to cook. It isn’t terribly powerful, and you need a separate Echo device to use the voice functionality, but it’s priced similarly to models that don’t do nearly as much, making it a great buy for Alexa users.

Going Bigger

If you have the money to spend, you can get smart versions of large appliances, too. Companies like LG and Samsung have been working on connected refrigerators and ovens for a few years now. Some let you check their status through your phone so you can make sure things are working properly and that you have enough ice. Others have their own touch screen and can function as a communication center for your home, and even have cameras inside so you see what you’re low on while you’re out shopping.

These larger smart appliances carry a significant premium, and you can expect to spend several thousand dollars on each. On the bright side, they tend to be equivalent to the highest-end non-smart appliances from manufacturers, in terms of design, build quality, and features. You can expect stainless steel finishes and other very nice touches you won’t find on cheaper options.

Read our reviews for a closer look at each of these smart kitchen gadgets. You just might find your favorite new appliance.

For cooking in the great outdoors, head over to our picks for The Best Smart Grilling and BBQ Gadgets. And if you want to improve your skills in the kitchen without having to step foot in the grocery store, check out our list of The Best Meal Delivery Services.