How to Build a Smart Kitchen

You don’t have to tear down walls or take out a second mortgage to build a smart kitchen. Your dream can start with small smart kitchen appliance or device. Best of all, you can make smart updates that won’t break the bank. We picked top smart gadgets in every price range to help you start.

When you hear about smart homes, smart devices, and (yes!) smart kitchens, it usually refers to something connected via IoT (Internet of Things) technology, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi.

Because a smart device connects to other tech, it's easy to control remotely via a phone app or a smart home platform like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

When it comes to a kitchen, smart products can make things more efficient, more precise, and safer. But we don’t think all smart kitchen gadgets need to rely on high-tech communication to upgrade your kitchen.

While most of the products we recommend to transform your regular kitchen into a smart one are straightforward smart devices, we also threw in a few innovative gadgets to make your life easier without a wireless connection.

Once you understand what goes into a smart kitchen, it’s time to start putting your wish list together:

• You can go all-in and build out a cutting-edge, fully-integrated smart kitchen starting with a smart speaker or smart display to add voice control to your gadgets.
• You can go big with a voice-controlled faucet and a custom and high-tech connected oven.
• You can start smaller—test the waters with a few affordable smart gadgets and see where it goes from there.
• You can opt for the best of both worlds—mixing a few pricier smart appliances (like a coffee maker or slow cooker) with some budget-friendly smart devices.

This is the fun part! After you sort out your smart kitchen desires, it’s time to make it happen. Whether you go big or start small, start with our smart kitchen recommendations below. To make it easy for you, we grouped them for easy reference—no matter your budget!

You don’t have to be rich, famous, or even very tech-savvy to infuse your kitchen with some smarts. Whether you wish you had two extra hands or want to stop tears from pouring while you chop onions, there’s a smart kitchen device to help you out.

Because we can’t all afford to build a smart kitchen from scratch, we wanted to find affordable products that could enhance any kitchen at any budget. We looked for products that incorporate smart technology and other innovations to make your cooking adventures easier. Here are our favorites—and every one is under $50.

If you’re ready to dip more than a toe into the pool of smart kitchen technology, here are some great options to help you get your feet wet. Just be warned that these can be a gateway to full-on smart kitchen appliances. We’ve got smart water bottles and smart coffee makers—plus a smart kitchen hack to cook sous vide like a pro!

It’s surprising to see how much smart kitchen you can get for under $100. These tools use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to help you dazzle your friends and family with pro-level cooking skills. And if you want to improve your nutrition and build healthy eating habits, we found a smart gadget for that too.

At this price point, we start to branch out into the world of smart appliances. Although each item we recommend here is a small appliance, they all deliver extra convenience (and fun!) thanks to smart technology.

Now we’re diving into the deep end—these are the coolest connected appliances and fixtures that will truly transform your “dumb” kitchen into a smart one. These devices, like a smart oven, robot vacuum, and smart faucet help you cook, wash, clean and keep track of your family with nothing more than a voice command or the swipe of your finger.

The best part is that you can add a high-end smart appliance to your current kitchen. You don’t have to build out a brand-new connected kitchen remodel to take advantage of these features.

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