Technological innovation means that the current range of fridges and freezers on the market are undergoing a revolution. Who knows what today’s domestic and commercial kitchens will look like in ten years? Scientists, designers and engineers are working hard to see what’s possible – and one thing’s for certain, the future food preparation environment is going to look better, and perform more rigorously than ever.
The big emerging theme in the world of kitchen technology is that of connectivity. In the same way that many of us are now running our lives on our smartphones, laptops and ipads, our future kitchens will also become increasingly connected. The annual Consumer Electronics Show has given an increasing sense of that over the last few years, with big brands such as LG, Samsung and Whirlpool demonstrating smart fridges, interactive digital displays and remote management systems.
Will we network via social fridges?
Some even believe that kitchen appliances may eventually integrate social media applications, allowing us to chat and interact whilst we cook. Imagine being able to look up a recipe or ask your Mum how long it takes to boil an egg via an integrated fridge app?!. LG were one of the brands showing how users could ultimately communicate with their home appliances, demonstrating at the CES conference, how a partnership with a mobile messaging service could be integrated with a fridge. The Japanese ‘client line’ product was presented with smart management refrigerator software that would enable users to send messages to their fridge from the supermarket and ask whether the milk was running low, or the sausages about to pass their expiry date!
Intelligent kitchen solutions
Commercial fridge freezers and domestic models alike will ultimately be wi-fi enabled, to allow users to take phone calls, and even watch TV shows from screens directly positioned on the fridge. Samsung is just one brand that sees the fridge as being the kitchen’s ideal central hub, and manufacturers are hoping that ultimately, wi-fi enabled and technologically advanced fridge freezers will allow families to come together and be connected. The first model of its kind will shortly be launched in the US market. Keep your eye out for future innovations of this type at Fridge Freezer Direct ltd.
Samsung is also one brand looking at helping users to manage a whole range of kitchen devices via a single app. Whirlpool is looking at ways of bringing all kitchen appliances together onto a single smart system that would allow them to communicate and work together. This would see smart commercial fridge freezers for example, keeping a contents inventory, and then suggest suitable recipes. It would even talk to the oven to allow it to program its settings to cook suitable recipes. However, many believe that we are actually quite a long way away from the reality of smart kitchens, so for now they are perhaps more of a glimpse into the future!
In the meantime, there are plenty of great innovations that are coming onto the market, including intelligent cooling and temperature devices and integrated coffee machines – making your fridge more exciting than ever!
