Guidemaster: Smart kitchen appliances for the modern home cook (2024)

Kitchen appliances are becoming smarter every day, and these tech gadgets make cooking and imagining fresh, healthy recipes much easier while also being fun to use. Whether you want fresh pasta or you need to toast bread, these gadgets can help a novice home cook in little to no time.

The best part about many of these connected kitchen gear optionis is that you can control them from the comfort of your couch through Wi-Fi-connected apps. Soon, you'll be able to transform fresh, local ingredients into healthy meals, so say goodbye to those store-bought frozen dinners.

Here are some of the best products for anyone wanting to step up their kitchen game in a modern way.

Philips Pasta Maker

There’s simply no comparison between homemade pasta versus the dried, store-bought variety. With the Philips Pasta Maker, you can enjoy fresh, homemade pasta any night of the week.

The Philips Pasta Maker makes making fresh pasta dough easier than ever. All you need is flour and water (eggs are optional). It comes with a custom measuring cup for both the flour and liquid, so there’s no need to pull out any other tools and measure. The machine is designed to make the liquid pour slowly into the flour, which the machine combines by itself for just three minutes. Your pasta suddenly starts coming out in the shape of whichever attachment you choose. That process takes about five more minutes, after which you have homemade pasta. There is no need to let the dough rest. And since it’s fresh, it takes significantly less time to cook.

Quality does not suffer compared to the traditional hand-made, homemade pasta, even though it’s made in a machine. You can also customize the final results by mixing in fresh ingredients, like spinach, for a fresh, healthy green pasta. Rather use semolina flour? Go right ahead.

Clean-up is always the dreaded part of cooking, but Philips designed its Pasta Maker to ease some of this headache. The removable parts are dishwasher-safe, and the rotator is non-stick, which makes cleaning off the sticky dough remnants a cinch. The machine also comes with a durable little pick that helps you get the dough out of the small holes in each attachment.

The good

• Very simple to use
• Works efficiently
• Pasta comes out delicious

The bad

• Cleaning the attachments can get annoying
• Machine is a bit clunky

Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven

Most people love a freshly baked pizza oozing with melted cheese on top of a thin, crispy crust. You really can't go wrong with such a classic food item, whether if it's for a casual meal at home or for a pizza party. One of the challenges of getting that crispy crust when baking pizza in a traditional home oven or a convection oven is that the temperature isn't hot enough, and this is where the category of indoor and outdoor pizza ovens come in.

Unlike many of its more established competitors, the Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven topped our list with its affordable price, solid build quality, and performance. Similar to more expensive models from competing brands, the Cuisinart pizza oven comes with a 12-inch pizza stone that's perfect for baking Neapolitan pizza. While the Cuisinart only gets up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, it still achieves a crust that's crispy and crunchy.

Twenty to thirty minutes of preheating is required, but most pizzas will bake in about five minutes or so. The best part? The Cuisinart model comes in at just 40 percent the price of similarly equipped models from Breville and Ooni, and it also includes plenty of accessories to get you started. Cuisinart’s first entry into the ever-growing sea of pizza ovens is a solid choice. It cooks delicious, restaurant-quality pizzas with a crispy crust and bubbly cheese. You can’t go wrong with this oven for yourself, or as a gift.

The good

• Removable pizza stone and modular design
• Significantly more affordable compared to competitors
• Accessories are included, unlike rival models

The bad

• Does not get as hot as others
• More expensive pizza ovens from competing brands cook pizzas faster

Meater Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer

If there’s any item on this list that’s undeniably essential for the modern kitchen, it’s this most unassuming one: The Meater wireless smart grilling thermometer.

One of the most challenging aspects of cooking is getting the perfect center on a piece of meat. There’s nothing more criminal than cutting it open to check it before it’s done. Any cooking thermometer will solve that problem, but the Meater revolutionizes the classic technique.

The tool comes in a nicely crafted wooden docking station. With the Meater, you don’t need all the knowledge of cooking temperatures for different types of proteins, cuts, and doneness. Its primary feature is connecting to your phone with the companion app through Wi-Fi. The app guides you through the process, allowing you to cook your meat exactly as you desire.

Thanks to the app, you don’t have to open the oven constantly, which will let the heat out. You can now just walk away and check the status of your meat and its doneness on your phone. And for the lazy chefs, Meater will ping your phone with notifications so you'll know when the food is done.

In addition to the cooking process, the Meater app will also inform you how long you should let your food rest before you cut into it. That’s crucial for keeping your meat as juicy and flavorful as possible.

The Meater will make you much more confident cooking thick pieces of meat, eliminating the frustrating guessing game.

The good

• Configures seamlessly to the app
• App is straightforward
• Accurate readings
• Also reads external temperatures

The bad

• Sometimes difficult to insert into tough meats

GE Profile Smart Mixer with Auto Sense

For over 100 years, stand mixers have helped make baking easier and more attainable to the uninitiated. While it’s safe to say they have changed little in this time, GE Profile is attempting to change that with its Smart Mixer with Auto Sense. This innovative countertop appliance is the first of its kind to feature a digital display, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a built-in scale. It also allows the user to enable voice control with Alexa, or Google Home and control it with the companion app.

Its namesake Auto Sense technology continuously checks for changes in textures and viscosities based on feedback the mixer receives when in use. This ensures that nothing is ever over- or under-mixed. In addition, the mixer has an auto shut-off feature that is also part of Auto Sense. And he built-in digital scale makes it easy to always get the right measurements for whatever you're mixing up. No other mixer on the market includes this level of sophistication and technology.

That being said, Kitchenaid mixers have been the de facto standard for the entire existence of stand mixers. While GE is no upstart brand and makes solid large, countertop, and handheld appliances, is this enough to dethrone the king of stand mixers? Overall, this stand mixer has solid performance and can tackle simple and larger baking tasks with ease with the 7-quart bowl. The built-in scale is a handy addition, but by no means necessary. I struggle to find a time when voice or app control will help make baking easier, but others might find more utility in it. If you want the most advanced kitchen technology, this is the mixer for you and all of the bells and whistles will really shine!

The good

• Built-in scale and app connectivity streamline baking
• Easy to use attachments attach and detach quickly
• Guided recipes from app take the guesswork out of baking

The bad

• This is one of the most expensive stand mixers available
• It seems a bit wobbly at higher speeds

Anova Precision Cooker Pro

While it is a growing trend, the sous vide cooking method is nothing modern. People have been cooking their food in containers in lower-temperature heated water for decades, if not more. But the Anova Precision Cooker Pro adds Wi-Fi to the mix, bringing modern technology to a classic technique to precisely cook some of the juiciest, most tender steaks.

The low temperatures and long cook times of sous vide can make choosing the right settings on your precision cooker feel arbitrary. Since the Anova Precision Cooker Pro connects to your phone through its app, there’s no way you can overcook or undercook your food, living up to its name of "precision." Whether you’re following a specific recipe designed for sous vide or just want to cook a simple chicken breast, the Anova app recommends the right temperature and cooking time. With a timer on both the precision cooker wand and the app, you’ll be notified when it’s time to remove your food from the water.

While you can sous-vide your food in standard sandwich bags (it’s even recommended in some instances, like making hamburgers), it’s best to have vacuum-sealable bags so you can sous-vide your food properly. Anova sells a countertop vacuum sealer as well as a handheld one. Unless you are going to use the vacuum sealer for other things, I don’t see the need for the larger countertop one. The handheld one works perfectly. You just press it against the vacuum sealer on the bag, and it’s airtight within seconds, ready to enter the warm bath. You can also purchase the corresponding Anova tub, but the wands are also compatible with many standard large pots.

Steaks cooked using this method come out juicy and moist at the desired doneness. The only downside is that the meat doesn't look so appetizing if you're going to plate it straight from the water bath. To get more pleasing results and Instagram-worthy steak dinners, we recommend searing your steaks after you use the Anova.

Anova makes several versions of its precision cooker, including the Anova Precision Cooker 3.0. The primary benefit of the Pro version is that you have a larger interface on the wand, allowing you to see the time remaining, current water temperature, and set water temperature all at once. If that’s not important to you, the 3.0 model cooks your food just as well, connects to Wi-Fi, and can save you some cash.

The good

• Interface shows you time and temperature
• Extremely precise water temperature
• Can control settings from app
• Anova handheld vacuum sealer and tub work seamlessly with the precision cooker
• Recipe inspiration on the app

The bad

• Cooking takes a while (that’s the nature of sous vide cooking)

GE Profile Smart Oven

I’m typically not a fan of “all-in-one” appliances. I find that each setting rarely works as well as a standalone product. Air fryer/toaster/oven combos are the exception. Typical air fryers are often very clunky but don’t even have enough space to cook much food, while some all-in-one smart ovens air fry very well and have ample space. My favorite is the GE Profile Smart Oven.

The GE Profile Smart Oven is a modern and innovative take on a traditional toaster oven. There isn't an overwhelming amount of features, but nearly everything you could need is displayed right on the polished touchscreen panel. The front high-rise door smoothly lifts up and around the oven like a garage door. This unique design saves counter space and helps when your hands are full. The Smart Oven fits right into GE's range of Profile products known for their sleek designs.

From simply reheating last night’s dinner to cooking a complete meal from scratch, the GE Profile Smart Oven is consistent and reliable. It can cook at temperatures as high as 500° F without requiring any preheating. It can act as a standard toaster oven. Or feel free to throw in a full chicken, air fry some wings, or bake a small pizza. Maybe bake a batch of cookies! You’ll get a nice crisp on your food just as if you are baking it in a conventional oven.

While there are some presets, this product is highly customizable. It allows you to use your working knowledge of cook times and temperatures. That’s either a positive or negative aspect, depending on your prior experience in the kitchen.

The Smart HQ app allows you to get notifications on your phone for the duration of the cooking time. If you walk away from your kitchen and later decide to bake your vegetables instead of air frying them, just change the setting from the app. That said, I wish the app was more integrated with the Smart Oven. The recipes and other features, like voice commands, are geared more toward other GE appliances.

The good

• Reaches 500° Fahrenheit
• No preheat
• Ergonomic design
• Each setting truly cooks your food differently
• Cooks your food accurately

The bad

• Limited functions on app

Honorable mention: Brava Smart Oven

The Brava Smart Oven is a showstopper. It’s an elaborate modern countertop appliance that has the potential to make your kitchen experience much simpler. It can cook practically anything you can imagine—soups, breads, one-pan dinners, rice, eggs. Its main downfall is the steep price. You’re going to spend at least $1,295.

And if you want to take advantage of the product and get the full experience, you’re going to throw down hundreds more for the additional custom trays. If that’s not an issue, then this could be a great option to entice yourself to cook more homemade meals.

Becoming familiar with the Brava Smart Oven can be tricky. There are so many features and options that can make it overwhelming. But the Brava technology is impressive, particularly the fact that you can cook several different items on one tray at the same time. You can have two types of vegetables and chicken on the tray, line them up properly (you are guided through it), and have them each timed out to cook differently. If you’re cooking just one item that doesn’t take up the whole tray, you run the risk of having your food cooked unevenly if you align it even slightly incorrectly. Some of the pre-sets also tend to overcook food. Other basics, like making a piece of toast, also seem to cook each side unevenly.

Once you get the hang of it and know how to adjust settings to your liking, you can do a lot with the Brava. You can cook a steak, sear it, and use the built-in thermometer to ensure the inside is cooked to your liking. You can check the status on your phone, adjust the settings from the app if you’re so inclined, and even see how it’s cooking with the built-in camera (although it is not the greatest-quality camera).

There are endless recipes built into the Brava, which you access via the touchscreen display or the app. Brava users are constantly posting new recipes for anyone in the Brava community to try out. Many of these recipes are designed specifically for the Brava and tell you which settings to choose, so you don’t have to guess. Some of them get very specific. Maybe you bought Impossible Burger patties or frozen tempura shrimp. Brava tells you exactly how to cook those. The different varieties of trays (the more elaborate ones like the egg pan are not included in the basic package) allow you to get creative with original recipes.

You can have a lot of fun with the Brava Smart Oven, and it can make your life easier. But if you’re looking for the best way to prepare homemade food and are willing to spend some extra time in the kitchen, you will probably want to keep shopping.

The good

• Great for tiny living
• Easy cooking for small families
• Easy to find recipes
• Able to cook wide range of foods

The bad

• Steep price
• Sometimes cooks unevenly
• Have to follow directions very precisely

Weber GENESIS EX-325s Smart Gas Grill (Liquid Propane)

Grilling has been one of the primary methods of cooking for thousands of years, and modern grills help infuse this age-old cooking method with smart technology to make your life easier. With its latest line of GENESIS grills, Weber is taking the guesswork out of grilling and the stress out of hosting a barbecue.

The latest GENESIS line is quite extensive, and each model has a variant for natural gas and propane. Most models feature Weber Connect smart grilling technology which provides real-time food temperatures with included temperature prongs and sensors, reminders, and flip notifications when standing at the grill, or on a smartphone with the companion app. It also features a large grilling surface, with an expandable cooking grate and a convenient side prep table. Some models also have a side burner and additional lighting.

After using the GENESIS EX-325s Smart Gas Grill (Liquid Propane) to grill a wide variety of meats and vegetables, it consistently provided excellent grilling and produced delicious restaurant-quality results. Burgers and steaks were juicy and perfectly cooked and vegetables were grilled to perfection. There was no fear of overcooking anything with the convenient temperature information and appreciated it as a grilling novice. You can’t go wrong with any of the GENESIS models, as the handy app helps take the guesswork out of grilling and help you prepare food safely at the correct temperature.

The good

• Large sear zone makes grilling large meats easy
• Side prep tables have plenty of space for everything you need
• Consistent temperature and easy-to-use controls

The bad

• Putting the grill together was an all-day project
• These aren’t the cheapest grills
• You must have the space to use and store

Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle

The Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Kettle will not only help you brew the perfect cup of coffee or tea, but it’s also a gorgeous kitchen accessory. When you buy a gadget that will live on your counter, aesthetics are important. You want to be excited to use it every morning, and this kettle will get you going just as much as the caffeine.

The gooseneck spout adds more than elegance to this kettle. It allows the hot water to pour out of the kettle slowly, which undeniably improves the taste of your pour-over or French-pressed coffee. That feature isn’t unique to the Fellow kettles, but these are designed in such a way that the most precise amount of water comes out at a very specific rate.

Speaking of precise, the settings on this kettle are exactly that. You can set your altitude to heat your water accurately, decide how long you want it to remain hot after it’s heated, and schedule when to brew so it’s hot right when you get out of bed. Another great feature is that there are preset modes to easily reach the perfect temperature for whichever technique (french press, pour-over, etc.) you use to brew your coffee.

I compared this kettle with a more standard one—the OXO Brew Adjustable Temperature Kettle. It has a standard spout, and it’s about half the price. While it holds significantly more water than the Stagg, it’s heavy and awkward to handle. It highlights how divine the handle of the Stagg kettle feels in your hand. The upper knob allows your thumb to wrap around it while your palm feels comforted on either the wooden or matted handle. While the Stagg may not be the kettle for a large family, it does hold enough (about 30 oz) to fill up a whole French press.

The nearly $200 price tag is understandable for the Fellow Stagg EKG Pro. It’s also worth the extra $30 compared to the standard Stagg Kettle, due to the automatic updates you receive when you connect it to the app. Other than those updates, there is not much that the Fellow app will help you with when it comes to using your kettle.

The good

• Gorgeous design
• Settings make it easy to choose precise water temperatures
• Base has a good grip

The bad

• Relatively small water capacity (this may be a problem for some)
• Can’t control settings from app