10 Smart Kitchen Gadgets That Will Make You a Veritable Cooking Genius

Although cooking can be fun—and practical—the time and effort it takes can be sometimes be a real drag. Cook smarter and spend less time in the kitchen by enlisting the help of these smart kitchen gadgets. They may not be able to guarantee your meals are Michelin Star-worthy … but they’ll certainly make you feel that way.

1. GE Smart Microwave; $132

This microwave from GE won’t just pop popcorn and reheat your leftovers from last night. Its Scan-to-Cook technology means all you have to do for microwavable meals is scan the item’s bar code with your smartphone or tablet, pop your food in the microwave, and watch it cook—the microwave will automatically adjust the temperature and cooking time for you. And it’s Alexa-enabled, so you can tell it how you want your food cooked without having to lift a finger. Talk about an easy dinner!

Buy it: Best Buy

2. Hestan Cue Smart Pan Fryer; $400

This isn’t your mom’s hot plate. Consisting of a set of a portable induction burner and a temperature-sensing stainless steel pan, this Hestan Cue Smart Cooking system comes with an app that has over 500 different recipes for all levels of cooking. It will take you step-by-step through each meal, and will self-adjust cooking time and temperature so you don’t have to worry about watching the pan as you prep, chop, and scroll through the recipe. Best of all? The pan is dishwasher safe, making cleanup just as easy as the meal.

Buy it: Amazon

3. COSORI Smart WiFi Air Fryer; $120

Air fryers are the best: they add crunch and crispiness to everything from chicken to eggplant, and best of all, they make frying healthy, too! Step up your air fryer game with this Smart WiFi Air Fryer from COSORI. It’s Alexa- and Wi-Fi-enabled, making your frying hands-free, and can also be controlled your phone. With the ability to schedule a cook time up to four hours in advance, and set with pre-programmed recipes, this fryer will be your new secret weapon for parties or a quick weeknight meal.

Buy it: Amazon

4. Instant Pot Smart WiFi; $122

Instant Pots are already a lifesaver—and with Wi-Fi and Alexa power, they’ll make any home cook a force to be reckoned with. A pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, cake maker, sauté pan, steamer, and warmer all in one, this smart Instant Pot can be controlled directly through the Instant Pot app or through your instructions to Alexa. The app has hundreds of recipes to try, and can also track your meal’s cooking progress to send you an alert when the food is ready. With a 6-quart capacity perfect for weekly meal prepping or family dinner, and with plenty of accessories, this Pot is the sous chef you never knew you needed until now.

Buy it: Amazon

5. Perfect Drink PRO; $100

What’s dinner without drinks? Try out the Perfect Drink PRO, which is great for mixologists and clueless cocktail makers alike. Simply choose one of the drinks on the app, put your glass or shaker on the scale, and start pouring. The app will guide you through the cocktail recipe, dinging when it’s time to stop pouring and move onto the next step. Everything is measured via the scale weight, so there’s no need to use a shot glass or measuring cup ever again. And, with the ability to self-adjust a recipe if you over pour, the PRO guarantees that your drink will always taste like it was made by your favorite bartender.

Buy it: Amazon

6. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano; $99

The sous vide method of cooking can sometimes be intimidating—but this smart tool makes it completely approachable. All you have to do is attach the cooker to a pot or container, fill it with water, add your food in a sealed bag, and start the Precision Cooker. This powerful device will circulate the water at the exact temperature your food needs to cook, and its small size makes it portable and easy to store. Although you can use the manual controls, you can also monitor and control the device from your phone using the Anova app. Sous vide has never been easier.

Buy it: Amazon

7. Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug; $80

There’s nothing worse than making that perfect mug of coffee or tea, only for it to start cooling down faster than you can drink it. That’s why this smart mug is any chef’s perfect accessory. Just charge it using the charging coaster, pour your drink, and keep it hot without ever having to put it in the microwave. The mug lasts for one hour on a single charge, and it can be kept at a consistent temperature between 120 and 145° F (which can be customized using the Ember app). Now you can drink coffee any time of day without ever having to make a fresh pot.

Buy it: Amazon

8. iDevices Kitchen Thermometer; $80

Just like a watched pot never boils, a piece of meat that you have to monitor never cooks (or so it seems). But the iDevices Kitchen Thermometer takes all the anxiety out of the equation. Just stick one of the dual probes in your food (or both, for larger items) and connect to the Kitchen Thermometer app to set the temperature your food needs to reach. From there, the app takes over, monitoring your food’s temperature and alerting you when it’s time to take it out of the oven. There’s no need to keep checking on it, so you can spend your time doing things other than opening and closing your oven door every 15 minutes.

Buy it: Amazon

9. Hamilton Beach Smart Coffee Maker; $90

Never make your own coffee again with this 12-cup smart coffee maker from Hamilton Beach. For your part, you'll just need to schedule a brew time, set your brew strength, and turn your coffeepot on and off with Alexa, or with the Alexa app. This coffee maker can be filled with water from the front, so there’s no need to pull it out from under any cabinets, and its heating plate automatically turns off after two hours as a safety precaution. After coffee itself, there’s no smarter way to wake up in the morning.

Buy it: Amazon

10. Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale; $30

Even with an arsenal of kitchen gadgets in your corner, you may not always be prepared to make healthy choices. That’s where the Etekcity Digital Scale comes in. The scale syncs with the Etekcity app to track not just the calories of your food, but their nutrition content too. Just put the food on the scale, plug the name of the item into the app, and voila! You’ll know everything from the calories you’re taking in to carbs to sugar to protein and more. The app is preloaded with 27,000 different items via a USDA database, so knowing the nutritional value of everything you’re eating is near-guaranteed. And you can also keep track of what you’re eating on the app through a convenient food diary. Whatever your health goals are, you’ll not only cook smart with this device: you’ll eat smart, too.

Buy it: Amazon

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