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28th January 2021
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Experience the future with app-activated and smart kitchen appliances
Kitchens International is asking its customers: "Why become a slave to your kitchen when you can control many appliances from an app or even your voice?
Luxury kitchens of 2019, it argues, have so many hi-tech options from app-controlled appliances, to sleek downdraft extractors, to the whole systems to control all appliances and many more, that cooking becomes a pleasure rather than a chore.
The organisation has many of the new systems in its showrooms to give clients a flavour of what can be done and is working closely with the manufacturers to offer clients the 'smartest' kitchens in the UK.
It recognises that this new way of operating is going to be the way forward in the future so has invested heavily in offering smart appliances and kitchens for its clients.
The Siemens Home Connect system, for example, allows users to control kitchen appliances remotely via the Home Connect app, giving more time for relaxation and spending time with family and friends.
And whether it is telling the oven to start cooking the dinner while the cooks travels home, or just checking that the hob was indeed switched off, these properly smart connected appliances can do it all at the tap of an app. The products can also easily be set up to work with Alexa and the android equivalent voice-activated operating systems.
For an even more advanced operation recipeWorld users can select from a huge range of recipes and send the cooking instructions to the oven and can select push notifications when cooking is finished.
For those who love their coffee, there are now espresso machines which have a coffee playlist that can save coffee preferences and be programmed to produce drinks for named friends and family members in succession. With systems such as Home Connect every taste can be catered for. And of course, that choice can also be made remotely via the app. With voice activation set up users can even ask the oven when dinner will be ready and request a cappuccino from the coffee machine.
It goes further than just operating appliances. To create the perfect kitchen ambience there are smart systems that let the host choose a guest's favourite light colour for the light in the cooker hood. The lighting magic doesn't need to start or finish with the cooker hood. And there is even a smart lamp that blinks when the laundry is done.
Removing smells is a big issue, as extractors of yesteryear can be cumbersome, noisy and clunky. Today there are many options. With certain extractors the hob and extractor hood are interconnected. The hood will start extracting automatically as soon as the hob is activated and steam or odours detected, adjusting the extraction rate precisely as needed. The hood will also switch off automatically once it no longer detects steam or odours. The hood can also be operate manually from the intuitive control on the hob.
One that KI designers particularly love is the new Siemens InductionAir downdraft extractor is a sleek worktop ventilation system. Air vapours and odours are subtly captured by a powerful state of the art extractor integrated into the induction hob, taking away the need for an overhead extractor or hood.
Kitchens International Brand Director Paul O'Brien says: "Kitchen technology is one of the fastest growing developments in kitchen design. With an ever-increasing number of remote controlled appliances, the stress is taken out of cooking. As expert designers we can talk our clients through all the options and work out a system that works for each individual kitchen and individual needs, by mixing and matching the mny smart options on the market.
"Even our cabinetry is self-close, and aims to have all the contents easily on display. Our ethos is to offer kitchens that are the pride and joy of the homeowner."
www.kitchensinternational.co.uk
10th April 2019