The Smart Appliances That Actually Make My Kitchen Better

Smart kitchen appliances sound gimmicky--does a person really need a talking refrigerator?--but in some cases, an upgraded piece of equipment, like a voice-activated trash can or a robot mop vacuum, really would make anyone's life in the kitchen better. I've tested lots and lots of things (and seen a lot of clunkers), and these are the smart kitchen appliances anyone would welcome into their home. In the past, the smartest coffee makers around were those that had a timekeeping function that would start the brewing process at a preset time. Now, my coffee maker lets me adjust the brew time, all-important water temperature (between 190 and 210 degrees), pre-brew coffee-grind saturation, and even order more coffee when the supply runs low. You could operate the Behmor with an app on your phone, or you could even link the thing to your Echo, so all you have to do is tell your coffee what to do and when.