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Health & Fitness

Tech Tricks to Make Your Kitchen Smarter

Mobile technology has transformed daily life, and now it's poised to revolutionize your kitchen too. Linking your appliances with a home automation system gives you control over your kitchen no matter where you are.

Mobile technology has transformed daily life, and now it’s poised to revolutionize your kitchen too. Linking your appliances with a home automation system gives you control over your kitchen no matter where you are. For example, you can now order a freezer to ramp up ice production for a party—from the grocery store. New advances in the kitchen can alert you when the oven has reached preheat temperature while you’re watering the garden. Cue music. Lower shades. And all from your console, tablet or smart phone. Welcome to the new age of smart kitchens.

Appliance companies are finding new, creative ways to integrate their goods into the mobile market. Sub-Zero and Wolf, for example, recently announced a Smart Appliance App and Smart Appliance Module that is available through Control4, a leader in affordable IP-based home control systems. The free app lets you engage in a number of services to make your kitchen like easier. Having people over for dinner? The “party” mode ramps up ice production and also lowers a home’s temperature before guests arrive. You can also raise and lower shades, adjust climate control, and monitor security cameras from a phone. After the party, activate your oven’s Self-Clean Mode as you’re settling into bed to make drips and spills disappear before breakfast.

Within the app, you can customize the types of notifications you want to receive and their format. Know when your oven is preheated, when your roast is done, or that the timer is about to chime via an alert on your television, text message, or pulsating overhead lighting. Receive alerts when your oven is turned on, or when your wine cooler has been opened or closed. View energy notices for your area that could interfere with power supply, so you can choose whether to postpone cooking.

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Minimize your refrigeration’s energy footprint while you’re away from home using 'vacation' mode. You can program the fridge to optimize performance and energy whether you’re away for month, or just for a weekend. Pre-schedule Holiday modes, which are useful for routine religious observances. Most Sub-Zero refrigeration and Wolf cooking instruments allow Kosher households to meet religious observances as outlined by Star-K, the world’s premier agency focusing on the integration of food technology with Kosher laws. In Sabbath mode, refrigerator and freezer units won’t respond to user interaction to ensure fans, compressors and lights are in compliance.

Manage daily energy consumption by tapping into nonpeak energy hours through Energy Saving Mode, using Smart Grid utility providers. Door-ajar notification helps prevent energy leak, thawing and food waste, and ensures wine remains at its optimum temperature. Forget the anxiety of wondering whether you left the oven on, since Oven-on notification will let you know if it’s left on accidentally.

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Best of all, you can contact Sub-Zero and Wolf factory certified service with ease if anything goes wrong. In other words, the fix is ordered before it even gets on your to-do list. When a maintenance need is identified, code data specific to the situation can simply be forwarded directly to Sub-Zero and Wolf factory certified service, which means faster service. You can also choose to receive alerts about maintenance or service needs. The future of smart kitchen technology is here, and it’s destined to make your life easier, more efficient, and more delicious.

Robert Frank is a local resident and owner of Robert Frank Design, a full-service interior design firm specializing in kitchen design, bath design and closet design. With offices in Pasadena and Palm Springs, California, Robert Frank Design works in collaboration with our clients to create beautiful, functional spaces that reflect their lifestyles and personalities. Visit us on the web at www.robertfrankdesign.com.

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