11 amazing technology features for your next kitchen

The fun you can have renovating your kitchen is almost beyond imagination these days. Design options and colours from which to choose are head-spinning and full of potential to help create a loving, warm home. And if you love a touch of tech, then the latest appliances and gadgets might blow your mind.

As experienced local real estate agents, we know the kitchen is one of the most important rooms for many prospective buyers. It’s where everyone gathers, where we nourish ourselves and where memories are created.

New homeowners will often pour any remaining funds set aside for their purchase into a kitchen update. Likewise, if you’re thinking of selling right now, then a high-spec kitchen will set your property apart and help maximise its value.

Kitchen technology makes an impact on prospective buyers, especially those who love to cook and entertain.

To give you a taste of what’s available, here’s a round-up of innovations in cookers and ovens by companies such as Miele, Asko, Smeg and many more.

You don’t have to bake any of these manufacturers into your thinking, but just let the idea of owning the world’s best cooking technology simmer away in the back of your mind!

1. Open sesame – New high tech oven doors automatically open at the end of a cooking cycle. If you forget about the food or become distracted, the oven will allow heat to escape but keep the food warm as it rests.
2. Say cheese – A camera in the oven monitors the food, and you can watch it cook and even alter the settings with an app from anywhere in the world, although probably you’re likely to be somewhere else in the house!
3. Cool doors – Literally, the doors are cool. High-spec ovens have fans that force cool air between the double-panes of thermal glass in the door. This forms a veil of cool air that makes the door safe to touch. If you have children running around the kitchen, it’s a helpful safety feature.
4. Smart cooking – Let your oven automatically select the right temperature, cooking time and oven function. Some models will even suggest which shelf height for optimal results.
5. Climate change – Several manufacturers offer ovens with a sealed environment to ensure roasts retain nutrients, flavour and natural juices. They promise cakes will rise evenly and pastry will be evenly crisp and not burnt with this feature.
6. Stretch-out – That awkward manoeuver of pulling a hot tray from the oven to check the food is history. Shelves now have telescopic arms, so trays slide out easily.
7. Need for speed – Top of the range ovens are now promising to heat twice as quickly as those designed less than five years ago.
8. Get steamed up – Settings offer a mix of steam and heat designed to avoid drying out food, such as fish and meat, while crisping skins and fat.
9. Heat is on – When it comes to cleaning an oven, forget the scrubbing brush and caustic sprays. Pyrolytic cycle heat that gets up to 500C is used to carbonise food residue and grease. All you’re left with is a small amount of ash that you can wipe away.
10. Spotless ovens – Watch out for an oven interior surface called ever-clean enamel. It retains its flawless finish and is durable and easy to maintain, say designer.
11. Go with the flow – Improving technology around fans and airflow means the heat is distributed evenly throughout the oven.