5 new kitchen appliances at CES 2024: smart AI grills, no-clean ice cream, one-touch air fryers and more
- New hi-tech products shown at CES 2024 promise to make food prep a breeze, including a US$250 air fryer that uses AI to detect what type of food it’s cooking
- A US$1,000 indoor smoker traps the smoke inside it – perfect for people living in apartments – while ice cream pods make you frozen treats in two minutes
Chef-like robots, AI-powered appliances and other hi-tech kitchen gadgets are holding out the promise that humans don’t need to cook – or mix drinks – for themselves any more.
There was plenty new in the food and beverage world at CES 2024, the multi-day trade event in Las Vegas put on by the Consumer Technology Association. Displays included cocktail-mixing and ice-cream-making machines, and a robot barista whose movements were meant to mimic a human making a vanilla latte.
Here’s some of the newest tech that’s transforming the way meals are prepped, cooked and delivered:
1. Grill smarter
Using generative AI technology, Brisk It’s new smart grill, the NeoSear, aims to make the art of barbecuing foolproof.
You can ask the grill all kinds of questions to create the perfect recipe, such as “What seasoning should I add to make my chicken skewers spicy?” and “How do I sear a medium-rare steak?”
Once you’ve nailed down a recipe and prepped the food, Brisk It’s InnoGrill AI 2.0 technology will command the grill to cook it.
“It’s everyone’s smart grill,” said CEO Christopher Huang. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a skilled enthusiast, if you’re busy, young or old.”
The grill is not yet available but will cost around US$2,000, Huang said.
2. DIY ice cream in a snap
Freezing your own ice cream at home takes hours, but with tech start-up ColdSnap’s no-clean ice cream machine, your frozen treat is ready in two minutes.
Chinese EV maker shows off flying car but admits urban use is far off
Choose from flavours like salted caramel and coffee, then put the pod in the machine and it will dispense your cold treat in minutes after scanning the pod’s QR code.
ColdSnap can also whip up frozen lattes, boozy ice cream treats and protein shakes.
3. One touch is all it takes
Tech start-up Chef AI is unveiling what it calls a “real one-touch” air fryer.
Unlike the air fryer you might have on your kitchen counter right now, Chef AI’s iteration of the popular appliance doesn’t require any tinkering with settings. Just place the food in the air fryer, press start, and it uses artificial intelligence to detect what type of food it is cooking, said Dean Khormaei, the company’s CEO.
He added that the air fryer would turn even the worst cooks into chefs.
Chef AI’s air fryer will be available in the US in September for US$250.
Tech giants Alibaba, ByteDance lead China’s return to CES
4. A ‘no smoke’ indoor smoker
GE Appliances is looking to change the way you smoke food with its new US$1,000 indoor smoker.
Around the size of a toaster oven or microwave, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker can fit a full brisket cut in half, 40 chicken wings or three racks of ribs.
It still uses wood pellets to achieve a smoky flavour, but its technology traps the smoke inside, making it “perfect for people who live in urban environments” such as high-rise apartments, said Whitney Welch, a spokesman for GE Appliances.
5. Your own personal bartender
What’s the secret to a perfect dirty martini? Don’t worry about it – Bartesian’s cocktail-mixing appliance takes the guesswork out of bartending.
Bartesian’s latest iteration, the Premier, can hold up to four different types of spirits. It retails for US$369 and will be available later this year.
Use a small touch screen on the appliance to pick from 60 recipes, drop a cocktail capsule into the machine, and in seconds you have a premium cocktail over ice.
If you fancy a home-made beer instead, iGulu’s new automated brewing machine lets you make your own beer – a pale ale, amber lager or wheat beer.
Just pour a pre-mixed recipe into the machine’s keg, add water and scan the sticker that comes with the beer mix. In nine to 13 days, you’ll have 3.8 litres (one gallon) of DIY beer.
