We’re always on the lookout for innovative kitchen tech. Anything that can help us whip up better-tasting concoctions, save time, and cut down on manual work will always find a welcome spot in our busy kitchens. At CES 2024, there were quite a few kitchen innovations on hand and, we have to admit, we’d definitely like to see a few of them take up space in our kitchen counters, kitchen floors, and backyard spaces.
We found devices that can help you cook better, as well as ones that bring traditional outdoor cooking indoors. There are some connected devices that leverage AI and cloud processing, although we’re a lot more partial to those that ditch the connectivity and put their focus instead on doing things in smarter ways than the ones that came before them.
These are the best kitchen tech at CES this year.
Willtex Willcook
It looks like a laptop sleeve. However, beneath that unassuming bag shell is a functional oven that can actively heat food while it sits inside the main compartment, allowing you to heat up your meals while you go about your day. Inside, the clever microwave bag is lined with an innovative fiber that can generate heat using electricity from a battery stored in an external pocket. According to the outfit, the temperature can be controlled anywhere from 40 to 250 degrees Celsius, so it’s hot enough to not just reheat food, but also cook it if you give it enough time. Designed to heat up fast, it’s able to reach 80 degrees Celsius in just five minutes. To keep the exterior of the bag from heating up, it has insulation between the shell and the lining, so you don’t have to be uncomfortable carrying this around. It’s also small enough to fit in a backpack, although it also has integrated shoulder strap for carrying on its own. The bag is expected to hit the US market in September, with a planned pricing of $200.
Reencle Gravity Composter
We’re huge fans of Reencle’s Home Composter, so much so that we included it in our list of best compost machines. At CES, the outfit unveiled their newest home compost machine, which retains the same microbe-based composting function as their previous products, allowing it to compost a batch of food scraps in around 24 hours. To the unfamiliar, their compost machine requires you to add their patented organism the first time, after which the machine provides the proper temperatures to keep it breeding and thriving, provided you regularly put food scraps in, so you only need to replace the microbes if the device goes unused for extended periods (they die out without food scraps). This new device should have all the same capabilities as their previous device (e.g. three-layer filter system and low operating noise), but with the addition of digital controls and a small display that shows basic information (how long until the current batch of compost is ready and how much space you have left inside for fresh refuse).
Revolution Cooking Macrowave
Revolution Cooking is best known for their fancy toasters, which are easily recognizable because of the large touchscreen display they have out front. At CES, though, they debuted a microwave that can pull double duty as a toaster oven and even pull triple duty as an air fryer, all while being equipped with the same large touchscreen panel you see on their toasters. According to the outfit, it’s equipped with microwave technology to heat food from the inside, all while coming with the same Instaglo infrared heating as their toasters. That means, you can use the microwave function to reheat leftovers as you normally do, although you can also activate the infrared heating if you want to give the same food a toasted crisp on the outside. If you’re at all familiar with their toasters, then you’re probably aware of their steep $400 price point. Sadly, that expensive pricing will continue with this microwave, which is slated to retail for a whopping $1,800.
Bello Water Purifier and Infuser
The name says it all: it’s a water filter than also infuses flavor into your water. That’s it. It uses an activated block carbon filter that can remove chlorine, lead, fluoride, pesticides, nitrates, arsenic, and more, all while being compliant with NSF 42 and NSF 53 standards, so it’s got the proper certifications to prove it does its job effectively. The filter can last a good six months for average households, too, before requiring a replacement, so you only need to use two filters a year. Infusion is done by a replaceable flavored glass capsule that you place on top of the filter, with each capsule able to infuse up to five liters of water. Do note, you can choose the flavor intensity (light, medium, strong), so it will probably last for less than five liters if you choose either of the two higher settings. They plan to launch the device on Kickstarter later in the year, priced starting at $199.
Coldsnap Ice Cream Robot
Yes, companies are still trying to make their own version of a Keurig for every food type known to man. This ice cream machine, for instance, puts all its ingredients in a single can that you simply scan using the machine and insert using the top chamber. From there, the machine will perform its magic, turning the can’s contents into a freshly-made batch of ice cream that gently pours out of the nozzle to a waiting bowl below. According to the outfit, the cans don’t have to be refrigerated or frozen, so you can keep it stocked in a kitchen cabinet, waiting for the next time you get an ice cream craving. Apparently, it can also make smoothies and cold coffee drinks. Do note, this is a massive appliance that weighs 50 pounds (a far cry from the compact home ice cream makers we have today), which, we guess, is why they’re rolling it out first to commercial establishments later in the year. They do plan to sell it on retail in 2025, though, so you can have the Keurig of ice cream in your kitchen counter in about a year or so.
GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker
Low and slow smokers make some of the most flavorful dishes, but if you don’t have a spacious outdoor area, it’s not really something you can have at the house. This oven-like indoor smoker changes that. How does it work? First, you put the wood pellets on a compartment at the top, then put your food on the racks inside the cooking area (you can put up to three levels of racks inside). Instead of using the wood pellets as fuel like traditional smokers, though, it actually cooks the food using electric heating elements just like your convection oven. So why put wood pellets in? For the flavor, of course. What it does is burn a certain amount of pellets, then put the smoke they produce through an active filtration system that turns it into warm air with smoky flavor, which they then release into the cooking area. The result is, basically, oven-cooked food that’s infused with smoky flavor from the wood pellets you put in. It uses separate heat sources for cooking the food and burning the pellets, so you can raise one, lower the other, and cook the food however you like it best. It’s available now, priced at $999.
iGulu F1 Home Brewing Machine
An all-in-one beer-making appliance, the device can brew up to five liters of beer at a time using a process that’s a lot simpler than the one required by previous brewing machines, such as the PicoBrew, making it a lot easier to use for novices who don’t spend every waking hour obsessing over making their own IPA. How did they simplify it? Well, they kind of cheat because you can buy brew kits directly from the outfit, which contain everything you need for a specific type of brew. To use, you simply empty out the ingredients into the fermentation tank, add filtered water, close it up, and insert it into the machine. From there, you just have to make sure everything’s hooked up and the CO2 cylinder isn’t empty, after which you can scan the RFID card that comes with the kit to let the device know about the brew it’s making and it handles the rest. More advanced brewers can also put in their own ingredients and punch in their own settings, although you better know what you’re doing if you want to actually have good beer at the end of it. A single brew takes around two weeks, according to the outfit. Want one? It’s currently available from their website, with ship date slated for the end of January. Price is $599.
Intosee Secret Kitchen Hood
A while ago, we saw a crowdfunding project for a portable range hood that allowed you to suction smoke when cooking in cramped kitchens. It’s a clever solution. At CES, though, we saw this unique “range hood” that’s actually just a tube meant to be installed in the kitchen counter. Designed to install discreetly, it can retract when not in use, then pop up as needed when you’re cooking. The compact tube uses a 360-degree suction mechanism that draws all nearby air and smoke, runs it through a filter, and releases the clean air through an exhaust tube under the counter. Obviously, the suction will need to be extremely potent for the whole thing to work (the outfit claims it’s rated at 700 cubic meters per hour), but it’s a really clever replacement solution for one of the bulkiest single-purpose fixtures we usually have in the kitchen.
Seer Perfecta Grill
They call the Perfecta an AI-powered grill because the device automatically adjusts the temperature, time, and proximity of the food to the heat source all on its own. It does all that without connecting to the cloud, too, so all processing is done locally right on the machine. Do note, it only recognizes 50 different food items, so the automated cooking might not work for more esoteric fare, in case you try to cook a dinosaur or something. Cooking is also a bit different here, as you put food inside a vertical cage, so your steaks, burgers, and sausages stand upright, with infrared cooking elements on the left and right heating it up on both sides at the same time for more efficient cooking. According to the outfit, this allows their grill to cook steaks in just 105 seconds, chicken in 150 seconds, and burgers in just 90 seconds, with no need to turn the food since it’s standing upright. These are average times, of course, so actual cooking time can change based on the actual size of the food. They also offer a horizontal rack, by the way, for those times you want to use it to cook pizza and other oven dishes, as well as a rotisserie accessory. No word on release date yet, but you can reserve one today for $100 to get it at $2,499 when it does launch.
Sharp High-Speed Oven with Quad-Heating
Cooking food in an oven is nice and all, but everyone can definitely appreciate getting their food just a little bit faster. That’s the idea behind this new “high-speed oven,” which uses a first-of-its-kind Quad-Heating technology that combines a gold carbon heater, convection circulation, and inverter control microwave to cook food to cut down as much as two-thirds of the cooking time it will take on a traditional oven. Apparently, it uses AI to determine the best combination of the different cooking tech it has onboard to finish the job as rapidly as possible, depending on what food you’re making, which will be impressive if it actually does the job as promised. No release dates or pricing details yet, but we’ll definitely keep an eye on this one.
Weber Summit FS38X Smart Grill
This smart backyard gas grill comes with full digital controls, ensuring you know darn well it’s made with modern smarts. That’s not what makes it special, of course. Instead, it’s the fact that it can adjust its own burners automatically to maintain optimal cooking temperatures, so it never gets too hot or too cold inside the cooking area. Heck, it can even reignite a burner automatically when it goes out, so you can really just stay inside and keep your eyes glued to the game. What really takes the cake, though, is an infrared broiler installed at the top that it can use to give your grilled food a quick crust for that extra hint of texture. Yes, that broiler is going to be a thing every grill maker is adding to their own products down the line. It’s connected, by the way, so it can keep you update of the cooking process through a companion app, where you can also make manual adjustments on the fly. This should come out later in the first quarter, priced at $5,299.
