5 sleek and efficient kitchen appliance trends for 2024
As we ring in the New Year, many homeowners’ resolutions include home improvements. If this is the year that your kitchen gets some well-deserved attention, you’ll want your updates to be on point.
In this blog post, we look at some contemporary kitchen appliance trends that will make your culinary space the stylishly efficient heart of your home in 2024.
1. Sleek and safe induction cooktops
With their super-streamlined looks, energy efficiency and safety features, induction cooktops continue to grow in popularity in Australia. Without any raised burners, knobs or dials, the smooth glass-ceramic surface is also very easy to clean.
Induction technology gives you precise control over cooking, with the pans, rather than the cooktop itself, quickly heating up to your chosen temperature. As well as being faster and more efficient, it’s a very safe system, because the cooktop retains only a little residual heat from the pans. This means less likelihood of little hands getting burnt, compared with traditional electric stovetops and gas cooktops, where open flames can pose a clear risk.
Cooking with gas has also been linked to respiratory problems and is estimated to cause 12% of childhood asthma in Australia, leading to the movement to phase out the use of gas inside homes.
2. Smart appliances
A few years back there was a lot of talk about smart homes and the Internet of Things (IoT). While our homes didn’t transform into futuristic domestic utopias overnight, there has been a continual integration of smart and connected technology into more appliances, fixtures and fittings. From washers and dryers to doorbells and light bulbs, little by little our homes are becoming more connected and more intuitive.
In the kitchen, an increasing number of appliances can be controlled remotely via apps, allowing you to preheat your oven during your commute or tweak fridge settings via your phone.
If you’re too bleary eyed before your morning caffeine hit to start up your espresso maker physically, coffee machines with wi-fi connectivity allow you to customise your coffee preferences and start the ball rolling from the comfort of your bed. The same smarts in dishwashers allow you to monitor and control cleaning cycles remotely. This can be handy if you realise later in the day that you forgot to put the dishwasher on in the morning rush, or if you want to schedule it so you arrive home with your takeaway dinner to steaming hot clean plates.
A leader in the field, LG’s ThinQ technology is integrated into various kitchen appliances, including fridges, ovens and dishwashers, as well as other laundry and home devices.
Samsung has a range of smart refrigerators that allow you to adjust temperature settings, receive alerts, and even check the contents remotely. Its smart ovens, meanwhile, can be preheated, monitored, and temperature adjusted using the Samsung SmartThings app on either Android or iOS phones.
3. Multi-functional small appliances
If you have a smaller kitchen space to work with, it doesn’t mean you need to be limited in your cooking capabilities. In the past, a toaster, kettle and microwave might have been the sum of your small cooking appliances, but these days a number of multifunctional devices have become kitchen staples.
From convection microwave ovens to multi cookers, you can find smaller appliances that punch well above their weight in terms of their culinary output.
Take, for instance, the ubiquitous air fryer, a compact powerhouse that has earned its place as a kitchen essential, letting you indulge in practically guilt-free crispy goodies, from chicken wings to doughnuts.
Beyond air fryers, you’ll find a range of multifunctional small appliances, from versatile toaster ovens and food processors, to stand mixers with attachments that can do everything from kneading dough to grinding beef and making sausages.
Fair to say, in the modern kitchen, size need no longer be a restriction.
> 12 perfect small kitchen appliances for the foodie in your life
4. Sustainability-conscious appliances
As the issue of sustainable living becomes increasingly pressing, it makes sense that kitchen design trends follow suit. With the chilling, freezing, cooking and cleaning that takes place in it, the kitchen is, after all, a source of much domestic energy use. We’ve already seen how induction cooktops are a more efficient way of frying and boiling, but what about the rest of the kitchen?
Many modern fridges incorporate features like LED lighting, improved insulation, and advanced compressor technology that contribute to reduced energy consumption, making them more environmentally friendly, as well as more cost-effective to run.
Modern dishwashers employ energy and water-efficient technologies, including sensors that optimise water usage based on load size. Additionally, advanced insulation and heat exchange systems enhance energy efficiency, reducing overall environmental impact while delivering effective cleaning performance.
Better insulation has also helped ovens become more energy efficient, as have precise temperature control, and convection technology. It’s worth noting, though, that ovens, unlike dishwashers, fridges and freezers, are not Energy Star rated, so you can’t see at a glance how energy efficient they are. You can, however, ensure it’s a convection oven (which most wall ovens are) and look out for features like programmable timers and accurate temperature controls that reduce energy waste.
> What are the most energy efficient kitchen and laundry appliances?
5. French door fridges
Newer homes and renovated kitchens will generally have space for larger fridges, and the most popular type of big fridge is the French Door. With double doors at the top and a bottom freezer with separate compartments, these French door refrigerators prioritise spacious storage, as well as easy grocery organisation and accessibility. Depending on your preferences, budget and kitchen plumbing set up, you might choose a model equipped with built-in filtered water and ice dispensers for a little extra convenience.
Some models, like those in the Samsung Family Hub range, come with smart connectivity, allowing you to control settings remotely, as well as view the fridge’s contents in real time via an app (handy when you’re out shopping). A large touchscreen display lets you stream content, browse online, and even see who’s at the front door when it’s connected to smart doorbell apps like Ring.
Fresh year, fresh kitchen
Whether you’re looking to update large or small kitchen appliances this year, these various trends combine contemporary looks with impressive functionality and, in many cases, better energy efficiencies.
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