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Hardware & Housewares Review 7 Wednesday, May 9, 2018 Manufacturers Rush to Create the Smarter Kitchen By Lorrie Baumann Manufacturers are eager to put their smart home devices in home kitchens, and consumers who are eager for help with their cooking are embracing some of the new technology, according to digital lifestyle expert Carley Knobloch, who made her case in the Innovation Theater during the International Home + Housewares Show. "It's reached a point at which there's a lot of interest from manufacturers. Brands and big compa- nies are vying for countertop space and control – which brand is going to be the remote control for the kitchen," she said. The airwaves are crowded with com- mercials advertising new smart home devices ranging from smart speakers to home security technology and thermo- stats that save energy, but the devices have been slow to penetrate home kitchens. Manufacturers, though, have woken up to the possibilities of inserting their technology into the operational cen- ter of the home. "It's not just a place where the family congregates, it's also the place where generations interact and memories are formed," Knobloch said. "The kitchen is also a hub to a lot of struggles exacerbated by our lack of time to feed ourselves." Consumers are most excited about technology that either makes them better cooks or that will take over the cooking for them to produce restaurant-quality results without requiring culinary training for the home cook, according to Knobloch. "A lot of companies have chefs working side by side with engineers to design these prod- ucts," she said. "Ovens and induction burners are being engineered to recognize the food and then cook it to the user's pref- erences." One example of this is Miele's Dialog oven, which exists now in concept form. It won't be appearing in home kitchens any time soon, according to Knobloch, but the oven uses electromag- netic waves, similar to what a microwave oven uses, paired with sensors that monitor how the food is cooking and shift the wave frequencies to adjust as the cooking pro- gresses. Miele says that the Dialog oven cooks foods uniformly rather than from the outside in, so that meats end up moist and uniformly cooked and breads have enhanced texture. The oven even lets the cook control browning and crust develop- ment of breads. "The result is that you have restaurant-quality food without hav- ing to do anything but press a button or two," Knobloch said. The Joule sous vide tool from ChefSteps is another example of a smart device that will allow the home cook to achieve better quality. The tool circulates the water in the water bath to gently bring the food up to temperature and hold it there. It pairs with an app that allows the home cook to select a degree of doneness and then press go to control the device. The device even features voice control. Voice assistants have the ability to really help in the kitchen because the home cook often has his hands full there. They can add things to a grocery list or set a timer or pull up a recipe. Yes, Chef! is a voice-controlled app that will walk the cook through a recipe using voice in a conversational way. Now available only for iOS devices, the app currently offers more than 350,000 recipes, and Knobloch predicts that it will be acquired in the near future by a powerhouse like Amazon or Google, since their virtual assistants don't yet have that skill level. While the Joule and Dialog products are designed to make cooking easier, man- ufacturers are also developing products that solve the problem of kitchen invento- ry, even decreasing food waste by helping home cooks figure out what they can cook for dinner from the ingredients they have on hand before it goes bad. "This could be for the kitchen what the Nest thermostat was for the rest of the home," Knobloch said. "It takes a process that's rather opaque and makes it transparent so that people can use it." Yummly unveiled an app this year at CES that will enable users to scan the food in their refrigerators and recommend recipes based on the food that's available. It can even take into account the user's preferences and dietary needs. Paired with a Whirlpool range, it'll even be able to control the oven. Whirlpool expects to release the free app this year. Pantry Chic manages inventory by dispensing foods by weight and keeping track of what's left in the bin. "You can see how the cycle will complete itself when a device like this will say, 'Do you want me to order another bag of flour for you because you're running low?'" Knobloch said. These inventory control devices will give both consumers — and the device's manufacturers — a real handle on what's in their house and how to use it. "It isn't just a benevolent act — they want to be the ones replenishing these goods as they're needed," Knobloch said. "Whoever owns the screen in your kitchen or the appliances listening for commands are going to be the witnesses to your food needs and the likeliest to ful- fill the orders. Consumers are typically showing that they're relatively comfort- able exchanging privacy for this kind of convenience, but manufacturers will need to make sure that they're having a continuing conversation with consumers about trust and making sure that they're taking seriously their responsibility for their customers' privacy." "They're going to figure out how to monetize that one way or another. As long as they're providing value, con- sumers are continuing to buy in," she added. "Who's properly pondering the concerns of the consumer is going to decide who's going to succeed ... Ultimately, computers don't cook; people cook. Even if the computer is doing a lot of the work, it's the person who's having the experience of the food." StoreMaxx Appoints New President StoreMaxx, Inc., a Hackensack, New Jersey-based manufacturer of food stor- age products, is pleased to announce the appointment of Carolyn LeFavour as President. Carolyn had previously been Senior Vice President at Lifetime Brands from 2000-2017. While at Lifetime Brands, Carolyn was responsible for managing sales at all national customers based in the Midwest while overseeing the devel- opment of multiple businesses in the Food Prep, Tabletop and Home Décor categories. As President of StoreMaxx, Carolyn will direct all facets of company mandates and directives, shaping future company policy and procedure. "I'm excited to join StoreMaxx and honored to be leading such a talented group of people," said LeFavour. "StoreMaxx has proven to be an innovative force in the disposable/reusable segment of the food storage category in both product quality and merchantability. I plan on continuing the positive direction by continuing to have the best development team, cus- tomers, projects and partners while investing in the community and having fun." Ed Spitaletta, who has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company since its inception in 2008, will maintain his role as Chief Executive Officer. "I am thrilled to pass the torch to Carolyn, who I know to be talented and thought- ful," said Spitaletta. "She was the unanimous choice of the StoreMaxx team. While I will con- tinue a very active role at the com- pany, I enthusiastically welcome Carolyn as our new leader. I am confi- dent in her abilities and excited for the future of StoreMaxx." Spitaletta has also announced sev- eral key additions to the management team. Jason Izon has joined StoreMaxx as Director of Marketing and E- Commerce. Jason brings a new level of expertise to StoreMaxx, most recently serving as Marketing Director for MDX, a New York area ecommerce supplier of gaming services. Jason's initial responsibilities will include oversight of all brand- ing opportunities, the ecom- merce platform and all aspects of social media. About StoreMaxx Founded in 2008, StoreMaxx is a North American GFSI certified manu- facturer of food storage products based in New Jersey. Its 170,000 square-foot facility is in Toronto, Canada. All StoreMaxxx products are manufactured utilizing an injection molded process with 100 percent virgin FDA-approved polypropylene for food contact under the Snap Pak™, FoodMates™, Quick Pak™ and Disposabowls™ brands To learn more, go to www.storemaxx.net.