If you’ve ever had a temperamental oven, you know that testing out a new recipe can require calculations, constant monitoring, or just plain guesswork to ensure your food is done but not burnt. The dream of a smart oven would make this extra work become a thing of the past, as its sensors and cameras will do the monitoring for you. The sensor-equipped June Intelligent Oven hasn’t been released, but AEG put a camera in its steam oven. Though you won’t be able to watch your cookies bake via livestream, the Sharp Love2Cook oven, debuting at IFA 2016, does promise to make your evening meal prep a little easier.
The Love2Cook is reminiscent of the Jenn-Air Connected Wall Oven. It has a colorful LCD display and you can access it via the Sharp Home Appliances smart app. The oven is set to work with 150 recipes, while the app guides you through the cooking process. The oven can then set itself to the proper time and temperature. It has other Wi-Fi-enabled features, including one that lets you boost up the temperature remotely so it’s preheated when you’re home. These aren’t ultra-unique, never-before-seen conveniences, but they do signal that connected ovens are becoming more common.
The oven also comes with a couple of accessories, like a turnspit and a meat probe. The latter is handy in a smart oven, as it lets you check on the meat’s temperature from the app.
Sharp also has a slew of other connected appliances on deck, including a fridge, dishwasher, and washer. It seems like you’ll be able to access these machines via the same app used for the oven, but these appliances’ smart features are more about diagnostics than helping you seamlessly cook dinner. The washer and dishwasher’s LCD screens mirror the app, so you can set the washer to clean itself while you’re away, or check on the dishwasher’s status from the living room.
