The kitchen is a now a multi-purpose space – the appliances need to do more than cook and bake – they should connect the kitchen. At CES, Whirlpool brand is introducing the Whirlpool Connected Hub Wall Oven concept, a vision for a central cooking hub that will offer a whole new automated cooking experience for families. While traditional ovens focus on programming, running, and completing the cooking experience, the Whirlpool Connected Hub Wall Oven will expand possibilities in the kitchen with augmented reality and the latest in touchscreen technology.
“We know that between homework, buzzing cell phones and over-scheduled calendars, getting meals on the table can seem like an impossible task some days,” said Jennifer Tayebi, communications brand manager, Whirlpool brand. “Our new Connected Hub Wall Oven will act as a helping hand in the kitchen – teeing up recipe suggestions based on preferences, offering cooking tips, maintaining the busy family calendar and providing step-by-step cooking instructions – straight from the oven door. It will offer families a whole new, automated way to approach getting food on the table.”
In place of a traditional window glass oven door, the 27″ transparent LCD interface will unlock access to discover, learn, and control the cooking process from a central hub. The Whirlpool Connected Hub Wall Oven’s features will include:
- Between work, school work and extracurricular activities, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the day’s activities. As the kitchen hub, the oven will offer integration with family calendars. If it sees multiple evening commitments, but a 45-minute window for dinner together, it will prompt a quick recipe that meets the night’s needs.
- From Parmesan Herb Crusted Salmon to Honey-Balsamic Asparagus, the connected oven will offer personalized recipe suggestions based on a family’s preferences to help solve the daily “What’s for dinner?” predicament.
- With step-by-step video instructions via the Yummly platform on the LCD screen, families will be able to follow along with recipes straight on the oven door. No need to fumble around with bulky cookbooks or recipe cards to get the recipe just right.
- With different cooking times and cooking instructions, getting every dish on the table can be a challenge. With Coordinated Cooking, recipes are stacked up and steps will be prompted at the right time on the LCD screen, so your chicken and macaroni and cheese will be ready to be plated at the same time.
- For families who need more assistance, the oven will provide instructions to ensure they are getting the most out of their appliance. From which rack to use to which cooking cycle to select, the oven will visually prompt families for the optimal cooking experience.
- While something delicious is cooking or baking away in the oven, it’s tempting to check on it by opening the oven door once or twice – or three or four times. But, doing so drops the oven temperature and extends the cooking time, delaying mealtime. With an internal vision system with extreme zoom, families can check food’s doneness without opening the oven door for ideal results.
Born from Whirlpool Corporation’s innovation incubator, WLabs, the Whirlpool Connected Hub Wall Oven will offer a whole new way to care for loved ones in the kitchen.
