Chef-like robots, AI-powered appliances and other high-tech kitchen gadgets promise that people no longer need to cook — or mix drinks — themselves.
There was plenty new in the world of food and beverage at CES 2024, the multi-day Las Vegas trade event hosted by the Consumer Technology Association. The displays included cocktail-mixing and ice-cream-making machines, as well as a robot barista whose movements were meant to mimic a human making a vanilla latte.
Here are some of the latest technologies that are transforming the way meals are prepared, cooked and delivered:
1. Bake smarter
Using generative AI technology, Brisk It’s new smart grill, the NeoSear, aims to make the art of barbecue flawless.
You can ask the grill all kinds of questions to create the perfect recipe, such as “What seasoning should I add to make my chicken skewers spicy?” and “How should I sear a steak medium rare?”
Once you’ve come up with a recipe and prepared the food, Brisk It’s InnoGrill AI 2.0 technology will command the grill to cook it.
“This is the smart grill for everyone,” said CEO Christopher Huang. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned enthusiast, busy, young or old.”
The grill is not yet available, but will cost about US$2,000, Huang said.
2. Make your own ice cream in an instant
Freezing your own ice cream at home takes hours, but with ColdSnap’s no-clean ice cream maker, your frozen treat is ready in two minutes.
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Choose from flavors like salted caramel and coffee, then pop the capsule into the machine and it will dispense your cold treat in minutes after scanning the capsule’s QR code.
The ColdSnap can also make frozen lattes, boozy ice cream and protein shakes.
3. One touch is all it takes
Tech startup Chef AI unveils what it calls a “true one-touch deep fryer.”
Unlike the air fryer you might have on your kitchen counter right now, Chef AI’s iteration of the popular appliance requires no tinkering with settings. Just put the food in the air fryer, press start, and it uses artificial intelligence to detect what type of food it’s cooking, said Dean Cormaey, the company’s CEO.
He added that the air fryer will turn even the worst cooks into chefs.
The Chef AI Air Fryer will be available in the US in September for US$250.
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4. Smokeless indoor smoker
GE Appliance aims to change the way you smoke food with its new $1,000 indoor smoker.
About the size of a toaster oven or microwave, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker can hold a whole breast cut in half, 40 chicken wings or three racks of ribs.
It still uses wood pellets to achieve the smoky flavor, but its technology traps the smoke inside, making it “perfect for people who live in urban environments,” such as high-rise apartments, said Whitney Welch, a GE Appliances spokeswoman.
5. Your personal bartender
What’s the secret to the perfect dirty martini? Don’t worry about it—the Bartesian cocktail mixer takes the guesswork out of bartending.
The latest iteration of the Bartesian, the Premier, can hold up to four different spirits. It retails for US$369 and will be available later this year.
Use the device’s small touch screen to choose from 60 recipes, pop a cocktail capsule into the machine and you’ll have a premium cocktail on ice in seconds.
If you prefer home-brewed beer instead, iGulu’s new automated brewing machine allows you to make your own beer – a pale ale, an amber lager or a wheat beer.
Simply pour a pre-mixed recipe into the keg of the machine, add water and scan the sticker that comes with the beer mix. In nine to 13 days, you’ll have 3.8 liters (one gallon) of DIY beer.
