Reflections on a Smart Kitchen

Spring is almost here…I can feel it everywhere. Colors are vibrant, skies are clearer and everything appears happier. So when the March issue of my favorite magazine, The Oprah Magazine, with its bright, peach cover came in the mail I began devouring it immediately. What amazing life changing tips would I learn this month? What things should I spend my time pondering, improving, simplifying? Oh wise Oprah, tell me…tell me!!!

So it is of no surprise of the treasure I found among its pages. Low and behold there right next to the awful sounding “Two-Day Spring Cleanse” by Dr. Oz and the “7 Secrets of a Master Organizer” by Meredith Bryan (Lord knows I took each tip to heart and will immediately implement each and every suggestion!) I was thrilled to read an article about the digital kitchen. After reading the article I was a bit disappointed. Kate Rockwood, the author, deceived me. She did not talk about the amazing new Smart Home technologies that are available for the kitchen. Instead she compiled a list of web sites and applications that can help one overcome common hurdles to a better diet.

After reading the article my thoughts immediately went to how my family uses technology to have a richer, more enjoyable, kitchen/cooking experience.

In our kitchen we installed an iPad on the wall using iPort’s LaunchPort. The LaunchPort uses the magic of magnets and induction charging (charging through the air), to enable the iPad to be fully functional and charged at all times. The best thing about this nifty product is that it keeps the iPad portable. When you want it on the wall and out of the way it is, and when you need it on the go, it moves…it’s magical!

So we use our “magical” iPad as a recipe finder, watch U-Tube videos on how to perform a certain cooking technique, research nutritional information on a product, and watch my favorite cooking program, “The Barefoot Contessa.” How I love that Ina!! My iPad also controls my SONOS multi-room music system. So I can get my groove on and drown out the noise of the kids fighting while I am cooking away something amazing, delicious and nutritious.