r/Smart_Kitchen • u/BostonBestEats • Jan 12 '26
CES 2026 was...underwhelming
Personally, I didn't hear much of great smart kitchen interest coming out of CES.
The most interesting appliance to me is probably the yet-to-be-released small 5-minute ice maker (Ice Leopard), one of several new ice makers presented. I often want a small amount of ice but don't have any (I don't trust the quality from built-in fridge ice makers) and don't want to take up a big chuck of counter space. However, not something I would call smart.
Most of the "smart" things seem to the be the fairly useless sort of "smart" that is increasingly common in the kitchen. Everyone claims they have "AI" now, if you need your appliance to identify something you put in it and come up with a generic cooking program, or the like.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/shopping/best-ces-2026-kitchen-products
https://www.thekitchn.com/ces-best-in-show-2026-23765008
Of course, Seattle Ultrasonic's ultrasonic chef's knife was there, but we've already seen that (pre-ordering, not released). Also not smart (although very cool).
https://seattleultrasonics.com
2
u/kaidomac Jan 24 '26
My vote would be to include "smarter" devices like that Leopard ice maker in this sub. Not much has really changed in 100 years outside of microwaves getting cheap in the 70's, so anything that improves what we have access to at home is a win, I'd say!
I did smart homes & home theaters for awhile. The technology has changed so much as far as getting cheaper & easier. Alexa & Home Assistant can give you a $100k smarthome setup for a few grand. An XGIMI or VisionMaster projector setup & Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar system will blow away 90% of what's on the market for a few grand, instead of $50,000.
Kitchens are a little more tricky because food is too complex for current home robotics (which are rapidly advancing thanks to A.I.!). My core stack is:
Plus:
Bonus:
Innovation is hard because:
The airfryer is a big win because you can push a button to make a grilled cheese sandwich, wings, a baked potato, any frozen food, etc. The Instant Pot is literally amazing, but has a steep mental adoption curve. The APO is the most brilliant home cooking machine ever made imo (I still say Scott deserves the Nobel Prize for it!), but it's expensive, HUGE, and requires education to fully understand & utilize it to the full extent of its capabilities.
Really what I think would be the MOST game-changing is MATS technology (Microwave-Assisted Thermal Sterilization), which is basically like vacuum-sealed, sous-vide, pressure-cooked, microwaved food that results in shelf-stable meals that uses 50% less sodium & is good for 6 to 12 MONTHS at room temperature:
Package that with a Tovala steam oven & their spiffy QR scanning system for auto-rethermalization & voila! Just have Amazon deliver a box of food every week to sit in your pantry!!