IFA, commencing this week in Berlin, is Europe’s biggest tech show and a haven for new smart home technology, but well-established brands also get the chance to make a big splash. That’s been the case with the all-in-one home cooking platform SideChef, which is steadily integrating itself into just about every smart home cooking appliance on the planet short of old-fashioned wood stoves, and we’re not entirely sure the company couldn’t make that one backward-compatible.
Specifically, the company has already announced three major new partnerships to disseminate the SideChef brand and tools out into the world. First, SideChef is partnering with manufacturer Haier to debut a library of step-by-step recipes on its smart refrigerators within the European market. Owners of this particular line of appliances will now have access to more than 15,000 guided recipes including recommendations based on the inventory available in their fridge. (Some of us only have beer and condiments, so we’re curious to see what SideChef recommends besides Chinese takeout.)
In even bigger news, SideChef announced a major new integration with Home Connect, a technology solution that allows smart home appliances from different brands to be controlled via a single app that’s available in 40 countries and 17 languages. That’s a pretty hefty coup for SideChef since the partnership now employs SideChef’s recipe and smart cooking platform across some of the world’s most popular and populous brands, including Bosch, Threrador, Siemens, Neff, and Gagganau.
This is all on top of a wide variety of SideChef’s existing partnerships including a major alliance with manufacturer LG announced last year as well as hookups with GE Appliances and other platforms like the gourmet meal service Tovala.
“Last week we expanded our partnership with Electrolux to reach new geographic regions. Yesterday, we saw the power of the smart fridge experiences we built with LG and Haier demonstrated live at IFA,” Kevin Yu, SideChef founder and CEO told Digital Trends. “Today, our integration with Bosch’s Home Connect goes live in the SideChef mobile app. We won’t stop until all home cooks get to fully experience the benefits of a kitchen tied together by the SideChef platform, no matter the appliances they use, grocery service they prefer, or smart assistant that sits on their countertop. SideChef is committed to being a truly open ecosystem in order to best power the smart kitchens of today — and tomorrow.”
While true foodies have been surfing organic veggies and grass-fed meat at Whole Foods for decades, SideChef has proven to be surprisingly popular with people who would prefer to cook for themselves but either lack the knack or the lifestyle to make it work on a regular basis. SideChef’s “smart recipe” format has been hugely popular with smart home appliance manufacturers because of its user-centric design, relative ease of use, and integration with the relatively new ability to monitor a smart kitchen’s inventory on hand.
If you’re not yet familiar with SideChef, it’s an interface that teaches you to cook, with an inventory of over 15,000 recipes. In addition to hands-free voice commands, SideChef also gives users step-by-step photos, how-to videos, built-in timers, in-app meal planning, grocery delivery, and connectivity with a whole bunch of other smart kitchen appliances. The company estimates that its technology has inspired the creation of over 2.5 million meals around the world, which isn’t too shabby for a Silicon Valley startup that’s only about five years old.
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