You know the saying: Don’t fix what ain’t broke. Arguably, the slow cooker — that staple appliance of contemporary Americana — was never broke. You threw in the ingredients, set the temperature, and let it do its thing until you came home to a tender and delectable meal.
With the introduction of the WeMo-enabled Crock-Pot, Belkin would like to make the case that the “old” slow cookers were indeed crying out for a fixing. The new WeMo product (actually a collaboration between Belkin and the maker of Crock-Pots) is the first ever smartphone-controllable slow cooker. This means you can adjust the temperature, turn the device off and on, and change time settings from basically anywhere (if your smartphone has an Internet connection). On top of that, the tried-and-true features you’ve come to love in your slow cooker will still be there. These include dishwasher-safe materials, a sleek metal exterior, and a 6-quart capacity.
Being able to tinker with your slow cooker in new ways is great, but are there any practical advantages from these added features? Sure. For example, if you are abducted by aliens, you might not arrive home as scheduled. Assuming these aliens are polite enough to let you to whip out your smartphone and share their Wi-Fi password, you could tell your chili to stop simmering. Or imagine what happens after the abduction. You’re beamed down to earth. You don’t quite feel right. All you want is a good, cold beer. You forget about the Crock-Pot stewing deliciousness in your kitchen, but the WeMo app reminds you about your meal.
One tradeoff, if there is one, would be recent concerns about WeMo security flaws, but Belkin has apparently fixed this issue.
The WeMo-enabled Crock-Pot will be available in the spring of 2014, but hasn’t yet been priced. For more information, visit the Crock-Pot website.
