Your Whirlpool smart oven can now act as an air fryer, too

By Patrick Hearn January 4, 2022

One of the major perks of smart home technology is that you don’t necessarily have to buy a new appliance to get new features. Whirlpool made that all the more obvious at CES 2022 today when the company announced a software update coming to the Smart Slide-in Gas and Electric Ranges, as well as the Smart Single, Double, and Combination Wall Ovens through an “instant over-the-air upgrade.” Imagine that: A software update that adds the functionality of a completely different appliance to something you already have.

The addition of the air fry functionality isn’t all that Whirlpool smart ovens are getting, either. They’ll soon be able to connect to the Yummly smart thermometer. This might seem like a minor update, but there’s actually a lot of functionality packed into the smart thermometer, too. The thermometer’s app has a lot of recipes packed in, and it can start preheating your oven based on which recipe you’re using. The thermometer can connect to your smartphone from up to 150 feet away and can guide even the most inexperienced home cook toward a delicious finish. If you’re not confident in the kitchen, the main thing to remember is that heat is your best friend and your worst enemy. Too much heat and you burn your dish, but too little and it comes out gross. A smart thermometer can help zero in that Goldilocks temperature.

The Whirlpool Smart Oven line is getting an air fry mode.

If the idea of air frying something in your oven excites you, you’ll be even more thrilled to know that an air fry basket will be available starting in early 2022. What’s most interesting, though, is the phrasing of the press release. It says that “The first of Whirlpool brand’s Smarter Over Time upgrades…” which would imply that more improvements are already in the works and just not announced yet.

Whirlpool has mentioned before that it is committed to improving its smart appliances over time and continuing to add value long after customers have completed their purchase. If this smart oven upgrade is evidence of that, it’s exciting to think about what else the company may have just over the horizon.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

Smart Home

The GE Profile Smart Mixer might be the smartest small appliance of CES 2023

Smart home appliances are out in force at CES 2023, but few seem to be as intelligent as the GE Profile Smart Mixer with Auto Sense. Designed to make the mixing process as simple as possible, the sleek gadget uses a built-in scale, viscosity measurements, and voice controls to streamline your time in the kitchen. It was also named a CES Innovations Awards Honoree in the Home Appliance category.

The built-in scale is the feature that expert and amateur bakers will most appreciate, as it allows you to add ingredients directly to the mixer without dirtying another bowl. Once you’ve added your ingredients, you can snap on any number of mixing attachments via a simple, one-touch system that allows for fast connections.

Smart Home

Adorable smart home robot unveiled at CES 2023 could be a great addition to your family

A child playing with the EBO X.

Every January, CES brings us a laundry list of innovative, intriguing products that’ll probably never see the light of day. Enabot, an under-the-radar robot company, seems to be bucking that trend at CES 2023, with its impressive EBO X smart home robot offering up dozens of futuristic features and a release date planned for the second quarter of this year.

EBO X is an adorable smart home robot that serves multiple purposes in your household. After mapping its surroundings, the self-balancing, two-wheeled companion can follow you around your home, provide two-way communication through its 4K camera, pump out music via its Harman speakers, sync with other Alexa devices, and provide security alerts while you’re away.

Smart Home

Nanoleaf reveals new Matter-enabled smart lights at CES 2023

The Nanoleaf 4D TV syncing lights to the colors on TV.

Nanoleaf, a manufacturer of smart lights, introduced several new products to its lineup during CES 2023. The most exciting addition is the Nanoleaf Skylight, which mounts onto your ceiling to provide an impressive array of light shows. It’s also completely modular and can be arranged into a variety of shapes to fit every space in your home.

The Skylight connects to your smart ecosystem through Wi-Fi and works with Matter -- meaning you shouldn’t run into any compatibility issues with your current setup. The modular ceiling fixture can produce more than 16 million colors, its brightness can be adjusted through the accompanying smartphone app, and you can even set schedules to automatically adjust its settings throughout the day. The only downside? It won’t be launching for quite a while, with an expected release date in the third quarter of 2023.