Samsung's Family Hub Refrigerator will soon have some smart company in the kitchen. Stopping short of offering a robot chef, the company is adding more app-enabled appliances with a new range of built-in ovens, cooktops and range hoods that connect to each other and the Samsung SmartThings Hub via Wi-Fi.
Samsung's entry into the built-in kitchen appliance market includes ovens that provide some of the fancy functions seen in its other ovens, like the Flex Duo system that essentially splits the oven in two. That allows a busy home chef to cook two different meals at different temperatures within the same compartment, or use the full 5.1 cu ft (144 L) space for a bulkier meal, like a roast. Samsung is also boasting the first triple oven that fits in the space of a double, while self-clean modes return to help with the worst part of the process.
Wi-Fi connectivity is the new ingredient that allows the ovens to be controlled from a smartphone. Without getting up to check on the potatoes, users can preheat and turn off the oven, and adjust the time and temperature. For those whose cooking skills leave something to be desired, the oven can help with settings like Rapid Preheat, Gourmet Cook, Delay Bake and Convection Conversion.
The Built-in Double and Single Wall Ovens ovens range in price from US$2,199 to $3,999.
On the cooktop front, users have the choice of gas, electric or induction heating versions, available in 30 in or 36 in sizes, which all connect via Wi-Fi for smartphone control. The gas models feature 22,000 BTU dual power burners, and come with a removable cast iron griddle and wok grate, while the electric ones come with a 3.3-kW Rapid Boil element and 15 different heat settings. Multiple burners can be controlled at the same time, and the cooktop offers a few different options for dual, triple and warming zones.
While the Built-in Gas Cooktops range from US $1,199 to $1,699, and the Built-in Electric Cooktops come in between $1,099 and $1,499, forking over a bit more for the Built-in Induction Cooktops might be worthwhile for serious chefs, or those that need a little extra help.
With what Samsung calls FlexZone, the induction heating will automatically adapt where heat is applied according to the shapes and sizes of the pots used. Control is handled digitally, along with a magnetic knob, and if the charm of a gas flame is important to you, Samsung's Virtual Flame technology will mimic that. It doesn't come cheap though, with the induction cooktops coming with a price tag of between $2,099 and $2,499.
To top it off, the range hoods come in the same two sizes as the cooktops, and can sync with some of them via Bluetooth to turn on the light and fan automatically when the cooktops are used. The hoods can move up to 600 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) with a metal baffle filter designed to draw grease and excess odor up into the hood. The whole thing is finished off with LED lighting, and they run from $1,099 up to $1,299.
Samsung says the built-in smart line, which comes in either stainless steel or a black stainless steel finish, will be available online and in stores in November.
Source: Samsung