As someone who has always enjoyed cooking, I used to think my basic gas stove and a worn-out pressure cooker were enough. Then 2020 happened, and suddenly I was baking banana bread every weekend and making endless dal fry at home. By 2025, I decided to upgrade my kitchen with smart gadgets that promised to save time, energy, and even money. Some of them felt like magic, others like overpriced gimmicks, but all of them taught me something. Here’s my honest experience after a year of living with a futuristic kitchen, typos and little mistakes included for realism.
Smart Air Fryer – Crispy Snacks Without the Hassle
The first gadget I bought was a smart air fryer that connects to Wi‑Fi and listens to voice commands. “Hey Fryi, make fries” became a regular phrase in my house. Before this, my oven took ages to heat up and sometimes left my samosas soggy. With the air fryer, I just scan the QR code on the packaging and it automatically sets the temperature and timer. One evening I tried to impress my cousins with homemade chicken wings and nearly burnt them because I forgot to shake the basket halfway. A notification pinged my phone just in time, saving dinner. The best part? It uses hardly any oil, so I’m not drowning my food in grease anymore. My electric bill even went down a little because it’s more efficient than my giant oven.
Smart Multi‑Cooker (Instant Pot 2.0)
Next up was a smart multi‑cooker that claimed to replace half of my kitchen appliances. Pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, sauté pan – it did everything. The companion app has hundreds of guided recipes; you select biryani or rajma masala and it tells you when to add each ingredient. There’s even a delay start feature, so I load rice and dal in the morning and come home to khichdi ready to eat. One time I accidentally pressed “yoghurt” mode instead of “pressure cook” and ended up with a weird lukewarm mung dal. Not delicious, but at least it didn’t explode like my old whistle cooker. The smart cooker isn’t perfect – it takes a while to preheat and the beeps are annoyingly loud – but I no longer hover over the stove or worry about gas leaks.
Smart Refrigerator – My Grocery Assistant
As someone who has always enjoyed cooking, I used to think my basic gas stove and a worn-out pressure cooker were enough. Then 2020 happened, and suddenly I was baking banana bread every weekend and making endless dal fry at home. By 2025, I decided to upgrade my kitchen with smart gadgets that promised to save time, energy, and even money. Some of them felt like magic, others like overpriced gimmicks, but all of them taught me something. Here’s my honest experience after a year of living with a futuristic kitchen, typos and little mistakes included for realism.
Smart Air Fryer – Crispy Snacks Without the Hassle
The first gadget I bought was a smart air fryer that connects to Wi-Fi and listens to voice commands. “Hey Fryi, make fries” became a regular phrase in my house. Before this, my oven took ages to heat up and sometimes left my samosas soggy. With the air fryer, I just scan the QR code on the packaging and it automatically sets the temperature and timer. One evening I tried to impress my cousins with homemade chicken wings and nearly burnt them because I forgot to shake the basket halfway. A notification pinged my phone just in time, saving dinner. The best part? It uses hardly any oil, so I’m not drowning my food in grease anymore. My electric bill even went down a little because it’s more efficient than my giant oven.
Smart Multi-Cooker (Instant Pot 2.0)
Next up was a smart multi-cooker that claimed to replace half of my kitchen appliances. Pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, sauté pan – it did everything. The companion app has hundreds of guided recipes; you select biryani or rajma masala and it tells you when to add each ingredient. There’s even a delay start feature, so I load rice and dal in the morning and come home to khichdi ready to eat. One time I accidentally pressed “yoghurt” mode instead of “pressure cook” and ended up with a weird lukewarm mung dal. Not delicious, but at least it didn’t explode like my old whistle cooker. The smart cooker isn’t perfect – it takes a while to preheat and the beeps are annoyingly loud – but I no longer hover over the stove or worry about gas leaks.
Smart Refrigerator – My Grocery Assistant
If you asked me a few years ago if I needed a fridge with a screen, I’d have laughed. Now my smart refrigerator is my favorite thing in the kitchen. It has an internal camera so I can see what’s inside without opening the door, which honestly saves more money than I expected because I no longer stare at the shelves deciding what to cook while all the cold air escapes. The companion app syncs with a grocery list; when I use the last of my milk, I just tap a button and it adds it to my shopping list. I can even order groceries directly through the fridge, though I’m still getting used to the idea of my refrigerator doing online shopping. There was an embarrassing moment when my friend discovered a “video memo” I left myself on the fridge door reminding me to buy eggs – apparently it plays automatically when anyone approaches. Lesson learned: don’t record goofy reminders unless you want your guests to see them.
Smart Coffee Maker – Because Mornings Are Hard
I’m not a morning person, and my old French press often left grounds in my cup because I was too sleepy to plunge properly. My smart coffee maker has become a lifesaver. I schedule it to brew at 7:15 AM, and by the time I stumble into the kitchen, there’s a fresh cup waiting. If I’m feeling fancy, I can use the app to choose a latte or cappuccino and it adjusts the milk frother accordingly. The first week I had it, I tried to impress my dad by making his favorite filter coffee, but I forgot to lock the milk container and it sprayed milk everywhere. He still teases me about my “robot barista.” Despite that mess, it has cut down on my trips to coffee shops and saved me at least ₹2,000 per month. My only gripe is that the pods for specialty drinks are expensive, but I mostly use ground coffee so it’s fine.
Smart Coffee Maker – Because Mornings Are Hard
I’m not a morning person, and my old French press often left grounds in my cup because I was too sleepy to plunge properly. My smart coffee maker has become a lifesaver. I schedule it to brew at 7:15 AM, and by the time I stumble into the kitchen, there’s a fresh cup waiting. If I’m feeling fancy, I can use the app to choose a latte or cappuccino and it adjusts the milk frother accordingly. The first week I had it, I tried to impress my dad by making his favorite filter coffee, but I forgot to lock the milk container and it sprayed milk everywhere. He still teases me about my “robot barista.” Despite that mess, it has cut down on my trips to coffee shops and saved me at least ₹2,000 per month. My only gripe is that the pods for specialty drinks are expensive, but I mostly use ground coffee so it’s fine.
Smart Water Purifier – Clean Water on Demand
Living in Jaipur, I’m always cautious about the water quality. My old water purifier did its job but offered no insights. My new smart purifier connects to my phone and monitors TDS (total dissolved solids) levels in real time. It reminds me when it’s time to change filters and even schedules a maintenance visit if needed. The first week, I ignored the “change filter” notification and the machine stopped dispensing water – lesson learned. Since then, I’ve actually been drinking more water because it tastes better. It’s a small thing, but having confidence in your drinking water is priceless.
Smart Scale and Recipe App – No More Guessing
As someone who eyeballs spice measurements, I never thought I’d need a smart kitchen scale. Now I use it daily. You place your bowl on the scale, pick a recipe in the app, and it guides you through each ingredient. The weight target fills up like a progress bar. It’s perfect for baking and prevents me from dumping too much salt like I did once when making pasta (yes, my noodles tasted like the ocean). The app adjusts portions automatically when I cook for more or fewer people, so I’m not wasting ingredients. Plus, watching the numbers tick up is oddly satisfying.
Voice Assistants and Automation – My Sous Chef
Most of these devices integrate with Google Assistant or Alexa. I can say, “Hey Google, preheat the air fryer to 180 degrees” while chopping onions, and it just happens. During Diwali, I was cooking four dishes at once and used voice commands to start the rice cooker and set timers. It felt like having an invisible sous chef. Of course, there are funny moments when the assistant mishears. I once asked it to “set a timer for roti” and it started playing “Roti Kapda Aur Makaan” on Spotify. My friends laughed, but at least dinner was entertaining.
Are Smart Gadgets Worth It? My Final Thoughts
After a year with these gadgets, here’s my honest verdict: some are game changers, others are nice-to-haves. The smart air fryer and multi-cooker have saved me the most time and electricity. The fridge and coffee maker are convenient luxuries but could be considered overkill if you’re on a tight budget. The water purifier and scale feel like practical upgrades. All of them occasionally glitch – apps crash, Wi-Fi drops, and sometimes I’m left staring at an error message while my dal burns. And yes, the upfront cost is high. But for me, the time saved (and fewer burnt dinners) make them worthwhile.
If you’re thinking of upgrading your kitchen, start with one gadget that solves your biggest pain point. For me, that was the air fryer. See how it fits into your routine before diving headfirst into the smart home rabbit hole. And don’t forget: even the smartest gadget can’t chop onions for you (yet). So be prepared to still cry a little while cooking.
