Holiday TV watchers may have noticed a new advertisement for GE Profile smart ovens. GE is looking to make cooking easier and more convenient than ever – a strategy that comes at an opportune time as more people are eating at home. In its new ad, GE promotes Gourmet Guided Cooking technology that provides cooking instructions using a connected app. The app also enables home chefs to preheat or control the oven from anywhere, and to view cooking progress through a high-temperature camera located within the oven.

With consumers increasingly accustomed to viewing their front door, backyard, or a baby’s room through a video app on their smartphone, tablet, or smart display, using cameras in the kitchen is a logical next step. In addition, with the Internet doubling as a cookbook in the kitchen for most people, linking recipe content to a smart appliance is only natural.

“GE may see that the future of long-term revenues from the kitchen comes from creating a community of cooks who share tips, recipes, and videos that can be easily linked to appliances,” described Stuart Sikes, Senior Vice President at Interpret.  “Linking to voice controls, the home cook of tomorrow is likely to use smart speakers, or smart assistant-enabled appliances, to pull up recipes on multiple screens in the kitchen or to set timers and temperatures.”

Data from Interpret’s Smart Home Matrix™ research indicates that 30% of U.S. consumers report owning a smart speaker. In fact, Interpret’s New Media Measure® finds that over 40% of smart speaker owners (among the top brands) regularly enjoy cooking too. While smart appliances have been in the market for a number of years, 2021 may be the year for smart appliances to become the standard in high-end homes, as cooking with connected devices and managing the home with cameras is becoming the new norm.