Most high tech appliances are being designed to accommodate Internet access as manufacturers look toward the future of house automation. While the full blown "smart" kitchen with appliances linked together through the Internet is still a few years away, these features are emerging in some form in most appliances.

“Research has shown that consumers are particularly interested in self diagnostic features,” said Kim Freeman, program manager for marketing media for GE Appliances, based in Louisville, KY.  If the temperature in your refrigerator starts to climb, for example, the appliance would call you at your office, on your cellular telephone or pager and ask you if you have cleaned the condenser coils lately. It also could call a service department and order new parts.

"One of the things we look at is not just what consumers of today want, but what consumers of tomorrow are going to expect," Freeman said. Consumers lead busy lives and want appliances that will remember frequently used information, save them steps in the cooking process, and be easy to use, she said.

Refrigerators

Anyone who has jumped back in fright after opening their refrigerator produce bin will appreciate a little technology.

Now there are refrigerators that can determine the best temperature for those perishables. Consumers just push a button labeled for meat, citrus or produce and the temperature in that bin is adjusted accordingly. No more angst over growing biology experiments and wasted grocery dollars.

"Consumers throw away a lot of food," said Davis Rowe, an assistant brand manager for Maytag Appliances. "If you break it down it comes out to $20 to $30 a month in food."

The Newton, Iowa-based appliance manufacturer offers a 27-cubic-foot model with climate controlled storage bins for perishables. This feature is designed to store foods at their optimal temperature, prolonging the life span of food by one to five days on average.  The refrigerator, which is priced from $1,899, is just one example of how manufacturers are using technology to make products designed for today's consumers.

GE Appliances has a refrigerator on the drawing boards with a bar code scanner to keep track of supplies and order groceries. Just scan each item before you use it and the appliance will tally sodium and cholesterol levels, along with an inventory of supplies.

Microwave Ovens

The choices in high tech appliances run the gamut from high-speed ovens for the time-crazed gourmet to voice activated appliances that respond to commands and ask questions.

Sharp Electronics Corporation introduced a convection microwave oven in Japan that can be linked with the Internet. Consumers can download hundreds of recipes from the company's web site and store them in memory. The oven then can pull information on cooking times, power levels, temperatures or cooking sequences to prepare a meal.

Sharp also makes microwave ovens that display word prompts to help the frustrated cook work through meal preparation and provide cooking assistance in English, Spanish and French.

High Tech Designs

Other products are being designed with a futuristic look to compliment the high tech circuitry. Frigidaire has a refrigerator named "Oz" that has a rounded top that expands into a slight pear shape at the bottom.

The design, which is targeted toward those who want a more modern shape than the traditional rectangular box, is being introduced in Europe under the Zanussi brand.

KitchenAid also is adding a curve to its refrigerator door, with the new Superba side-by-side model. The exterior has a traditional rectangular shape, but the inside of the freezer door and the storage shelves are sculpted. The refrigerator takes on a high tech look with a glossy cobalt blue exterior.

The use of bold colors also is seen in microwave ovens. Sharp's line of compact "Half Pint" ovens, for example, are sold in orange, blue, along with more traditional colors.

These products offer a glimpse of the choices consumers will find as they design that dream kitchen today or in the near future.  As with most innovations, they will be seen first in the custom home market before filtering down to the mass market.