There’s no appliance in the kitchen that gets opened and closed in an impatient panic more often than the microwave. These doors are tough. That’s also why there’s no kitchen device more in need of the smart treatment.

It’s easy to make fun of kitchen products like refrigerators and toasters having smart capabilities. The features of many appliances are a delight to look at. don’t simplify anythingThis can lead to unnecessary bureaucracy, and even quasi-sophistication when it comes to performing simple tasks, such as the one I perform with my articles.

But think about how often we burn things in microwaves, or realize the burrito we heated up is slightly frozen and eat it anyway because it’s two in the morning (just me?). Think about how often we open and close the door to check if something’s done, and stare at the microwave impatiently as if it’s somehow going to heat the item up quicker, like a person who presses an elevator button repeatedly, thinking it’ll speed up the arrival.

Smart Microwaves Get to Know Their Customer

The only time I ever cook things properly in a microwave is when I’m melting action figures. So if there were a microwave that could somehow anticipate all the above impatience, wouldn’t you want one? Wouldn’t you want to buy me one? This is what I hope you are seeing.

Smart microwaves can be controlled remotely through your smart devices, offer voice commands to start and stop the cooking or constantly ask how much time is left, and often use sensor technology to monitor a food’s humidity and adjust cooking levels midcycle.

Use the Panasonic Smart Inverter Countertop Microwave Oven. It operates with Alexa and can handle over 100 voice commands (I have 70), so you can tell it to “Reheat my coffee” and then tell it again 40 minutes later because you forgot about the coffee. A “Genius Sensor” (their words, not mine) automatically adjusts cooking times and power by sensing heat and steam.

It acts like a microwave that knows you’re not always in the most rational state of mind when operating a microwave, and responds with, “Don’t worry, I got this.”

The GE Smart Countertop Microwave Oven has a scan to cook function. This allows you to scan the barcode of a food package so that the settings and cooking times are set up and ready for use. Toshiba Smart Microwave even lets you mute so you don’t have to hear that piercing beep when the macaroni is done. Do you hear me, laundry dryers

Smart is it worth the effort?

It’s silly to call microwaves time-savers. All microwaves are time-savers. But because they’re all so fast, it’s easy to ruin food in them or constantly have to reheat it, and we’re often distracted doing other things when we come home tired from work and accidentally put our shoes in the microwave.

With a smart microwave you can eliminate all the guesswork and get your shoes cooked perfectly.