Skip to main content

Amazon’s new smart oven can air-fry, bake, and microwave your meals

Today at the Amazon 2019 event, the company unveiled its newest smart cooking appliance, the Amazon Smart Oven. It’s described as a combination of a microwave, convection oven, air fryer, and food warmer. And what’s more, all of that cooking versatility can be controlled via Alexa-enabled devices and voice commands. Last year, Amazon unveiled a smart microwave, but it didn’t seem to wow many. This new device seems much more advanced and useful, especially for those will modest cooking skills.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Certified for humans, Amazon says this new oven is struggle-free, tinker-free, stress-free. It looks like that label is true. The smart oven has 30+ built-in presets. So, all you need to do is ask Alexa to cook a particular food and she’ll automatically find the perfect way to cook it. She will also announce when you need to stir your food during the cooking process, when the oven is preheated, and when it’s finished.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The new oven is, as a result, a non-cook’s dream. Using the app, you can scan hundreds of packaged foods and the cooking instructions for each will be sent to the Amazon Smart Oven. All you need to do is press start. No need to guesstimate cooking times or power settings. It can even take a food item from frozen, to defrosted to cooked, without human intervention. Whether the oven can live up to all of these fantastical promises is yet to be seen, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Recommended Videos

It also features a temperature probe to ensure your food is truly done. No more pink chicken, not to mention it is large enough to cook a 5-pound chicken at a roomy 1.5 cubic feet.

The Amazon Smart Oven is available for $250 and comes with an Echo Dot. When ordering you can choose the color of your Echo Dot. It comes in Plum, Charcoal, Heather Gray or Sandstone. It goes on pre-sale starting today, September 25.

Amazon also unveiled new features for Alexa and several new Alexa devices including a new Echo speaker with improved sound, the new Echo Show 8 with a screen that comes in three different sizes for just $130, and an Alexa powered glowing nightlight for kids.
Alina Bradford
Alina Bradford has been a tech, lifestyle and science writer for more than 20 years. Her work is read by millions each month…
Should you buy a new smart lock or retrofit your existing deadbolt?
Schlage Encode Plus smart lock installed on a wooden door to a living room.

When it comes to smart locks, all models essentially fall into two categories. The first category will be familiar to most people, as these are traditional smart locks built to replace your existing deadbolt. That means you'll get a whole new set of keys for your front door, as well as hardware that introduces smart features to your home.

The second kind of smart lock is a retrofit smart lock. These quirky devices are designed to fit over your existing hardware -- allowing you to keep using your old keys while also adding smart features. Both types of smart locks are great ways to upgrade your front door, but which is best for your home? Here's a closer look to help you decide if you should replace your traditional deadbolt with a smart lock or install a retrofit smart lock instead.
Consider your DIY skills

Read more
What to do if your Amazon Alexa app is not working
Alexa app on phone.

If you use Amazon Alexa and its quit responding to you, you may have realized by now that there are a ton of thing that could be causing that problem. One big issue is that the Amazon Alexa app itself has potentially shut down communication with you. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the all of the possibilities, letting your Amazon Echo devices sit there useless, and feeling despair, try an ordered list of potential fixes to get things started.

While there are a lot of different reasons for an Alexa to quite responding, if you go through the following techniques one by one, you'll certainly get a resolution to any problems you might be having with the Alexa app. We'll walk you through everything from updating your Alexa device to contacting Amazon for advanced help if no simple fix will work.
Check for a software update

Read more
Home Depot’s Hubspace is a great way to start building your smart home
The Hubspace app shown in front of a living room.

Building a smart home can be intimidating. Not only do you have to figure out which products are best for your needs, but you also need to set them up using an accompanying mobile app and sync them with the rest of your gadgets. It's all a bit confusing for smart home newcomers -- but Home Depot has largely streamlined the process with its Hubspace platform.

Billed as a "smart home platform that makes smart home products easy to set up and control," it sounds like a great fit for smart home newbies. And after going hands-on with a few products in its growing lineup, I can say it definitely hits all the right notes.
Streamlined and simple

Read more