Smartphones are nothing new when it comes to the latest and greatest in the world of technology. It seems that many devices can be made “smart” these days. The rapidly accelerating technology of smart appliances in your kitchen may help you prepare healthier meals with ease.

Digital Scales

We know that portion control is crucial when it comes to a healthy eating pattern to lose weight, maintain weight loss, or simply avoid weight gain. Rather than guessing if you are dishing out the proper portion of food, precisely measure it out with a digital scale. You can program digital scales to display in either grams, ounces, or pounds, and they are more accurate than measuring cups and measuring spoons. They are very reasonably priced and most are small enough to slide right into a kitchen drawer, meaning you won’t have to worry about it taking up precious real estate on your counter-tops.

Instant Pot

I cannot overstate this — the Instant Pot has revolutionized the way many people prepare meals these days — and I am certainly one of those people. Being a foodie, I often find myself collecting kitchen gadgets and appliances regardless of whether I really need them or not. I hate to say it, but most of them take up more space than they are worth.

This is not the case with the Instant Pot. The 7-in-1 multi-function cooker can save you tons of time while freeing up a great deal of counter-top space that would otherwise be devoted to bulky appliances that perform just one job. The Instant Pot works as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, saute/browning cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, warmer, and steamer.

Air Fryer

It is no major revelation to hear that fried foods are high in fat and calories and can contribute to weight gain and obesity if eaten in abundance. But what is revolutionary with an air fryer is the crispy, crunchy, delicious taste and texture you can achieve that compares to that of deep-fat fried fare you get at fast-food places. Air fryers conveniently combine several methods of cooking in one device. Air fryers use rapid air technology along with targeted air and heat flow. They require little to no oil and produce crispy morsels of yumminess in less time than an oven, conventional or convection.

Smart Fork

Because it takes your stomach about 20 minutes or more to send satiety hormones to your brain to signal that you are full, eating too quickly can cause you to end up eating past the point of fullness. You know the sensation — you scarfed down your lunch because you were in a rush or you were famished, and you feel fine after you take your last bite, but about 15 minutes later you feel bloated and uncomfortably full.

Now, there is a fork that can help coach you to healthier habits. This fork works in tandem with your tablet or smartphone to provide you with detailed information about your eating patterns in real time. The fork can light up or vibrate when you are eating too fast. The data uploads to a website you can use to analyze your unique eating habits and provides suggestions on how to make better choices to eat more mindfully.

Smart Thermometers

With the new smart thermometers available, you will never undercook or overcook your meat again. These nifty contraptions can monitor the temperature of your food as it is cooking and then send alerts to your phone when it reaches the proper internal temperature, even if you are up to 300 feet away! This means you could spend time with your friends or family while the food is cooking at the perfect temperature, and your phone will alert you when it is done. These thermometers have been programmed with pre-established United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-approved temperatures for many different types of meat, including beef, chicken, veal, pork, ground poultry, lamb, ground beef, and fish. They also have automated USDA-approved levels of doneness, such as rare, mid-rare, medium, mid-well, and well done) for several varieties of meat, or you could arrange your own desired temperature setting.

Sous Vide Cookers

Sous vide cooking is the practice of placing your food in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag and then cooking it in water that is temperature controlled precisely. Sous vide cooking can help you stick to a healthy eating plan because you don’t have to add any extra fat to prevent food from sticking like you would if you were cooking on a skillet or grill. Another healthy-cooking bonus? The vacuum-sealed bags retain the juices and key beneficial nutrients that could otherwise be lost during other methods of cooking. Celebrity chef Richard Blais is a huge fan of this type of healthy cooking.

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