Jennifer Sheahan: Five of the latest kitchen trends

The EuroCucina exhibition at Salone del Mobile sets the bar for kitchens

Salone del Mobile is a series of installations, exhibitions, and experiences across the city, ranging from small independent designers showcasing innovative work to the largest companies such as Ikea and Hyundai putting on impressive experiences.

It's one of the biggest trade events in the world, and Salone del Mobile is my favourite for a couple of reasons. One is that an even bigger design event, the Fuorisalone, has sprung up alongside the event, which takes place across Milan Design Week in April. It is a series of installations, exhibitions, and experiences across the city, ranging from small independent designers showcasing innovative work to the largest companies such as Ikea and Hyundai putting on impressive experiences.

The second is that Salone del Mobile encompasses EuroCucina — an exhibition of the latest and greatest kitchen furniture, appliances, and designs. I love kitchens and new gadgets, so I had a ball exploring both last week. Here are five things that caught my attention.

Matte everywhere

We're used to smooth, shiny surfaces when it comes to our ovens and hobs, but that is out, and matte is firmly in. 

Matte-finish hobs, such as this one by Monno, are fingerprint and scratch-resistant.

Shiny surfaces look great when clean, but the second you touch your oven, or your electric or induction hob, or your boiling pot spills over, or your appliance even hears the word “grease”, fingerprints and stains appear.

Not so with newer matte surface finishes. I smeared my fingers all over these gadgets, and there was not one streak left behind. I saw pots boiled, fish fried, and a quick wipe had the whole thing looking good as new. Plus, if you do give it a vigorous scrub, potential scratches don't show up — at least not as easily.

Almost all brands I saw had matte appliances on show. I have a Bora hob, and I love it, and its newer matte ones are divine. When the time comes to upgrade, that's what I'll be going for.

Leftovers get a glow-up

Speaking of Bora, it has a vacuum device that I covet deeply, designed to preserve leftovers and lengthen the shelf life of food (and wine!). It works in reverse, too — the vacuum can be turned into a pump that speeds up the marinating process by forcing the marinade into the food, cutting the required time to about a third of what it would normally take.

The Bora QVac vacuum seals bags, boxes, and bottles.

The Bora QVac is two years old, I was informed, so forgive me for being behind the trend, but it was new to me. 

Vacuum-sealing food is old news, of course, but what I love about this device is that it comes with Tupperware boxes and bottle toppers that have the vacuum nozzle built-in — much more practical for real life than transferring everything in and out of vacuum bags (which are also included). For meal-prep afficionados, or for anyone who finds their food just never stays fresh long enough, this is a game-changer.

The cherry on top for me is that the device is designed to be integrated under your countertop, removing clutter. And you know how much I hate clutter.

Self-cleaning ovens are improving

I have an AEG oven with a pyrolytic cleaning function, and it's great, don't get me wrong. But the trays and inserts have to be removed first. By the time I have them out, cleaning the inside of the oven itself isn't such a huge job. 

Electrolux oven with CamCook©️.

Cleaning the trays and inserts is a (mild) pain; they don't all fit into my dishwasher at the same time. So I was thrilled to see advances in self-cleaning ovens on show. 

Electrolux now has models that clean themselves with steam, trays and inserts and all, plus the oven has a catalytic lining that prevents grease from building up in the first place. 

Steam doesn't clean as fully as pyrolysis, but it gets you most of the way there, an easy wipe-down being all that's left to you.

The Bora X BO oven has a dishwasher built- n for self-cleaning.

And look, I know I'm harping on about Bora, but I have to tell you that it has a fully plumbed oven that runs as a dishwasher, thoroughly cleaning itself, trays and inserts and all. Genius.

Why choose between gas and electricity

Some purists love gas spider-burners, and in their defence, they do get hotter than many induction hobs, and if you love them, they're hard to move away from. Others love induction for its speed and energy efficiency. Each has its benefits, and I know people who have both installed side by side in their kitchens.

Meisdel kitchen island with gas burner, plancha, and an invisible induction hob.

The downside is that it's not a seamless look, an issue which has been addressed by high-end kitchen appliance manufacturers such as Gaggenau and Meisdel. 

A seamless blend of gas burners, induction rings, downdraft extraction, and even a plancha, all integrated into one aesthetically pleasing appliance, was on display at the Gaggenau exhibition, and serious cooks should take note. It's a potent combination.

AI is coming for our ovens

There is just no getting away from AI, is there? Smart ovens are getting smarter (maybe smarter than us?!) with AI integrations now doing all the cooking for us. 

LG has a new model equipped with a camera and computer vision capabilities. You put the food into your oven…and that's it. It can see what you have put in, assess its weight and size, and all you have to do is choose how you prefer it to be cooked. 

The camera can be accessed via an app, so you can check in on how things are coming along without so much as having to poke your head into the kitchen, not to mind opening the oven and letting all the heat out.

Smart appliances — ones that connect to the internet and allow you to interact with them via an app — annoy me, to be honest. I mostly find them fiddly and unnecessary. But it's hard to argue with the convenience of this new evolution.