Kitchens are getting smarter. Some refrigerators can let you know when the door is open, or if the milk is past its sell-by date. They make ice at night during less expensive, off-peak energy hours. There are dishwashers that can contact a repairman. It probably won't be long before you can become Facebook friends with your microwave. The first microwave oven — the Radarange — weighed 750 pounds and was bought by a Cleveland restaurant in 1947 for $3,000. Later home models had a pull-out box for recipe cards. Paper recipe cards. So quaint. Today, there are refrigerators with touch screens on the door that keep track of the food inside and suggest recipes to match. Imagine what you could do with pomegranate yogurt, wilted Tuscan kale and half a can of chickpeas. Right now, it's all about the smart phone. Warwick Stirling, Whirlpool's senior director of sustainability and connectivity, says consumers want to use their mobile phones to take back control of their hectic lives.
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