The Best Matter-Compatible Kitchen Equipment

If you’re building your Matter smart home, one of the key areas that you’ve probably identified is the kitchen. But is Matter-compatible kitchenware available?

As of mid-2024, the list of compatible hardware is short, but the kitchen is a key opportunity for Matter.

What Makes Kitchen Gear Smart?

Like most other smart equipment, kitchenware can be brought online for remote control and communication.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have been the key communication standards for kitchen goods. For example, air fryers, smart kettles, and coffee makers (such as the Nespresso Vertuo Pop+) rely on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi app control. However, there is no other integration with existing smart home standards for these types of device.

This low-level of “smart” in the kitchen makes this a key battleground for Matter, the increasingly compelling smart home standard. Published by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), Matter is essentially a successor to Zigbee (What is Zigbee?), and is backed by over 500 companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Ikea, and Samsung SmartThings.

Our guide to Matter explains the standard in more detail.

Can Matter Work in the Kitchen?

Lighting aside, the kitchen has managed to avoid genuine smart home equipment until relatively recently. While you can find a few smart mixers, coffee machines, and air fryers, they’re largely limited to standard Wi-Fi control.

I’ll be honest, this has surprised me. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to try out a smart kettle, the AppKettle, and meet its developer. This device had Wi-Fi, could be programmed to boil at a specific time, and had IFTTT integration. At this point, a smart kettle would seem to be the perfect entry-level device for a Matter-based kitchen.

As things stand, this doesn’t look likely any time soon.

In May 2024, the Matter 1.3 specification was issued. This added support for microwave ovens, standard ovens and ranges, cooktops, and hoods. So, future kitchenware can enjoy Matter smart home integration. You might remotely set cooking time and power/heat, and the type of cooking (grill/broil/etc.). Notifications can be sent from the kitchen device to your phone or hub display. An extractor hood might be set to switch on when a certain temperature or type of particulate is detected.

The hood could also inform you when it needs a new filter.

While ovens and microwaves are a step above kettles, coffee machines and blenders, that doesn’t mean support for these devices won’t arrive with a later Matter revision.

Top Kitchen Equipment with Matter Support

At the time of writing (July 2024) Matter 1.2 hardware is only just arriving. The Matter 1.3 specification doesn’t look as though it will be supported by hardware released before the final quarter of this year.

With that in mind, there is one Matter-ready smart kitchen device you may be interested in learning more about.

Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with Family Hub

It has a beverage center, customizable door panels, ice cubes or bites, a configurable fridge/freezer compartment, and a 32-inch display. Oh, and it has an immense 29 cubic feet capacity.

But the real reason for its inclusion here is the Samsung SmartThings Family Hub.

This means the network-enabled device has Matter compatibility. While Samsung SmartThings is yet to fully commit to Matter, however, this somewhat ostentatious refrigerator (which sells in the region of $5,000) could act as your smart home hub. Any Matter devices on your network should connect via the device, which you can also use to view photos and plan meals. (Cheaper Samsung SmartThings hubs are available.)

Note that while it has a display, this refrigerator does not yet offer support for Matter casting. 

More Matter Kitchenware Will Materialize

While the Samsung smart fridge offers a tantalizing glimpse of Matter in the kitchen, price-wise it is unobtainable for many. Fortunately, as the Matter 1.3 specification is adopted across the consumer technology industry, more compatible devices will arrive.

Midea has already showcased a Matter-ready dishwasher, and a microwave. Release details of these devices had not yet been made public, however. We also know that Govee has some kitchenware in development.

Matter 1.3 supports smart cookers, ovens, hoods, and microwaves. While it might be a while before you can remotely brew coffee over Matter, grilling your steak medium-rare through your phone or with a voice command should be possible by mid-2025.

As for smart fridge Matter hubs, they’re likely to become more common too.