Smart counter tops and singing fridges: Meet the kitchen of the future

Know what work days and hours it's likely that the crew will be in your home.If you have specific requests, like no very early mornings, make that clear up front.If you are trying to meet a milestone, such as hosting 50 people for a graduation party, you need to let your contractor know about this drop dead deadline. Good planning minimizes disappointments, and allows the team to meet your goals and Kitchen gadgets manufacturers expectations.If you find yourself struggling to open a jar and there's no rubber grip in sight, why not try a rubber band? Watch the 15 second video above to see how it's done. All you'll need is a wide, thick rubber band that'll fit snugly around the lid of the jar you're trying to open.Have a kitchen hack of your own? Tell us in the comments below!

There's a new reason for foodies of the future to get excited about home cooking. It involves smart counter tops and singing appliances.Whirlpool showed off its kitchen of 2020 at the 2014 International Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Included is an interactive cooktop that will allow you to do anything from find recipes on Pinterest to post pictures of your food on Facebook.And if you feel inclined to make that recipe for macaroni and cheese you just looked up on your touch screen counter, with the touch of a finger you can turn the counter into a stovetop and start cooking. Or turn on a burner just by talking to it it has voice recognition.   

"Fluid interaction,high quality Grater just-in-time feedback and intuitive cooking technology will enable flexible and efficient use of the appliance," said Jason Tippetts, Whirpool brand studio design manager of global consumer design in a Q&A. "It provides information you need to make dinner intentions into dinner plans, lets you engage with friends and loved ones while cooking safely, and brings a sense of surprise and delight to the kitchen through approachable, cutting edge and intuitive design."None of these cool kitchen gadgets actually exists yet, but Whirlpool is presenting them as possibilities for the future.