Wirecutter - A Maserati matte-black stove?

What did nearly every high-end appliance maker want to show us? A finish in some version of matte black, graphite, or charcoal. These shades are indeed sleek, much like the automobiles they’re lifted from—literally. A representative from the Italian appliance maker Bertazzoni told us the “Carbonio” finish on its new induction range was created with the same paint used by Maserati, just down the road.

Black appliances have been popular for years now. But we know that the way black is manufactured makes a big difference in how it holds up. Black stainless steel, for example, can easily scratch—it’s usually a coat of paint over stainless steel, which shows through as soon as the outer black coat is breached. Most of the matte finishes we saw, though, used heavy-duty paint over metal, an approach we hope to inspect and monitor for longevity (and fingerprints).

Maybe it’s social media driving our desire to hyper-personalize, but customization of the biggest, most expensive appliances we buy is increasingly possible—and not just at the luxury level. Samsung and LG, both based in Korea, are at the forefront: Andrea already noted Samsung’s new Bespoke series appliances in our coverage of CES. Bespoke lets you swap in suction-cupped color panels on an appliance’s exterior or create custom fridge panels, printed with your own art (or one giant photograph that stretches across all four doors of your fridge). Or you can add your own photos to the door on a new, 32-inch touch screen called the Family Hub.

LG is promoting a futuristic new fridge series called MoodUP, featuring thick plastic doors that are actually LED light panels. You can customize on the fly with one of 190,000 (yes, you read that right) Pantone colors.

Both fridges also let you stream your own music playlists with built-in speakers. (Who knew you'd need a fridge that could also rock on?) This year we hope to determine which (if any) of these hold up to use. If they don’t, there’s always the old-fashioned approach to fridge personalization: magnets and kids’ art.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, appliance design is now tackling two extremes in the United States. For those living large, we saw new 96-inch-tall refrigerators (the typical fridge is about 70 inches tall) and some at least as wide. We also saw 48-inch-wide stoves and 54-inch range hoods (most max out at 36 inches); deep, double-drawer dishwashers; and double sets of new, large-capacity washer-dryer combos (a style we don’t currently recommend).

But we also caught a glimpse of a new movement to adopt a smaller carbon footprint, as European kitchens have been doing for decades. That includes a move to induction cooking or heat-pump dryers instead of gas versions. We also saw more 24-inch-wide versions of cooktops, stoves, fridges, washers, and dryers, as well as 18-inch dishwashers. Rachel recommends the 24-inch Miele 7720 induction cooktop, which will be featured in a forthcoming new guide to induction cooktops.

We’ve always been skeptical about using Wi-Fi–enabled smart-home apps connected to kitchen or laundry appliances. Do any of the features—getting a status update from your dryer on your phone, for example—add enough value, particularly considering privacy and data concerns? Turns out those functions may be slightly beside the point.

Spokespeople from GE Appliances, Bertazzoni, and Miele told us that one reason every company wants you to buy an appliance with Wi-Fi is that it can be used to diagnose service issues remotely. That may save an appliance repair tech a trip to your home to determine the problem or what part is needed. It might even mean your appliance can be fixed without a repair tech at all. We consider this to be a real potential benefit, and we plan to assess which companies put this promise into action.

Post-pandemic, and in the midst of the gas-stove safety debate, more people understand the nuances of health studies pertaining to indoor air quality. And they are building their kitchens with this in mind. That means companies are building better filters in washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers or tinkering with range-hood design, to improve how much they capture or filter from cooktops and stoves—especially models that run on gas. Count us among those tracking these issues. One of our goals is to produce a guide to kitchen ventilation. So keep your eyes peeled for that later this year.

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