Top 5 kitchen trends of 2014

Move over robot vacuums and single-cup coffee makers, vintage cookware and gadgets controlled by a smart phone are poised to be the next big trends in kitchens.

This year, home chefs can expect to see a lot of products on the shelves that allow them to cook healthier and fresher, often without slaving over a hot stove.

Bluetooth-enabled meat thermometers and slow cookers will allow cooks to monitor meals from afar. Healthy home products that can deep fry and cook without oil or make ice cream without cream are also coming on line.

Having debuted at the International Home and Housewares show this month in Chicago, most of these on-trend items are hitting the market now or are due out this summer or fall.

The wireless kitchen

This year's most useful kitchen accessory: Your smart phone or tablet. All kinds of new kitchen gadgets are popping up with features that aim to connect with your wireless devices through Bluetooth.

The Orange Chef Prep Pad scale connects with an iPad through an app that offers the nutritional profile of any food based on its weight -- from a salad to a bowl of cereal. Crock Pot offers a slow cooker that allows you to control the cooker remotely.

Wireless thermometers are making headway in the market as well. The Maverick Chef Tunes is a kitchen speaker, hands-free phone, roasting thermometer and clock, all in one small box that sits on your countertop. Oregon Scientific's similar Grill-Right Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer sends temperature alerts to your phone or tablet when your dinner has reached a pre-selected level of doneness.

Making a healthier home

Looking at the range of health-related home products coming on line this year, it's clear that Americans are demanding new ways to boost their health at home. 360 Cookware's line of cookware uses vapor technology to cook food without any added fat. Instead, home cooks use a splash of water and wait to see steam escape before locking a vapor seal to cook.

For those home chefs wanting to cook healthy, keeping fresh ingredients fresh can be problematic. Luckily, there are a slew of new products to accomplish exactly that, including the GuacLock that keeps guacamole from browning, the Prepara Evak that squishes air out of a container with an adjustable top and the Produce Wizard, which sits on the countertop and uses ozone to reduce oxidation of fruits and vegetables.

Turning junk food into health food

Americans may want to be healthier, but that doesn't mean they want to give up all their favorite deep-fried snacks and creamy treats. So manufacturers are trying to meet them in between by offering products that turn junk food into health food, or at least food that's less junky.

The Jet Fryer or Philips' air fryers simulate deep-frying, but use about 80 percent less fat, according to the companies. With about a tablespoon of oil, you can fry, bake, roast or grill anything in these machines. The Joie Healthy Slicer and Microwave Chip Maker lets you slice and microwave your own crispy chips, without deep frying.

Other machines such as Yonanas and the Fruiti Freeze turn fruit, without the need for any dairy, into an ice cream-like treat.

Expanding the home bar

Did you think having different kinds of glasses for your red and white wines would cover all different varietals? Wrong. There are different glasses for different wines (cabernet, pinot, etc.) along with all those different glasses for your different types of beers (Pilsner, Belgians, wheats, etc.) and of course, the different cocktail glasses, including the very-specific Moscow Mule copper mug.

There are also tons of new ways to keep your drinks cool, from chillers to stircicles and corkcicles to various different types of ice cubes, many not even made out of ice such as Cork Pops' stainless steel "ice" cubes, drink rocks, or Teroforma's wine twirl.

Vintage looks

From cookware to glassware to flatware, vintage wares are in. Vintage Coca Cola and Mason jar glassware invaded the Housewares show, and so did vintage owl patterns. Neoflam, among many others, will offer cast aluminum and ceramic cookware this year that harkens back to the 1940s and 1950s, coated in pastel colors.

Nostalgia Electrics features several lines of classic 1950s-style microwaves, refrigerators and popcorn makers for those truly dedicated to the retro look.