Is it Time for the Smart Fridge?

This smart fridge is something we've been hearing about for years. At first, it was just a fridge with a LCD screen and high-speed Internet access to help you with recipes and deliver the weather and news without having to use a computer. Then, the smart fridge idea evolved to help you remember what to buy at the supermarket, like the Electrolux MMS Fridge. To be honest, the smart fridge always seemed a little silly to me; the modern equivalent of the stuff in those old "Kitchens of the Future" videos from the 50's.

However, recently I found a smart fridge concept that really piqued my interest. Designer Ashley Legg has come up with a smart fridge concept that makes me feel like my appliances are from the Stone Age. With her concept, as you add new groceries, you tell the fridge what you're putting inside it (and in your pantry) via the futuristic touch screen.

I don't know about you, but at my house we end up throwing a way a lot of produce and other foods. While we have the best intentions, life sometimes gets in the way and before I know it I'm throwing untouched food in the trash. This fridge can help cut down on waste and make your kitchen a little more eco-friendly by reminding you about food that will spoil soon.

While having a list of what's inside your fridge and when it will expire is kinda cool, what really makes this fridge cool is that it takes that information and tells you what recipes you can cook with what you have on hand. I know I've spend many an hour staring at an open fridge, wasting electricity trying to work out what in the heck I could make with the contents, so it would be pretty sweet for the fridge itself to do that thinking for me. Once you've selected a recipe, the fridge will then walk you through making it with step-by-step instructions.

So, what do you think? Is this a smart fridge you'd pine for, or is this more silly futurism people will be laughing about in 2060?

Image via Yanko Design.