For many of us, Alexa has become a part of the family. (An interrupting, sometimes-unwelcome member, but a member nonetheless.) That said, I actually find her to be really helpful in the kitchen — which is where we have her set up — and not just for those impromptu dance parties that my kids like to throw while I’m in the middle of cooking.
Let’s just say that Alexa has saved dinner in my house more than once. Here
Here are 11 ways that Alexa can help you in the kitchen, from making your grocery list to reminding you the temperature to which pork needs to cook — again.
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Pro tip! Those cool Sanus bumpers in the picture above help keep your Echo safe during impromptu dance parties and kitchen flailing. Not that you ever flail in the kitchen.
Related: 44 cool things you can do with the Amazon Echo.
1. Set a timer — or two. If you tell Alexa to set a timer for 10 minutes, she’ll do it. In fact, she can set multiple timers. So you can forget about the cookies in the oven and focus on the millions of other things your kids need from you instead.
2. Count calories. Go ahead and ask Alexa how many calories are in a bag of popcorn or chocolate covered donut (or, on second thought, don’t). She’ll help you stick to your diet, or recognize how far off you’ve gone.
3. Calculate kitchen conversions. You can ask Alexa to make conversions simply by asking questions like: how many cups are in a gallon or how many tablespoons are in a cup. You can also ask Alexa to convert volume into weight: Alexa, how much does a cup of flour weigh.
4. Critique your food. If you’re in the mood for some playful criticism, you can have Gordon Ramsey insult your cooking. You know, to prep you for your future Master Chef appearance.
5. Pair your food with wine. Looking for the perfect red to go with your steak for dinner? The My Somm skill can make a suggestion. Then, just grab a bottle on your way home.
6. Keep a grocery list. Tell Alexa to add sandwich bags or more bell peppers to your grocery list and she’ll do it. Then, when you’re ready to go to the store, she’ll read it back to you.
Related: 10 must-have kitchen gadgets you can get on Amazon Prime for under $20.
7. Provide a topic of conversation for dinner. Ask Alexa to play Would You Rather? to spice up your dinner conversation beyond, “How was your day?” “Fine.” This might sound like a silly suggestion to folks without kids, but we parents know — this one is actually pretty huge!
8. Tell you the proper temperature for meat. Ask Alexa what temperature your meat needs to be cooked to, then check your meat thermometer for a perfectly juicy — and perfectly safe — dinner. Because, seriously, who keeps those meat temps in their head?
9. Get ideas for what to cook. If you’re staring at a fridge with a few random ingredients inside and no idea what to cook, tell Alexa to ask Kitchen Sink what you can make for dinner with an avocado (or, whatever is on hand). She’ll give you some suggestions!
10. Skip the kitchen scale. If you haven’t invested in a kitchen scale but you’re cooking from a recipe that uses weights rather than cups as measurements, you’ll want the Kitchen Scale skill. She’ll convert “one cup of honey” or peanut butter (or pretty much anything) into weight measurements for you.
11. Let your kids get creative in the kitchen. If your kids have some (ahem) creative recipe ideas, let them cook their ideas up “virtually” with the game Kids Kitchen. It’ll save you the money and headache of a disaster recipe, while still providing the kids with loads of kitchen fun.
