10 ways to use Alexa in the kitchen

Amazon‘s Alexa voice assistant, found in its Echo, Dot and Tap speakers, may be good for flipping on the lights or locking the doors, but she’s especially useful in the kitchen, where taking commands hands-free can be particularly helpful.

Here are 10 reasons you might want to keep your Alexa-housing speaker in the kitchen.

Maintain a grocery list

Out of the box, Alexa can help you maintain lists for shopping and to-dos. All you have to do is tell Alexa what you want to add and specify which list you want to add it to.

For example, you can say “Alexa, add eggs.” Since eggs is a noun, Alexa understands that it’s an item you would like to add to your shopping list. You can also say “Alexa, add bread to my shopping list” or “Alexa, add an item to my shopping list.” For the latter, Alexa will ask what you want to add and your response will be added as the next line item on your shopping list.

To check this list, open the Alexa app on iOS or Android or go to alexa.amazon.com and click Shopping & To-do Lists. If you would like to sync your additions with something like iOS Reminders, Evernote or another note-taking service, you can use IFTTT to create an Applet that will do one-way sync.

Convert units

When cooking, you may find yourself needing to convert units of measurement, such as from milliliters to cups. Alexa is capable of doing this out of the box. Just say, “Alexa, convert 2 cups to milliliters.”

You can also ask how many teaspoons are in a gallon or how much a volumetric measurement of an ingredient weighs. For instance, “Alexa, how much does a cup of flour weigh?”

Start a timer

Alexa also works as a timer. Just say, “Alexa, start a timer for 5 minutes.” After 5 minutes passes, the speaker will chime until you tell it to stop.

You can start multiple timers running, as well, by saying “Alexa, start a timer for 10 minutes.” You can check on how much time is left simply by asking, and you can cancel each timer separately in advance if you wish.

You can also set an alarm for a specific or relative time with a command such as, “Alexa, set an alarm for 6:00 p.m.,” or, “Alexa, set an alarm for 60 minutes from now.”

Make coffee

You can also use an Alexa command to start up a coffee maker. All you need is a Mr. Coffee 10-Cup Smart Optimal Brew — or a simple drip coffee maker, plus a smart switch.

Next, create an IFTTT Applet that will turn on the smart switch (or the Smart Optimal Brew coffee maker) with a trigger phrase, and remember to add coffee grounds and water the night before you want to use it. Then, in the morning, say the trigger phrase and watch the magic happen.

Control appliances

If you own one of the handful of full-size smart appliances integrated with IFTTT, you can control your oven, dishwasher, refrigerator or slow cooker with Alexa.

You will just need to create some Applets with these channels using Alexa as the trigger channel to turn your kitchen into a voice-controlled heaven.

Recipe ideas

If you ask Alexa for recipe ideas, she isn’t exactly helpful. However, if you search for “recipe” in the Skills section of the Alexa app or alexa.amazon.com, there is no shortage of options.

One of my personal favorite Skills (mini apps for Alexa) is Recipe Finder by Ingredients. To use it, say something like, “Alexa, ask Recipe Finder what I can make with chicken and broccoli.” You can list up to five ingredients and Alexa will provide any relevant results with a link in the Alexa app.

There are tons of recipe Skills available that can help you find something new and interesting to cook.

Ask for calorie counts

If you’re not sure how many calories a food has, just ask Alexa. She may not always have an answer, but it’s a great place to start. For example, try saying, “Alexa, how many calories are there in Greek yoghurt?”

She can provide info on carbohydrates, as well, but only for certain items. It depends on how widely available the nutritional information for a product is and it helps if the food is something generic, such as steak or broccoli.

Pair wines with food

If you’re unsure which wine best pairs with a certain dish, you can ask Alexa. First, you’ll need to enable the Wine Buddy Skill by saying, “Alexa, enable Wine Buddy.”

Then begin asking which wine pairs with a certain food item, like halibut or steak. Say, “Alexa, ask Wine Buddy what I should pair with salmon.”

This Skill isn’t perfect. It can’t always pair your wines with specific dishes. For example, it couldn’t tell me which wine pairs with chicken marsala, but if you keep the requests fairly basic, you can get some basic answers.

Cocktail recipe ideas

When having guests over for drinks, if you’re not sure where to begin, just ask Alexa to enable Easy Cocktail.

To use Easy Cocktail, just say, “Alexa, ask Easy Cocktail how I can make an old fashioned.” First, Alexa will list off the ingredients, then she will tell you the steps of making the drink.

If you’ve got a specific liquor in mind, you can ask The Bartender for cocktail recommendations instead.

Listening to music or the news

Don’t forget to crank up the volume while you cook. While you may not be able to binge Netflix while you cook, it’s one of the best times to catch up on your favorite podcasts. You can also stream music or play your Flash Briefing to hear the latest news.