Amazon products are making their way into almost every aspect of our lives, so it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that an Amazon Echo in the kitchen is going to be your new best baking buddy. Now, Alexa may not be able to pass you the sugar or crack some eggs, but she will be able to do a lot of things that the home chef will find incredibly useful.
Today, we’re going to talk about the many different ways Alexa can be beneficial in the kitchen. Don’t be too surprised if you start thinking about trading in your human helper for an Alexa in the kitchen.
Amazon Echo In The Kitchen: What Can It Do?
When it comes to cooking, there aren’t too many people who actually enjoy the process. That’s because cooking can be complicated and confusing for those who aren’t savvy in the kitchen. Here are some ways Alexa can make cooking easier and more enjoyable.
1. Making A Grocery List
As you go through the week, you’re going to run out of stuff. Sometimes you’re busy and you don’t have time to manually add it to the grocery list. That’s where Alexa in the kitchen can help. Simply say: “Alexa, add [item] to grocery list.” The lists that Alexa makes can be viewed on a variety of list-making apps like Evernote or just use the Alexa app on your smartphone.
2. Set Timers
Maybe you’re okay with keeping track of when you put something in the oven, but it isn’t that simple when you have multiple things cooking that all have different cook times. With Alexa, you can just say “Alexa, set time for [task].”
She will then ask you for how long and then you can tell her how many minutes. To add more timers, you can repeat this process but give each task a different name.
3. Convert Units
Sometimes when you’re searching for recipes, you don’t take notice that the measurements are in one unit but you only know the other. Alexa can convert one measurement into another unit simply by asking, “Alexa, how many ounces are in 10 grams?” or you can ask more challenging questions like, “Alexa, how many grams does a cup of sugar weight?”
4. Make Coffee
Although Alexa isn’t going to fully take the place of your trusted barista, it can at least turn on the coffee maker in the morning. You will need to use a smart coffee maker that is Alexa compatible. If you don’t have that, you can use a regular drip coffee maker and hook it up to a smart switch.
The actual process of making coffee requires using an IFTTT applet to create a trigger phase that’ll turn the smart switch (and thereby your coffee maker) on and your coffee will start brewing… Just remember to put in the coffee grounds and water the night before!
5. Recipe Finder
https://alexaforseniors.net/best-elderly-alexa-skills/With Alexa, recipes no longer need to printed out or searched for on the tablet. Use a command to tell Alexa what you want to make by saying something like, “Alexa, find me a vegan recipe for chili,” and she will sift through thousands of recipes and show you the best one.
Not only does she show you the recipe, but she will even read the ingredients and cooking directions out loud while you’re working and following along.
6. Monitor Your Calories
You may have a trusted fitness app that you like to use to track your calories, but with them you have to manually enter the item. Maybe you don’t like using the apps and you prefer the traditional handwritten food journal. With an Alexa, you can enable skills on your device that will help you monitor how many calories you’re eating and you can keep track.
7. Find Alternative Ingredients
You’ve finally been gifted with the family’s secret recipe for chili and you thought you had every ingredient. Yet, when it comes to actual cooking time, you realize you don’t have a particular ingredient. You can ask Alexa to find a comparable ingredient you could use to take place of the missing ingredient.
Useful Skills To Add To Use With Alexa In The Kitchen
Skills can take your ordinary Alexa and transform her into a customized device that is perfect for your family. Here’s a look at our favorite skills to use in the kitchen:
Final Thoughts
Using Alexa in the kitchen is one of the smartest things the budding home chef can do because it makes cooking so much easier. You can ask Alexa to convert one unit of measurement to another. You can ask Alexa to find a replacement ingredient because you forgot something at the store.
You can prevent yourself from forgetting to add things to the grocery list by asking Alexa to add it to the list for you. You can even ask Alexa to keep track of the many different cooking times there will be when you’re cooking a big meal on the holidays.
Sadly, the only thing Alexa can’t do is the dishes. But isn’t that what dishwashers and kitchen helpers are for? We think so!
Leave us a comment below and let us know who your kitchen helpers are, we’d love to hear from you.
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