You have your Amazon Echo to thank for the amazing onion-chopping tunes—not to mention PureWow's very own flash briefing, Good News from PureWow. But there are so many more ways Alexa can come to your rescue, especially in the kitchen. She’s the professional prep chef you never knew you needed (and shouldn’t live without). Here’s what she can help you with.
food
8 Surprising Ways Alexa Can Help You Out in the Kitchen
Make You A Grocery List
When you’re in the middle of cooking, it’s really annoying to unlock your iPhone and type into Notes (greasy fingers and all that). Luckily, you can just shout out whatever you need: “Alexa, add three pints of ice cream to my grocery list.” (OK, maybe we don’t need all three…) She’ll then maintain a running memo of everything that you can access on your phone from the Alexa app.
Help You Decide What To Make For Dinner
You’ve got mushrooms, scallions and chicken breasts in the fridge but are feeling kind of uninspired. Bingo, Alexa can find a recipe to help you use up your ingredients. (“Alexa, ask Allrecipes what I can make with mushrooms, scallions and chicken breast.”) Alternatively, you can search for a specific recipe (“Alexa, ask Allrecipes for a beef Bourguignon recipe”) and she’ll read you step-by-step instructions as you cook.
Set A Lot Of Timers At Once
Soup is simmering on the stove, bread is warming up in the oven, oh, and the kiddos want some chicken nuggets warmed up, too. Don’t panic: Alexa’s got your back. She’ll set multiple timers for you—just say, “Alexa start a soup timer for 20 minutes.” You can even check how much time is left on each one. (“Alexa, how much time is left on my chicken nuggets timer?”)
Convert All Sorts Of Units
We should probably know how many ounces are in a cup or how many tablespoons are in a stick of butter, it’s so many numbers to keep track of. Plus, sometimes you run into metric units in recipes from across the pond (gosh darn it, Mary Berry). Never fear—Alexa’s here. Try asking, “Alexa, how many milliliters are in a teaspoon?”