Alright, I've got to be honest; I am way late to the 'Alexa' train. The Amazon cloud-based voice service is sitting in millions of kitchens, homes, offices, etc. around the world and yours truly is her newest user. Being a college student I don't really have a lot of free time on my hands to learn how to use 'Alexa' or really benefit from her to the fullest. However, recently I found a website that can help me do that and more! VoiceBrew helps Alexa users learn new things about her and get more out of her. For my everyday life I've found that Alexa has been most helpful to me in my kitchen, so here are 5 of the best Alexa kitchen hacks courtesy of Katherine Prescott, Founder & Editor of VoiceBrew.
#1 When you need to know how many tablespoons are in a stick of butter (the answer is 8!)
Unit conversions are one of the most popular uses for Alexa in the kitchen, especially for all you bakers out there. With Alexa, you don't need to stop and look it up on your phone or computer — you just need to ask.
Here's how: Ask Alexa any unit conversion question such as "Alexa, how many tablespoons are in a quarter cup?
#2 When your hands are covered in pizza dough but you need to set a timer
This is one of those uses that sound simple but truly is a game-changer in the kitchen. Think of all those times when you had schmutz all over your hands punching in a timer on the stove and then mucking up your phone to set a second timer there. With Alexa, you can set as many timers as you want — and you can name them so when a timer goes off, you know what it’s for.
Here's how: "Alexa set a timer for 8 minutes for pasta" and "Alexa set a 20-minute timer for pizza". To check how much time is left "Alexa how much time is on my pasta timer?"
Pro tip! You can also use reminders as a timer if you're cooking something for a long time and plan to walk away from the kitchen.
#3 When you want to be entertained
Whether you like to play games or listen to music, news or books while you cook, Alexa can entertain you.
Music: “Alexa, play Bruce Springsteen” or “Alexa, play Despacito” (insert song or artist or genre!)
Games: “Alexa, open The Wayne Investigation” or “Alexa, play Yes Sire.” Check VoiceBrew’s guide to Alexa Games to find the right game for you.
News: “Alexa, turn on the news.” Check out VoiceBrew’s guide to Alexa News to see how to listen to podcasts, radio, sports and more with Alexa.
Listen to books with Alexa: “Alexa, read my book.” Check out VoiceBrew’s guide to listening to Books with Alexa like a pro to see how to easily listen to and control your Audible books with Alexa — and even listen to books you’re reading on Kindle.
#4 When you realize you're on your last roll of paper towel
With Alexa, you can add paper towels to your Alexa shopping list handsfree — or better yet, just ask Alexa to reorder them on the spot.
Add to Alexa shopping list: “Alexa, add paper towels to my shopping list”
Reorder from Amazon with Alexa: “Alexa, buy paper towels.” If you’ve ordered paper towels from Amazon before, Alexa will ask if you want to buy the ones you previously ordered
To order from Amazon with Alexa, make sure you have voice purchasing enabled under Settings > Alexa Account > Voice Purchasing. (You also need to have an Amazon Prime membership.)
#5 When you want to easily find a new recipe for grilled veggies
We all have our go-to recipes, but sometimes it’s nice to mix it up. Just ask Alexa for a recipe — for grilled vegetables or chicken or anything you can think of. She’ll suggest a few with quick descriptions and, if you like one, she’ll send the recipe to your phone.
To find a recipe: “Alexa, find me a recipe for grilled vegetables” (insert dish of your choice). Say “next” if you want to hear another recipe option, and when you hear a recipe you like say “more information.”
To see the recipe on your phone: When given the option, ask Alexa to “send the recipe to my phone.” Then open the push notification from the Alexa app with a link to the recipe.
These tips have helped me become a wiz in this kitchen and I can't wait to discover more about my bff Alexa with VoiceBrew!