If you’ve followed my page for a while, you already know I rely on Amazon’s Alexa in my kitchen every day. With the holidays approaching, the new Echo Show is an ideal gift for the home cook or foodie in your life. It offers hands-free convenience, step-by-step cooking guidance, and smart-home features that genuinely make everyday cooking easier and more enjoyable.
Alexa is simple to use—my 5- and 3-year-old children use her as effortlessly as I do. Just speak a question or command and she responds instantly. Beyond casual questions, Alexa can streamline meal planning, prep, and timing so you can focus on creating delicious meals.
Alexa’s skills extend beyond basic voice replies—she can control smart-home devices, play music, manage lists, and guide you through recipes hands-free. Here are the features I use most often in my kitchen and why the Echo Show is such a helpful culinary companion.
How I Use Alexa in My Kitchen
- Maintain a grocery list. With a quick command—“Alexa, add bacon to my grocery list”—items are saved to your Alexa shopping list. When you arrive at the store, open the Alexa app and your list is ready. This is perfect for adding ingredients while you’re cooking so you don’t forget them later.
- Convert units on the fly. If a recipe calls for a measurement you’re not used to, just ask: “Alexa, how many cups are in a gallon?” Alexa gives instant conversions so you can proceed with confidence without hunting for a calculator or conversion chart.
- Shop with Alexa. After adding items to your Alexa shopping list, you can quickly order staples through available delivery services tied to your account. This makes it easy to handle last-minute ingredient needs from the same device you use to plan and prepare meals.
- Keep multiple timers. This is one of my most-used features. When recipe testing, I often need several timers running at once—sauce, oven, pasta. I set labeled timers by saying, for example, “Alexa, set my pizza timer for 15 minutes.” Each alert tells me which item is done, preventing overcooking and kitchen chaos.
- Find ingredient substitutions. Missing an ingredient is no longer a problem. Ask Alexa for replacements: “Alexa, what is a good substitute for garam masala?” She suggests alternatives you can use immediately so the recipe can move forward.
- Check nutritional facts. Whether you’re tracking calories or simply want to list nutritional highlights in a recipe post, Alexa can provide nutrient information and health benefits for many foods. For example, asking “Alexa, what nutritional benefits does lamb have?” returns useful details like its vitamin B12 and zinc content.
- Play music while you cook. I link my Spotify account to Alexa so I can play curated playlists while cooking. Music sets the mood and makes kitchen time more enjoyable—just ask Alexa to play a favorite playlist and you’re set.
- Use Drop In as an intercom. The Drop In feature is invaluable for keeping an ear on the kids. I have an Echo Dot Kids Edition in their playroom, so when I hear a cry or commotion I say, “Alexa, drop in on the kids’ playroom,” and I can check what’s happening without leaving the stove. The kids also love dropping in to chat, which can be adorable—and occasionally a little distracting!
- Follow step-by-step cooking instructions. The Echo Show delivers a hands-free, guided cooking experience with recipes and videos from trusted culinary sources. After choosing a recipe, say “Alexa, let’s start cooking.” Alexa displays each step and advances only when you say “Alexa, next step,” so you can keep your hands on your tools and your focus on the food.
Beyond these kitchen-centric features, I use Alexa for many everyday tasks: setting reminders, checking the weather, entertaining the kids with jokes and games like Simon Says, ordering an Uber for date nights, and listening to the news while I drink my coffee. Alexa has become a helpful, hands-free assistant during recipe testing and daily cooking—the kind of extra “set of hands” every busy cook appreciates.
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