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  2. Round-up

20 Alexa Skills That Will Make You a Better Cook

By Michael Gowan
published 7 February 2018

Turn Alexa into a virtual sous chef with these cooking skills.

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Use Alexa to Become a Better Chef

Use Alexa to Become a Better Chef

If you have an Amazon Echo or Dot in your kitchen, Alexa becomes a great sous chef as well as a virtual assistant when you add the right skills. From helping you decide what to cook to adding items to your shopping list, Alexa is your own personal Julia Child. These are the best cooking skills for Alexa.

Illustration: Tom’s Guide; Shutterstock

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Page 1 of 21
Page 1 of 21
Cook with Ingredients You Have on Hand

Cook with Ingredients You Have on Hand

When you're in the mood to cook, but don't want to go shopping, too, tell Best Recipes by Hellman's three ingredients that you have, and it will find three recipes that you can make. You can ask for breakfast, lunch or dinner recipes. The skill emails you the recipes instead of talking you through them.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 2 of 21
Page 2 of 21
Find a Substitute Ingredient

Find a Substitute Ingredient

When a recipe calls for butter and you realize you're all out, Ingredient Sub can tell you how much margarine you can use instead. The database has a good number of basics, but if you're seeking a replacement for something like turmeric, Google will be a better resource.

Credit: Scott Olson/Getty

Page 3 of 21
Page 3 of 21
Get Recipes for your Instant Pot

Get Recipes for your Instant Pot

The Instant Pot pressure cooker is one of the most popular kitchen gadgets; the Instant Pot skill helps you find recipes and then guides you through each step.

Page 4 of 21
Page 4 of 21
Safely Cook Meat and Seafood

Safely Cook Meat and Seafood

A good way to ruin a dinner party is to serve your guests overcooked food — or worse, undercooked. The Cook Reference skill tells you the safe temperature to cook common meats and fish like chicken, pork, beef, salmon and more.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 5 of 21
Page 5 of 21
Get cooking tips from Cook's Illustrated

Get cooking tips from Cook's Illustrated

Cook's Illustrated is one of the most respected publications when it comes to cooking; its scientific approach results in excellent recipes that are accessible to all. The Cook's Illustrated skill not only offers tips, but three times a week has new videos, which you can view on compatible devices such as the Echo Show.

Page 6 of 21
Page 6 of 21
Add Items to Your Grocery List

Add Items to Your Grocery List

If you use Chefling to help keep track of groceries you need to buy or when food is expiring, you can skip opening the app and have Alexa do the work for you. Through the skill, you can add items, check expiration dates, share your shopping list and more.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 7 of 21
Page 7 of 21
Become a Grillmaster

Become a Grillmaster

Take the guess work out of how long to grill thanks to this skill. Give it the type of meat, fish or vegetable you'll cook and it tells you the best temperature, whether you should use direct or indirect cooking, and how long to grill it.

Credit: Carsten Koall/Getty

Page 8 of 21
Page 8 of 21
Brine a turkey

Brine a turkey

Brining a turkey helps flavor the bird and help it retain moisture during cooking. Brought to you by Morton, the salt company, the Brine Time skill walks you through what you need to brine a turkey, dry- versus wet brining, and other instructions for prepping your poultry.

Page 9 of 21
Page 9 of 21
Store Fruits and Vegetables Properly

Store Fruits and Vegetables Properly

If you've ever put a banana in the refrigerator, you need the Fruit Stand skill. Ask it where you should store a fruit or vegetable and it will tell you. For example, sweet potatoes should be stored in the pantry, while blueberries should go in the fridge.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 10 of 21
Page 10 of 21
Learn about Herbs and Spices

Learn about Herbs and Spices

The wild world of herbs and spices remain a mystery to many of us. This skill shares random facts about these plants, seeds and roots — and that will help you become a more knowledgeable cook. Example: Peppermint helps settle nausea and upset stomach from overeating.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 11 of 21
Page 11 of 21
Find Seasonal Food

Find Seasonal Food

Eating according to what's in season adds variety to your diet and helps you pick fresh foods available locally. Ask the Farmer's Market skill what's in season in your area, and it gives you an alphabetical list.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 12 of 21
Page 12 of 21
Convert Cups to Ounces

Convert Cups to Ounces

If you're being precise in the kitchen, it's better to go by weight of food than using measuring cups or spoons. But you'll probably have to translate cups to ounces for most recipes. Let Alexa do the math for you. The Kitchen Scale skill can tell you, for example, that 1 cup of bananas weighs 8 ounces.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 13 of 21
Page 13 of 21
Find Calorie Counts

Find Calorie Counts

Counting calories is a way of life if you're dieting. Before you reach into the pantry, ask Food Nutrition Lookup how much damage those potato chips are going to do to your calorie goal — you may think twice.

Credit: Sonia Recchia/Getty

Page 14 of 21
Page 14 of 21
Cook like Mom

Cook like Mom

Get the wisdom of a Jewish mother's cookbook even if you don't have any Jewish heritage. Mama Schack has recipes for traditional Jewish foods such as matzo balls and latkes, as well as chicken soup and more.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 15 of 21
Page 15 of 21
Bake a Pie

Bake a Pie

Time for dessert! PieGuy has you covered. Tell it what kind of pie you’re in the mood for and it gives you the names of several recipes. Pick one and you'll hear the ingredients and the steps to follow.

Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty

Page 16 of 21
Page 16 of 21
Order a Pizza

Order a Pizza

If you've had enough of cooking, get Alexa to order a pizza for you. Set up an Easy Order through Domino's and ask Alexa to order it. When you get impatient for the pizza to arrive, it can tap into Domino's Tracker for the latest status on your pie. Prefer Pizza Hut? There's a skill for that, too.

Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty

Page 17 of 21
Page 17 of 21
Mix a Drink

Mix a Drink

Playing mixologist for friends? Tap into the Bartender skill to learn how to make any of 12,000 mixed drinks. It works best if you know the drink name — say, "Ask the bartender how to make a tequila sunrise," and it tells you the ingredients and how to put them together. Or ask it to surprise you and learn how to make something new.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 18 of 21
Page 18 of 21
Find Your Favorite Beer

Find Your Favorite Beer

When only the perfect beer will quench your thirst, don't drive all over town: ask WhatTapped if your favorite ale house has what you're craving. With over 250 bars and more than 10,000 beers listed, you may find the one you're looking for.

Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty

Page 19 of 21
Page 19 of 21
Make a Reservation

Make a Reservation

If you'd rather go out to eat, the OpenTable skill can help you get a reservation. It's convenient when you're with a group to hear Alexa tell you the options and times instead of huddling around a phone screen.

Credit: Shutterstock

Page 20 of 21
Page 20 of 21
Get Berated by Gordon Ramsay

Get Berated by Gordon Ramsay

Have you ever watched Hell's Kitchen and thought, "I'd like to be yelled at like that"? Enable the Gordon Ramsay skill, and ask the celebrity chef what he thinks of your bouillabaisse or grilled cheese sandwich, and you'll get an earful of expletives (bleeped out) critiquing your dish.

Some examples of things you can say:

“Alexa, ask Gordon Ramsay what he thinks about my casserole"“Alexa, ask Gordon Ramsay to try my fried chicken”“Alexa, ask Gordon Ramsay to taste this mac and cheese”Credit: Fox/Getty

Page 21 of 21
Page 21 of 21
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Michael Gowan
Michael Gowan
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Michael Gowan covers soundbars, TVs, portable speakers and other audio- and video-related topics for Tom’s Guide. He’s written about music and technology for more than 20 years for a raft of publications including Wired, Men’s Journal, PC World and Macworld. When he’s not reviewing speakers, he’s probably listening to one anyway. 

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