Why You Can Trust CNET 9 ways to use the Google Home in the kitchen
The Google Home is helpful in just about any part of the house, but it's extra useful in the kitchen. Here are nine ways to use the Google Home while you cook.
Smart speakers have proven themselves useful around the house. They're great for streaming music, getting updates on the news, controlling your smart home , fact checking and much more. But of all the places you can have a smart speaker in your home, one of the places it can be the most useful is in the kitchen.
Below are nine ways to use the Google Home in the kitchen.
Set a timer
A Google Home feature you will find most helpful in the kitchen is the timer function. To set a timer, just say, "OK, Google , set a timer for five minutes." Check on the status of a timer with, "OK, Google, how much time is left on my timer?" To cancel, pause or resume a timer, just tell the Google Home.
You can also be a little more specific by giving a timer a name, such as, "OK, Google, set a 20 minute time for pizza." Then you can check on that specific timer by saying, "OK, Google, how much time is left on my pizza?"
Get recipe ideas
Last month, Google updated the Google Home with support for over five million recipes. Similar to the Allrecipes skill for Alexa, Google Home will read recipes aloud to you.
To select a recipe, find a recipe in either Google Assistant on your Android phone or the Google Search app on iOS or Android and click the Send to Google Home button. Then, to start the recipe, just say, "OK, Google, start cooking."
The Google Home will then walk you through the recipe step by step, moving on to the next step only when you tell it to.
Ask for calorie counts
For the health-conscious, you can ask the Google Home for the caloric values of basic foods and common dishes and, if available, it will give you an approximation. Say something like, "OK, Google, how many calories are there in a boiled egg?"
You can also ask for sodium, carbohydrates, protein, grams of fat and other nutritional information, but you might not always get an answer.
Build a shopping list
The Google Home can help you keep a shopping list, too. Last month, it switched the shopping list over to Google Express, which lets you shop items straight from the list.
To add items to your shopping list, just say, "OK, Google, add eggs to my shopping list." Check what's on your shopping list by opening the Google Express app on Android or iOS or saying, "OK, Google, what's on my shopping list?"
Convert units
If you need to know how many cups are in a gallon or how many milliliters are in a teaspoon, just ask the Google Home. Say, "OK, Google, how many milliliters are in a cup?" or, "OK, Google, convert 3 cups to milliliters."
Pair foods with wine
Out of the box, the Google Home doesn't know which wine goes best with tilapia, but Wine Guide can help. Wine Guide is a third-party service and all you have to do to use it is say:
- "OK, Google, let me talk to Wine Guide."
- "OK, Google, ask Wine Guide what goes with chicken tacos."
- "OK, Google, ask Wine Guide what goes with pizza."
- "OK, Google, ask Wine Guide what goes with flounder."
Get cocktail recipe ideas
The Google Home currently has two third-party services that will give you cocktail recipes and ideas: Tender and The Bartender.
Tender has over 600 curated cocktails in its database. Just ask for something you like by saying, "OK, Google, ask Tender for a drink like a mojito." You can also tell Tender to surprise you or ask what's in your favorite cocktail.
The Bartender works very similarly, but pulls from a database of over 12,000 cocktail recipes. You can ask for drinks with gin and lemon juice or what'a in an old fashioned. Just say, "OK, Google, ask The Bartender what's in a White Russian."
Control kitchen gadgets and appliances
The Anova Wi-Fi Precision Cooker is one of the few kitchen gadgets that works directly with the Google Home. Using the third-party service, you can say, "OK, Google, ask Anova to start cooking," or "OK, Google, tell Anova to set my cooker's temperature to 150 degrees." You can also check on the status of the cook and ask for cooking guides.
For devices that aren't directly integrated with the Google Home, you can rely on the IFTTT integration to control other kitchen gadgets, like GE Appliances, Home Connect Oven, Samsung Refrigerator, WeMo Coffeemaker and WeMo Slow Cooker or the Wink: Egg Minder.
Catch up on the news or podcasts
Finally, one of the Google Home's most useful features in the kitchen is its streaming capabilities. With it in the kitchen, you can listen to your podcasts, stream your favorite radio station or even catch up on the news. And best of all, you can switch it up or change what's playing without having to wash or wipe your hands off first.