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. 

RELATED: 7 Things You Had No Idea Your Amazon Alexa Could Do

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.

Mix a Cocktail for You

Well, she’s not exactly going to be doing the shaking and stirring, but she can tell you how to make any fancy drink you’d normally order out. Try saying, “Alexa, open Easy Cocktail. Alexa, ask Easy Cocktail how to make a negroni.”

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?”

Pair Wine with Food

Wouldn’t it be awesome if your best friend were a sommelier and could always tell you exactly what to drink with your roast chicken? Oh wait, Alexa does that. All you have to say is, “Alexa, ask Wine Buddy what I should pair with coq au vin.”

Give You Nutrition Information

“Alexa, is butter a carb?” “Alexa, how many calories are in Toaster Strudel?”

Help You Substitute Ingredients

Dang, you’re all ready to make a double batch of cookies but realize you have no baking soda. You could make your S.O. go to the grocery store or, better yet, say, “Alexa, ask Ingredient Sub what I can use instead of baking soda?”

RELATED: How to Enable Alexa Flash Briefings on Your Amazon Echo