I Cook Professionally, and the Smart Device That's a Mainstay in My Home Kitchen Is on Sale for Prime Day
Amazon
Cooking gets messy. That's why one of my favorite kitchen appliances is a completely hands-free device that helps my culinary quests stay streamlined and efficient, no matter how dirty my hands are. The thing is, my favorite kitchen appliance isn't actually a kitchen appliance at all. It's the Amazon Echo Show 8, and it's on sale right now for Prime Day. When I'm elbow-deep kneading a big-batch recipe of pasta dough, there's nothing easier than calling out to Alexa and having her set a timer for me. I don't have to stop, I don't have to wash my hands, and I don't have to touch anything. Here's why you need to grab one for your kitchen.
Courtesy of Amazon
To buy: Amazon Echo Show 8, $95 (originally $130) at amazon.com
As a professional chef working in restaurant kitchens, my culinary prowess is most often defined by speed and efficiency. When I'm cooking in my home, I'll admit that most of that productivity goes out the window. I'm talking on the phone, checking Instagram, googling recipes, and (most of the time) losing my phone under a heaping pile of kale stems. That's why I rely on the Amazon Echo Show 8 to keep me on track. I use it to quickly set timers. I use it to look up quantity conversions (because no, culinary math is not my strong suit). I even use it to search for substitutions when I realize I've run out of a key ingredient. Having an Amazon device in the kitchen is like having a smarter-than-me sous chef that I can yell all my silliest cooking questions out to and receive a quick, reliable answer in return. And from now until midnight, that very sous chef is on sale at amazon.com.
The all-new Echo Show 8 boasts an 8-inch HD touchscreen with stereo speakers and video call capabilities that automatically keeps you in-frame, which is a particularly useful feature if you've been working on perfecting mom's meatball recipe. Just call out to Alexa, ask her to call your contact, and instantly start a video call. That way, you can share and critique recipes in real time and get a confident answer when you inevitably ask "is it supposed to look like this?" You can also stream TV shows and movies or blast your favorite Spotify playlists for added kitchen entertainment.
Thinking of grabbing one for your house? Consider keeping it in the kitchen. Thanks to Amazon's range of smart home devices, there are plenty of options to choose from. If counter space is an issue in your kitchen, try a smaller device like the Echo Show 5. It's a bit more compact and won't take up any precious kitchen real estate. I promise you'll never want to go back to cooking without Alexa by your side.
