Google Home Just Rolled Out a Very Useful New Kitchen Feature
There wasn't much Google Home couldn't do: You could ask the speaker what time your flight to Tahiti takes off, or demand it stream the latest Stranger Things to your TV. But one thing this little bot wasn't able to do was read your recipes-until today.
This morning, Google unveiled Google Home's latest feature: the ability to read more than five million recipes to you, step-by-step. Here's (basically) how it works: You'll look for a recipe using Google Assistant or Google Search on your smartphone, then send the one you choose-let's say raspberry cheesecake jars, a la this video-to the Google Home you already own.
When you're ready to start cooking, you'll say, "Hey, Google, start recipe," and the speaker will read aloud the steps you need to take.
You'll know a recipe will work with Google Home's new feature because when you find a search result you're ready to whip up, the result will have a "send to Google Home" option right beside it. Google says its five-million compatible recipes will be compiled from various Internet spots, such as food magazines' sites and food blogs.
Google claims the new feature allows you to multitask even more as you're cooking. (Look, we know you're already trying to watch TV, talk to your mom, and unwind with a glass of wine while you bake bruschetta. You can still do all of that-but now, you don't have to pause your show or your conversation to read recipe directions.)
Of course, Google promises this new feature can do more than parrot directions to you. It can repeat steps-for when you're paying more attention to the TV than the speaker-and set timers, so you don't have to watch the clock to know when your cookies should have reached the perfect golden brown. It will also give conversions, for when a recipe calls for grams instead of good ol' American cups, and catch your measuring mistakes-when you're smart enough to verbalize them, that is.
How so? Let's say you get caught up in a Stranger Things scene, and you forget just how much baking powder your banana bread recipe calls for. So, you ask Google, "How much baking powder do I need to use?" And Google Home will politely reply, "Did you mean baking soda?" Whoops. Yeah, you did.
