path: root/epicurious/best speakers for your kitchen.txt

Music in the kitchen is as fundamental as salt and food just as flavorless without it.

When I worked as a line cook music meant my sous chef's warbling, heat-warped Metallic tapes playing out of an old boom box we kept atop the dish sanitizer. Thankfully those days are well behind me and the rest of the world. 

Today a smart speaker can add a lot more than just music to your kitchen. Need a timer? Talk to your speaker. How about searching for a recipe? No need for a phone, your speaker can handle that too. Unit conversions? Check. Want to watch a video on the best way to slice up a mango? Yup, your speaker can do that. If you ask it'll even crank up the Metallic.

###The AI Battle for Your Kitchen Goes to Google

After testing dozens of assistant-driven smart screen speaker devices, or whatever you want to call them, I've found Google Assistant to be the best choice for the kitchen.

When it comes to simple tasks -- set a timer for 10 minutes, play Charles Mingus, and so on -- both Google Assistant and Alexa work well. When it comes to common kitchen-related tasks though, like finding a recipe and following it, converting a measurement on the fly, or looking up a video of an unfamiliar technique, Google Assistant has the edge. Search results are (unsurprisingly) better, and the step-by-step mode for recipe directions, with the ability to pause, step back, step forward, convert a measurement or even call up a YouTube video mid-recipe creates a better experience.

The main reason to choose Alexa over Google Assistant in the kitchen is if you already have Alexa-based devices in other rooms. If you're adding to an existing Alexa system, then naturally Alexa makes the best choice, otherwise though Google Assistant is the way to go.

That's not to say Alexa has no place in the kitchen. Using Alexa with the Echo Show I was able to do just about everything I did with Google Assistant, save easily calling up YouTube videos. 

If your primary use for a voice assistant is simple -- listening to music, setting multiple timers,  and adding items to your grocery list -- then either assistant will work well. If, on the other hand, you're just starting out in the kitchen and expect to need some extra help with recipes, want to be able to watch related videos on YouTube, or frequently need to convert measurements, I suggest going with a Google Assistant-based device. 

###Best All-Around Smart Device for the Kitchen: JBL Link View $300

JBL's Link View strikes the best balance between good sound, helpful assistant, and size. The 8-inch display is big enough for watching YouTube without squinting, but small enough to squeeze between that new air fryer and your mother's mixer. 

It lacks the "kitchen look" of Lenovo's equally capable Smart Display (see below), but provides, to my ear anyway, better sound. The Link View's dual speakers are covered in gray fabric and sit on either side of the LCD screen. The sound is not as good as the Sonos, but better than the rest of the devices I tested.

The Link View is a very simple, unobtrusive device. There's no power button and no battery to worry about. If the Link View is plugged in, it's on. It's also splash proof, so there's no need to worry about wet hands either. Other than the screen, the only controls are a mute button, a volume rocker on top, and a kill switch for the microphone on the back.

To interact with the Link View via the screen you just swipe up for the main menu. Tap to select and pull from the left side of the screen to go back to previous screen. I found the touch screen interface the fastest and easiest way to find a good recipe, but once you have the recipe you want, Google Assistant can take over, reading out ingredients, handling conversions on the fly, and skipping forward and backward through the steps.

One thing that will vastly improve your experience, especially skipping around in recipes, is enabling the "start sound" response. This will play a tone when your Google Assistant is ready for you to tell it something. It's helpful when you can't see the screen. 
 
The always-on design is the only thing I don't love about the Link View. It makes sense of the general use case, but not so much in the kitchen. Most of my day I am not in the kitchen and don't need it on. Rather than waste electricity I unplug it. But then I inevitably forget that I did that and start talking to a piece of lifeless, grey plastic, wondering why it's not responding. If you're home all day and want to leave it plugged in, the Link View is happy to act as a photo frame or clock when you're not using it. 

###Best for Those on a Budget: Echo Show 8 ($129)

Amazon's third-generation Echo Show is a direct response to some of Google's kitchen-friendly efforts. It will help you cook by setting timers, pulling up videos, or browsing recipes via Alexa. The launch event even featured a Echo Show 8 video call with chef Bobby Flay. 

Part of what makes the Echo Show 8 a good choice for the kitchen is the 1,280 x 800 screen resolution inherited from Amazon's larger 10-inch version. Taking that resolution and fitting it into a smaller body makes for a crisp, sharp display -- something of a first for Amazon. If you've ever seen the 10-inch Echo Show, or used a Fire tablet, fear not, the Echo Show 8 really is a nice screen. 

The sound is less impressive. The dual 2-inch speakers are loud enough to hear music over the usual din of cooking, but they're the weakest of the bunch. Unlike many Amazon devices, there's a physical shutter to cover the camera when you don't want it, and mute switch for the microphone, which both go a long way to keep Alexa out of your life when you don't need it.

Speaking of Alexa, Amazon insists on using Fire OS, its fork of Android, on all its devices and this is the least appealing part of the Echo Show. It works, but it's limited in what it can do. Basic things, like getting recipes, setting timers, even, apparently, calling Bobby Flay work just fine, but if you want to add other skills to Alexa things start to fall apart fast.

###Best For the Sound Obsessed: Sonos One

If you are one of us for whom sound quality trumps everything else, the Sonos One is the best smart speaker. Yes, you'll miss the instructional videos and a host of other nice things about having an LCD monitor on your speaker, but you will have your choice of either Alexa or Google Assistant and the sound, the sweet, sweet Sonos sound, which somewhat makes up for the loss of a screen.

Are they expensive? Yes. But if you have the money you won't find better sound. Chances are, if you're an audiophile, you probably already have a couple of Sonos speakers, which makes adding another to the kitchen a no brainer. In addition to the Sonos One, which happens to have a permanent place in the kitchen at my house, there's also the newer Sonos Move, which is the first portable, bluetooth-enabled Sonos speaker. The Move is also water resistant, making it a little more kitchen-friendly.

###Other Worthy Possibilities 

- **Lenovo Smart Display**: Lenovo's Smart Display is a very nice speaker and screen combo. The JBL Link View has the upper hand on sound, but Lenovo is better if you plan to do a lot of video chat. You swivel the display to vertical orientation, which makes it more phone-friendly. It also has a nice bamboo wood grain back that looks very much at home next to my cutting board. 

- **JBL Link 20**: If you want Google Assistant, good sound, and don't care about the screen, the JBL Link 20 is a great speaker. It has the same Google-powered smarts as the Link View, but it ditches the screen for a more compact form factor and lower price. It's also completely waterproof, highly portable, and even floats should you find yourself grilling poolside.

- **The Hockey Pucks**: The most bare bones options I tested are the Echo Dot and Google Home Mini. Both are roughly hockey-puck size devices, the primary difference being that the Echo has Alexa inside and the Home Mini has Google Assistant. Both offer mediocre sound, limited voice capabilities, and the design makes them prone to damage from counter top spills. 

Still, if you want a voice assistant and have limited space (both can hang on a wall, and in fact the Google Home Mini especially sounds much better this way) either of these will do the job. Both devices often go on sale for a low as $25, making them a good way to try out a smart device without investing too much.

###How We Tested.

I tested twelve speakers, some with displays, some without in search of the best option for your kitchen. As noted in the beginning though, best is very subjective based on everything from how you cook, to the size of your kitchen. To help a little with the latter I invaded some friends' homes to experience a very large kitchen and a very tiny kitchen, which is how I discovered that the Sonos One really shines in a large room and Google Home Mini is a great choice for a small space.

I started by littering my kitchen counter with devices, shouting commands and throwing flour at everything until it all slowly ground to halt, assistant voices fading to crackles and warbles. No, not really.

I addition to sound, I dug into what's possible using voice commands, the screens, and any companion apps where they exist. I had Alexa and Google Assistant track down recipes for Guinness beef stew,  chocolate ganache, a potato galette, and a host of more difficult tasks like finding gluten or dairy-free recipes. I tried finding recipes for pressure cookers, Sous Vide, and other specialty appliances you might have. All the devices above handled these tasks with relative aplomb, except where noted.

Choosing the right smart speaker for your home is more about which features you need, ease of use, and related technologies. These ended up being the deciding factors in my testing and this why there is not one best speaker, but the best speaker for you.