CookEase

Talk to the Cooking Assistant hands-free

Ask the Cooking Assistant questions and move through a recipe by voice: tap the mic for one question, or switch on Continuous listening and just say "Hey CookEase".

Works oniPhoneAndroidWebUpdated

In short

  • In cook mode, open Assistant settings (the gear in the assistant bar) and pick Single or Continuous listening.
  • Single: tap the mic on the website, or hold it in the app, for each question. Continuous: tap the mic once, then say "Hey CookEase" and your question whenever you need a hand.
  • Ask anything about the recipe, or say "next step", "go back", "go to step 3" or "read step 2". Say "stop" to cut an answer short.
  • You can change the wake phrase in Assistant settings, and in the app also under More, then Settings, then Wake word. Firefox only offers Single.

When your hands are covered in flour, you can talk to the Cooking Assistant instead of touching the screen. It answers out loud and can move the recipe along for you. There are two ways to listen: one question at a time, or fully hands-free with a wake phrase.

Hey CookEase...

Say "Hey CookEase"

Listening only for the wake phrase. Nothing else you say is acted on.

  1. 1Wake it up
  2. 2Ask
  3. 3It thinks
  4. 4It answers out loud
Hands-free listening: say "Hey CookEase" and your question, the assistant thinks, answers out loud, then goes back to waiting for the wake phrase.

Single or Continuous

You choose how the assistant listens in Assistant settings, the gear in the assistant bar at the bottom of cook mode.

  • How you ask

    Single
    Tap the mic (website) or hold it (app), then speak
    Continuous
    Tap the mic once, then say "Hey CookEase" and your question any time

  • Hands-free

    Single
    Continuous

  • Best for

    Single
    A quick question now and then
    Continuous
    Cooking a whole recipe without touching the screen

  • Starts as

    Single
    The choice in the iPhone and Android apps
    Continuous
    The choice on the website (Chrome, Edge, Safari)
Assistant settings on Android with Listening set to Continuous and the wake phrase Hey CookEase with a Change button

The app remembers your choice for next time. On the website, Continuous is chosen each time you open cook mode in a browser that supports it.

Cook hands-free with "Hey CookEase"

  1. 1

    Choose Continuous

    In cook mode, tap the gear and choose Continuous under Listening. On the website it is usually already on.
  2. 2

    Tap the mic once

    The bar changes to Say "Hey CookEase". The first time, allow microphone access (see below).
  3. 3

    Say the wake phrase, then your question

    Say "Hey CookEase" followed by what you need, in one go: "Hey CookEase, how long do I sear the chicken?" The bar shows Listening... with your words, then Thinking..., then Speaking... as the answer is read out.
  4. 4

    Keep cooking

    After each answer it goes back to waiting for the wake phrase. Tap the mic again when you are done, or just leave cook mode.

Here, "Hey CookEase, next step" moves the recipe to step 2 and reads a short answer. Then "Hey CookEase, how much pasta do I need?" gets the amount for the servings on screen.

One question at a time (Single)

  • Website: tap the mic, ask your question, and stop talking. The assistant answers out loud. Tap the mic again for the next question.
  • iPhone and Android: hold the mic while you speak and let go when you are done.

No wake phrase is needed in Single mode.

What you can say

There is no list of fixed commands to learn: the assistant understands everyday wording and knows the recipe, your step and your servings.

Move around the recipe

  • "Next step" or "what's next?"
  • "Go back" or "previous step"
  • "Go to step 3" (the screen jumps to step 3)
  • "Read step 2" (it reads that step out loud and shows it)

Ask about the recipe

  • "How much parmesan do I need?"
  • "What can I use instead of milk?"
  • "How long does this simmer?"
  • "I added too much salt. What do I do?"

Stop it talking

Say "stop", "be quiet", "never mind", "cancel" or "pause". In Continuous listening, saying the wake phrase also stops a reply so you can ask something new.

Change the wake phrase

If "Hey CookEase" does not suit you (or someone in your kitchen keeps setting it off), pick your own. It can be 3 to 32 letters; two words work best, because short common words can wake it by accident. The new phrase is saved on that device.

Assistant settings on the website with the wake phrase field showing Hey Chef and Save and Cancel buttons
  1. 1

    Open Assistant settings

    In cook mode, click the gear in the assistant bar. The wake phrase shows when Continuous is chosen.
  2. 2

    Click Change

    Type your phrase under Wake phrase.
  3. 3

    Click Save

    Leave the field empty and save to go back to "Hey CookEase".

Microphone access

  • iPhone: the first time you use the mic, allow Microphone. For Continuous listening your iPhone also asks for Speech Recognition; allow that too.
  • Android: CookEase first shows a Cook hands-free card explaining why. Tap Continue, then choose While using the app.
  • Website: your browser asks to use the microphone. Choose Allow.

Said no by mistake, or the assistant does not react? The Cooking Assistant can't hear me walks through turning access back on for each device.

Questions people ask

Is the Cooking Assistant listening all the time?

Only while cook mode is open, you are in Continuous listening and you have tapped the mic to start. Even then it acts only on what you say after the wake phrase. Tap the mic again, or leave cook mode, and it stops listening.

Why is there no Continuous option on my browser?

Hands-free listening needs speech recognition that only some browsers have. It works in Chrome, Edge and Safari. Firefox offers Single only, so tap the mic for each question, or use the iPhone or Android app.

Do I have to say "Hey CookEase" in Single mode?

No. In Single mode you tap the mic (website) or hold it (app) and ask straight away. The wake phrase is only for Continuous listening.

Does saying "next step" count as a question?

Yes. Everything you say to the assistant counts toward the 5 questions a free account gets each day. Tapping Next and Previous is never counted, and CookEase Pro has no limit.

Can I interrupt an answer?

Yes. In Continuous listening, say the wake phrase and the reply stops so you can ask something else. Saying "Hey CookEase, stop" just stops it. You can also tap Stop on the website or the mic button in the app.

Is my new wake phrase used on all my devices?

No. The wake phrase is saved on the device where you changed it, so set it on each phone or browser you cook with.

Was this helpful?

Related

Cook step by step with the Cooking AssistantThe Cooking Assistant shows a recipe one big step at a time, keeps your ingredients and servings a tap away, keeps the screen awake and answers your questions while you cook.The Cooking Assistant can't hear meIf the Cooking Assistant does not respond to your voice, check microphone access, the listening mode and the wake phrase, cut background noise, and check your 5 free questions a day.What you get free, and what CookEase Pro addsFree accounts get a one-time starter allowance of saves and Recipe Crafter recipes, plus 5 Cooking Assistant questions a day. Pro makes them all unlimited. Invites and codes add more.

Still stuck?

Tell us what happened and a real person on the CookEase team will get back to you, usually within a day.

Send us a message info@cookeaseapp.com