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The best Alexa-compatible smart-home devices for Amazon Echo
By Rachel Cericola This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to Alexa-compatible smart-home devices for Amazon Echo. Imagine walking into your home at night, arms overflowing with groceries. Even if you've installed smart lights, you'd need to put the bags down, pull out your phone, unlock it, open the app, find the control for the lights you want, and then tap the icon—might as well just stick with a plain old wired switch. But with an Alexa, you simply say, "Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights." And it's not just lights; Alexa is capable of controlling everything from basic smart plugs to garage doors. All three smart-speaker platforms (Alexa, Google Assistant, and to a lesser degree, Siri) can control a variety of smart-home devices and add an extra level of convenience to your smart-home system. We think Amazon's Alexa has a slight edge over the others because it works with more devices, and the wider family of Amazon Echo products makes it easier to fit them everyplace in your home. However, if you already have a Google Home speaker, the differences aren't large enough for you to need to switch platforms. We have guides for the best devices to use with Google Assistant and Siri/HomeKit. The Amazon Echo (or Echo Dot) offers a convenient interface for your smart home and provides functionality that an app on your phone can't. If you already have some Alexa-compatible devices or one of the three major smart-home hubs (SmartThings, Wink, or Insteon), adding an Echo can make accessing those devices more interesting and convenient. Taking advantage of its near-instantaneous response time and reliable voice-recognition processing is significantly faster than pulling out your phone and opening an app just to turn the lights on or off. Some products, such as Philips Hue lights and Nest thermostats, have native Alexa support, while others require you to enable a third-party skill. We tested plenty of both varieties to come up with the best-performing and most reliable recommendations, which we're continually testing to ensure that each new firmware and app update meets our high standards. Over the past several years, Wirecutter's editors and writers have tested just about every smart-home device of consequence. As more people end up buying smart speakers and platform support gets more and more important, we wanted to provide one place where you could access all of our picks that are compatible with the devices you already own, across all of our smart-home recommendations. Because these devices receive regular updates with additional compatibility and new features, we are continually testing and reevaluating our picks in our own homes to confirm that they still meet our recommendation standards. We'll update this guide as we learn new information, but be sure to read the full reviews if you'd like more details and test notes. If you don't yet have an Alexa-enabled device, or you want to learn more about what Alexa is and what you can do with these things, check out our full guide to Alexa and Amazon's Echo line of smart speakers.
The best sous vide machine and gear
By Tim Barribeau and Nick Guy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to sous vide machine and gear. After testing dozens of sous vide cookers over the past six years, we think the Anova Precision Cooker Nano is the best immersion circulator for home cooks. It's the smallest, most affordable model from a company that's consistently made some of the best-performing cookers we've tested. And its precise temperature control and quick heating are on a par with that of much more expensive machines. The Anova Nano's Bluetooth connection allows you to set and control the cooker from your phone, and use Anova's app to set the time and temperature from preset recipes onto the circulator. The cooker also has controls on it though, meaning you don't need to use your phone if you'd prefer not to. Like just about every sous vide circulator we've tested, the Anova cooker is accurate enough for even the most exacting of cooking techniques. This is crucial because even minor variations can foil your attempt at perfectly runny egg yolks with just-set whites. The ChefSteps Joule relies exclusively on a smartphone for all controls adjustments; it doesn't have onboard controls. If you're okay with that, this cooker is in many ways equal or superior to the Anova Precision Cooker Nano. It's physically smaller, it's just as accurate, it heats water faster, and it can cook with less water in a pot thanks to a magnetic base and a unique pump system. We love the app, which works over either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Monoprice's Strata Home Sous Vide Immersion Cooker 800W is louder than other cookers we tested, but it is inexpensive and reliable, making it a great entry-level option for someone just getting started with sous vide cooking. It's not as advanced as the circulators from Anova or ChefSteps, because it lacks any sort of wireless connection. But in our tests, it got to temperature quickly and held the setting properly. At around $70, its typical street price is less than half that of our other picks. Sous vide cooking is only the first step when it comes to meat. After you've cooked the protein through, searing creates a delicious, crispy brown exterior. Although you can finish your food in a pan, we found Bernzomatic's TS8000 to be the fastest tool for searing. It attaches to a standard camping propane tank and is easy to use.
Joule proves sous vide cooking doesn't have to be intimidating
Despite the recent rise of affordable sous vide machines, the cooking concept has always skewed a little nerdy. Preparing food in vacuum-sealed bags in a temperature-controlled water bath sounds like something only culinary geeks would do, even if it results in perfectly cooked meats. By and large, these devices look and feel like scientific equipment: They're bulky with large dials. They look like they belong in a lab, not a kitchen.
Valve's Gabe Newell is backing a smart sous vide cooking tool
Valve founder Gabe Newell isn't just interested in gaming technology, like living room computers and virtual reality -- he also appreciates the science behind a well-prepared meal, too. The legendary game developer has poured money into ChefSteps to help them make Joule, a smart immersion circulator for sous vide cooking. Instead of fiddling with buttons on the wand to heat your water bath, you use a mobile app to set and monitor temperatures. It has presets for particular food types, and you can even have it change temperatures at different times -- if one guest prefers rare steak while another likes it well-done, you can make that happen. The hardware is small yet powerful, too, packing a 1100W heater into an 11-inch cylinder that can fit into your kitchen drawers.
