4 Ways a Smart Watch Can Help You in the Kitchen, According to a Dietitian
There are plenty of specialized kitchen tools that can help you become more efficient and master challenging dishes in the kitchen. But there’s one tool you might be overlooking: your smart watch. Although it’s pretty intuitive to use your watch when messaging, listening to music, or exercising, you might be forgetting how helpful it can be in cooking and meal planning. It’s small, easily portable, and great for when your hands are sticky, covered in powder, or too busy chopping to set the timer.
Here’s how Chicago-based dietitian Samar Kullab, MS, RDN, LDN recommends getting the most out of your smart watch in the kitchen:
Let your watch do the measuring.
In addition to setting timers on your watch, you can also quickly halve or double recipes. “Siri always helps me cook!” Kullab says about her Apple Watch, though most smart watches feature some sort of voice command function. “I keep the watch on when prepping in the kitchen, and I’m able to have Siri help me with calculations and measurements, like ‘Hey Siri, how many ounces are in one quart?’”
Follow a hands-free recipe.
Kullab also uses her watch to follow recipes online. The NYT Cooking App, for example, allows you to save your favorite recipes, check the recipe on an always-on watch face, and create grocery lists on your watch based on the recipes you select. Kullab says she prefers to follow a recipe on her watch so she doesn’t have to touch her phone while she cooks. (And speaking of keeping things sanitary in the kitchen, have you checked out Apple’s hand-washing feature?)
Track the food you eat.
If your goal is to log macros or keep a journal of your meals, Kullab recommends the Lifesum App. “On your Apple Watch, you can view detailed readings of your carbs, protein, and fat intake for the day,” she says. “You can even scroll back through your meal records and log water intake without unlocking your phone.” Always check with your doctor or dietitian before making major changes to your eating habits, especially if these changes are health-related.
Track your goals.
If you’re looking to form healthy habits (in the kitchen or elsewhere), Kullab highly recommends the Streaks App. “It allows you to generate up to 12 tasks you want to accomplish in the day and populates little icons on your watch so that you can check them off,” she explains. Every day you complete a task in the app, your streak is extended. Kullab says she uses Streaks to set reminders to drink water throughout the day.