To make a good dinner party great, you need delicious food, music to set the scene and entertainment for your guests. Though the payoff is worth it, planning one can require a lot of work on your part to bring everything together.
You don’t need to do it all on your own though. With the help of your Google Home ($89 at Walmart) speaker and the tips below, you can take your next food and friend gathering to another level.
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The first 5 things to do with a new Google Home speaker
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What’s on the menu?
If you want to show off your inner Gordon Ramsay, your Google Home speaker can help whip up an impressive meal.
With your voice, you can search for recipes by course, by ingredient, or by dietary restriction. Google Assistant partners with Allrecipes, Chowhound, Martha Stewart and more to supply those great recipes.
Go shopping for ingredients
Once you settle on your recipes, you can use Google Home to buy ingredients.
To make purchases, just open your Google Home app and tap Account > Settings > Payments. You can confirm your payment information, shipping address, and authorize Google Assistant to buy things without having to repeat this process.
Google has partnered with Costco and Target — along with many other stores — to provide grocery delivery services. More merchants offer free delivery for orders over $35.
Get wine pairings
Need to pick out wine for the meal? Wine Guide will help you match the right vino with the menu. Just say, “Hey Google, let me use Wine Guide.”
From there, you can ask which wines go best with the dishes you are serving, plus let the third-party service give you lessons on how to properly serve and taste wine.
Choosing mood music
Great music can elevate a good dinner party to an epic experience. Google Home gives you multiple options on what to listen to.
If you already have a playlist you love from Spotify, YouTube Music or Google Play Music, you can play it with a simple voice command. For everything you need to know about playing music on your Google Home, check out our tips.
If you prefer background sounds instead, just say, “Hey Google, play ambient sound.” That will trigger any number of relaxation sounds, from a light rainstorm to birds in the wild.
Remote dinner guests
A great dinner party brings together friends and family. But what if your roommate from college, your favorite aunt, or childhood friend live far away and can’t make it to your party? Google Home Hub ($99 at Walmart) can bring them all in.
Just make a room at the table for the device, use Google Assistant to dial up your loved one using Wi-Fi, and let the good times continue.
To do this, you’ll first need to connect your phone number to the Google Duo. You can access this option by going to Google Home app. Then go to Account to make sure your Google Account is connected to Google Home. Next tap on your Smart Display’s icon > Device Settings (the gear icon) > Duo Video Calling.
Then, to make a video call, just say “Video call.”
Game time
After finishing your meal, turn to your Google Home speaker to entertain your party. Say, “Hey Google, play a game,” and it will unveil a list of fun options.
Google Assistant will start by offering games like Mad Libs or Lucky Trivia, and more. If the first two don’t excite you, just say “more.”
The CNET Guide to Smart Living: Everything you need to know to live smarter.
Smart Home 101: How to create your own smart home.