“Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes,” I say in the kitchen as I’m putting a pot of water on a burner, followed by “Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes” as I pop some lasagne in the oven for reheating.

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...and it will start that timer. (Google Home works the same way, but my own kitchen is an Alexa shop.) “Alexa, set a turkey timer for four hours,” you can say. “Alexa, set a potatoes timer for 20 ...