> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.trysouschef.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hands-free cooking with voice commands in Souschef

> Cook without touching your phone — use voice commands in Cooking Mode to move between steps, start timers, hear instructions, and check ingredient amounts.

export const SUBSCRIPTION_ENABLED = false;

{SUBSCRIPTION_ENABLED ? (
<a href="/billing/free-plan" className="help-availability-badge">
  <Badge icon="circle-check" color="green" shape="pill">
    Included in Free plan
  </Badge>
</a>
) : (
<span className="help-availability-badge">
  <Badge icon="circle-check" color="green" shape="pill">
    Free
  </Badge>
</span>
)}

Good news — Hands-Free Cooking is available to everyone using the Souschef app.

Hands-free cooking lets you cook from a recipe without touching your phone. In [Cooking Mode](/using/cooking-mode), turn on the microphone and speak short commands to move between steps, start timers, hear the current step read aloud, and ask how much of an ingredient you need.

Cooking Mode is the full-screen, step-by-step cooking experience. Hands-free is the voice layer on top of it. Voice commands work in the Souschef iOS and Android apps — not in the lightweight web viewer. Supported voice languages are English and Japanese (they follow your app language setting).

## What you can do

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Navigate by voice" icon="arrow-right">
    Say **Next** or **Back** to move between steps when your hands are messy or busy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hear the current step" icon="volume-high">
    Ask Souschef to read the instruction aloud, or let auto-read speak each new step.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Control timers" icon="clock">
    Start or pause a step timer, or set a custom timer for any duration up to 12 hours.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Check ingredient amounts" icon="list">
    Ask how much of an ingredient you need — amounts follow your current servings and units.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How to turn it on

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open a recipe and start Cooking Mode">
    Tap any recipe in your library, then tap **Step by Step** (or **Start Cooking**) to enter Cooking Mode.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap the microphone">
    Tap the microphone in the cooking header, or tap **Turn on** on the tip that says to turn on voice command for hands-free cooking.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Allow microphone and speech recognition">
    When prompted, allow microphone access and speech recognition so Souschef can hear and understand your commands. Notifications are recommended so timers can alert you if you leave the app.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Speak a command">
    When the mic is active, Souschef is listening. Speak a short command clearly. Turning voice on also turns on auto-read — the current step is spoken when you move to a new step.
  </Step>
</Steps>

To turn voice off, tap the mic again. Exiting Cooking Mode also turns voice off.

<Tip>
  If microphone access was denied, tap the mic again to open Settings and allow access under **Souschef**.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  Voice is optional. You can still cook fully hands-on with taps and buttons — see [Cooking Mode](/using/cooking-mode) for the full step-by-step experience.
</Tip>

## Voice commands

Commands follow your app language. Use English phrases when the app is in English, and Japanese phrases when the app is in Japanese.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="English">
    ### Move between steps

    | Say…                                      | What happens            |
    | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
    | Next / Next step                          | Go to the next step     |
    | Back / Previous / Previous step / Go back | Go to the previous step |

    If you're already on the first or last step, Souschef will say so.

    ### Read the current step

    | Say…                                            | What happens                        |
    | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
    | Read step / Read the step / Read it / Read this | Reads the current instruction aloud |

    You can also use the **Read step** control on the step when voice is on. With voice off, the volume icon toggles auto-read.

    ### Step timers

    These commands control a timer that already belongs to the current step:

    | Say…                                        | What happens                              |
    | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
    | Start timer / Start the timer / Begin timer | Starts or resumes the timer for this step |
    | Stop timer / Pause timer                    | Pauses the timer                          |

    **Stop** means pause, not cancel. If this step has no timer, you'll hear that there's nothing to start.

    ### Custom timers

    You can start a timer for any duration up to 12 hours. Examples that work:

    * Start new timer for 5 minutes
    * Start a new 3 minute timer
    * Set a timer for 90 seconds
    * Timer for 30 seconds
    * 5 minute timer
    * Start new timer for 1 minute 30 seconds

    Spoken numbers work too (for example, “five minutes” or “thirty seconds”). Include the unit — say “5 minutes” or “30 seconds,” not just “5.”

    ### Ingredient amounts

    | Say…                                          | What happens                                                                                |
    | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | How much salt / How much olive oil do I need? | Speaks the amount for that ingredient (using your current serving size and unit preference) |

    Optional wording like “of” or “please” is fine. Use the ingredient name as written in the recipe. If the ingredient isn't found, you'll hear that it couldn't be found.

    While voice is on, the focus view may show short hints such as “How much \[ingredient] do I need?” and “Start new timer for 5 minutes.”
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Japanese">
    When the app language is set to Japanese, use phrases like these:

    | Action           | Examples                                        |
    | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
    | Next             | 次 / 次へ / 次のステップ                                 |
    | Back             | 前 / 前へ / 戻る / 前のステップ                            |
    | Read step        | ステップを読んで / 読み上げて / 読み上げ                         |
    | Start step timer | タイマーを開始 / タイマー開始 / タイマーをスタート                    |
    | Pause step timer | タイマーを止めて / タイマーを停止 / タイマーを一時停止                  |
    | Custom timer     | 新しいタイマーを5分開始 / 30秒のタイマーを開始 / タイマーを1分30秒 / 5分セット |
    | How much         | 塩はどれくらい / バターはどのくらい / 砂糖の量                      |

    The same behaviors apply as in English: **Stop** pauses a step timer (it does not delete it), custom timers need a clear duration, and ingredient questions use names from the recipe list.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Tips for best results

* Speak clearly and briefly — short phrases work best.
* Match the app language — English commands if the app is in English; Japanese if in Japanese.
* Keep the app open and in the foreground — listening pauses when the app is backgrounded or while Souschef is speaking.
* Unmute the phone — on iOS, the mute switch can silence spoken feedback and step reading.
* For custom timers, include the unit — say “5 minutes” or “30 seconds,” not just “5.”
* Use the ingredient name as written in the recipe — closer names match better for “how much…”.
* Step timers need a timer in that step — otherwise use a custom timer phrase.
* Hands-free works best in the one-step-at-a-time focus view.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is this available on the website?">
    No. Cooking Mode and hands-free voice commands are available in the Souschef iOS and Android apps only. The lightweight web viewer is for viewing shared recipes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The mic won’t turn on">
    Check **Settings → Souschef → Microphone** and **Speech Recognition**. If permission was denied earlier, tap the mic again to open Settings and allow access.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I said a command and nothing happened">
    Try a shorter phrase from the command tables above. Wait until Souschef finishes speaking before giving the next command. Make sure the mic looks active and listening. Unrecognized speech is ignored — there is no “I didn’t catch that” message in this version.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Stop timer” deleted my timer?">
    No — it only pauses. Resume with “Start timer,” or manage timers from the timer button. See [Timers](/using/timers) for manual timer controls.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I cancel a timer by voice?">
    Not yet — voice can pause a timer, but not cancel or delete it. Remove or manage timers in the timer UI.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does it start reading every step?">
    Turning voice on enables auto-read. Tap **Read step** (or the volume control) to turn auto-read off if you only want voice commands.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does it work in “show all steps” view?">
    Voice still listens, but the on-step hints and read-step control are designed for the one-step-at-a-time focus view.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will it understand my recipe’s language if the app is in another language?">
    Spoken commands follow the app language. Reading a step aloud can follow the recipe’s language when it’s English or Japanese.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Still need help?

If you have questions or run into anything unexpected, our team is happy to help. [Contact support](/troubleshooting/contact-support)

***

**Related articles**

* [How to use Cooking Mode](/using/cooking-mode)
* [How recipe timers work](/using/timers)
* [Use the preparation checklist](/using/prep-checklist)
* [Adjust recipe servings](/using/adjust-servings)
* [Convert measurements](/using/convert-measurements)