Watching those recipes is going to be a no-brainer

The Google Nest Hub is one of the best Google Assistant smart displays and it makes a convenient addition to your kitchen counter, nightstand, or living room. It tracks your sleep, controls your smart devices, provides information about your day, and more. Since it's a smart display, it can play videos on its screen, including YouTube videos. When you're cooking, for example, you can watch recipe videos or tutorials, directly on your countertop, without having to keep your phone or tablet upright. Even better, the Nest Hub can be controlled hands-free, letting you pause playback and rewind the video while your hands are full.

There are various ways to play videos on a Nest Hub smart display, including searching for a video on your phone or computer and casting it to your smart display, interacting with Google Assistant, or using the device's built-in touchscreen.

One way to look for content is to use the YouTube app on your phone or tablet to find videos. It's easy to send them to your Nest Hub once you've found something interesting.

If you prefer to browse for videos on a larger screen, use a web browser to access YouTube.com and then cast content to your smart display. Doing it is straightforward:

Although the above methods are easy to use, each requires interacting with another device to play videos on your Nest Hub, which might seem counterintuitive. There's a way to play content without having to use a computer, phone, or tablet. Since Nest Hubs come with Google Assistant, ask it to play a video by saying something like, "OK Google, play chocolate chip cookie recipe videos from YouTube."

The major drawback with this method is that it doesn't let you browse videos on a list before picking which one to play, so you won't see a thumbnail before the video starts playing and may have no clue what you're about to watch. However, if you're fine with that or looking for a simple video, such as a music one or a show, this method is one of the easiest because it doesn't require another device to look for videos.

The last method you can try is to use your Nest Hub's screen without talking to it. The device can recommend videos, but it doesn't offer a proper keyboard to let you search for content. Here's how to look for options:

Regardless of the method you use to cast media on your Nest Hub, there are various ways to control it. The most intuitive one is to use the on-screen controls, which allow you to play and pause videos, go back or fast-forward, change the playback speed, and cast to another device in your household. The volume can also be adjusted using the physical buttons on the back of your Nest Hub.

Another simple option is to use voice commands, such as, "Hey Google, pause" or "OK Google, fast-forward 30 seconds." Similarly, Google Assistant can adjust the volume according to what it's told.

Lastly, the second-generation Nest Hub comes with a built-in Soli sensor, enabling it to recognize hand gestures to play and pause media.

These last two methods make it easy to interact with your smart display if your hands are dirty, letting you continue to prepare these mouth-watering cookies without interruption.

Whichever way you prefer, your Nest Hub is a reliable companion when cooking, thanks to its ability to play YouTube videos effortlessly, and by letting you control playback intuitively, even when your hands are busy. You can watch videos on your Nest Hub regardless of the room, making it a ready-to-use display that's always prepared to play videos.

Your smart display can do more than play videos. We put together a list of tips and tricks for your Google Nest Hub to help you customize it and make the most out of your smart home experience.

Hagop is a tech-savvy guy, who's also into traveling, fitness, biking, food, and planes. He's heptalingual and has lived in 5 different countries, but has decided to settle in Paris for the time being.