Top 10 Cooking Apps
Think you don’t need a cooking app? That’s what people once said about email, or, I’m willing to bet — about walking on two legs. The world’s moving forward, your kitchen is racing towards the future like a bat at of hell, and your cooking skills better keep up.
Cooking is healthier than eating out, it’s a whole lot of fun, and it brings families together. What’s not to love? Here are my 10 favorite cooking apps to help you #crushit in the kitchen:
10 ) Yes, Chef!
Yes,Chef! is billed as, ‘The Best Cooking Companion You’ve Ever Had,” Yes, Chef! Is a hands-free cooking app that users can use with just their voice. You can ask Chef to search a 350,000 strong recipe database, pick a recipe, and have the app walk you through the process, all without having to get your grubby hands on your phone.
9) Tender
Tinder, but for cooking! Like Tinder, Tender operates on the premise that we know what we want when we see it. In this app, users are presented with recipes, and an image of the finished product, and they can either swipe left (dislike) or right (like) to save the recipe for later.
8) ChefSteps
ChefSteps is all about education. From knife-sharpening, to sous-vide cooking, to the perfect pizza, ChefSteps has you covered. Of course, the app has the recipe search function you’d expect, and their cooking lessons make sure you’ll be able to cook whatever you want.
7) Pepperplate
Pepperplate allows users to create menus, shopping lists, import recipes manually or directly from other online sources, and has a calendar feature where you can plan out the next month’s meals — directly from the app.
6) Weber’s on the Grill
They make the grills, and now they’ve got the app to go with it. This grilling app holds a wealth of knowledge on everything from basic grilling techniques and tips, in-depth recipes that take your grilling gourmet, and an in-app shopping list makes preparing for your next bbq a lot easier.
5) SideChef
SideChef is an in-kitchen companion, and a tool to make you a better chef every time you use it. The app has over 3,000 recipes in its searchable database, gives new recommendations every, and has a library full of how-to videos covering cooking techniques, recipe instructions, and more. The primary in-kitchen use of the app is it’s step-by-step cooking instructions that walk you through a recipe from start to finish.
4) Yummly
Yummly’s maing strength is in it’s curated recommended recipe lists that take what you’ve told it about your preferences and dietary needs, and gives you recipes it thinks you’ll enjoy in return. It’s like Netflix or Amazon in this regard — the more you use it, the better the recommendations will become. Yummly also gives you the nutrition facts of a serving on each recipe, which is a nice feature for healthy-minded eaters (and anyone, really).
3) Epicurious
The Epicurious App is simple, straight-forward, and powerful. You have access to the magazine’s entire database of recipes, which you can save, and have the necessary ingredients automatically uploaded to your in-app shopping list. This app is more tool than toy, and it’s combination of simplicity and reliability make it awesome. If you want to go beyond your phone, however, Epicurious has your back. They have an app for the Samsung refrigerator that allows you to search for recipes right on your fridge, and even have the app available for HP printers, where you can search for recipes and immediately print them out.
2) Food Network in the Kitchen
If you like cooking at home, then you probably like the Food Network. The Food Network in the Kitchen app is exactly what it sounds like — all the information and chefs from the Food Network, but with you, on your phone, in your kitchen. The fact that Captain Obvious was tasked with naming the app bothered me at first, but there’s something nice about an app without a flashy name, just a descriptor. Anyway, this app gives you access to clips, recipes, and curated idea lists for things like summer bbqs, brunches (yasssss), and entertaining.
1) Big Oven
Part meal planner, part social media platform, and part cookbook, there’s not much that BigOven doesn’t do. You can follow your friends on the app, as well as your favorite food bloggers, and save their recipes to your profile whenever you want. You can place recipes on the in-app calendar, and share your shopping lists with other members of your household. One of the coolest features is the Recipe Scan, which you can use to take a picture of one of your recipes and BigOven will type it and upload it for you.
All these apps are great and will enhance your experience in the kitchen. Better prep, clear cooking instructions, and more effective execution? Count me in. Some may decide they need to try a few and find what’s best for them — as for me, I’ll take ’em all.
