If you’ve ever tried to access a quick and easy dinner recipe through Martha Stewart’s Everyday Cooking app, you probably noticed that you spent more time waiting for the app to load onto your screen than actually cooking a meal. There are some great recipe finder apps out there, but not all of them are designed to help you find a recipe fast. We sorted through the best of the best to help you spend less time searching and more time actually eating.
Tyler Florence Fast, $4.99: Here, ‘fast’ is more than just a reference to cooking time. Users can rifle through more than 500 recipes created by celebrity chef Tyler Florence in no time at all, thanks to a sleek, modern interface. In addition to gorgeous photos and delicious recipes, this app comes with a handy timer so users can actually verify that each recipe is indeed fast. The timer also plays songs from iPhone users’ music app. If you’re unsure about any of the recipe steps, you can use the “Ask the Chef” feature to shoot an email to someone who’ll be able to answer your questions.
How to Cook Everything, $4.99: This is the app version of Mark Bitman’s book of the same name and includes all the same recipes – over 2,000 of them. As the book costs more than $20, the app is clearly the better bargain. On the down side, the app does not include any recipe photos. However, each recipe includes cooking time and a shopping list. Although there aren’t any photos, the app includes how-to video instructions on handy kitchen topics like knife sharpening and chicken roasting. Kitchen newbies will greatly benefit from How to Cook Everything because it will in fact teach them how to cook everything.
Jamie Oliver’s 20-Minute Meals, $7.99: Hands down, this is one of the best recipe apps on the market. Its only cons are that it is a bit pricier than the others and it contains only 60 recipes. However, users love it for its quick-find function and easy-to-follow recipes. Ingredient lists can be switched to serve two people instead of four, depending on family size. More than that, once made, these recipes are absolutely delicious.
Whole Foods Market Recipes, free: Unlike most of the top recipe-finding apps out there, this one is free and includes hundreds of recipes. Its best feature is the “On Hand” tab, which people can use to choose from recipes based on whatever's already in the fridge. Each recipe is indexed with a system of icons so that a user can easily see whether it is low in sodium, gluten-free or vegetarian. Nutrition facts are listed as well.
Mario Batali Cooks, $4.99: This app presents users with a simple interface, over 60 Italian recipes, step-by-step instructions, photos and videos. Wine drinkers love it because they never have to guess at what bottle of wine to drink with each recipe – Mario Batali Cooks lists wine pairings with each one. High Five Labs, Inc., created this app with usability in mind, and recipe hunters won’t have to look for long to find the perfect meal.
Author Bio: Mandy is a stay-at-home mum with 2 children in primary school, in her past time she loves to garden, travel, cook and write blogs for other stay at home mums and anyone with similar interests.
Tyler Florence Fast, $4.99: Here, ‘fast’ is more than just a reference to cooking time. Users can rifle through more than 500 recipes created by celebrity chef Tyler Florence in no time at all, thanks to a sleek, modern interface. In addition to gorgeous photos and delicious recipes, this app comes with a handy timer so users can actually verify that each recipe is indeed fast. The timer also plays songs from iPhone users’ music app. If you’re unsure about any of the recipe steps, you can use the “Ask the Chef” feature to shoot an email to someone who’ll be able to answer your questions.
How to Cook Everything, $4.99: This is the app version of Mark Bitman’s book of the same name and includes all the same recipes – over 2,000 of them. As the book costs more than $20, the app is clearly the better bargain. On the down side, the app does not include any recipe photos. However, each recipe includes cooking time and a shopping list. Although there aren’t any photos, the app includes how-to video instructions on handy kitchen topics like knife sharpening and chicken roasting. Kitchen newbies will greatly benefit from How to Cook Everything because it will in fact teach them how to cook everything.
Jamie Oliver’s 20-Minute Meals, $7.99: Hands down, this is one of the best recipe apps on the market. Its only cons are that it is a bit pricier than the others and it contains only 60 recipes. However, users love it for its quick-find function and easy-to-follow recipes. Ingredient lists can be switched to serve two people instead of four, depending on family size. More than that, once made, these recipes are absolutely delicious.
Whole Foods Market Recipes, free: Unlike most of the top recipe-finding apps out there, this one is free and includes hundreds of recipes. Its best feature is the “On Hand” tab, which people can use to choose from recipes based on whatever's already in the fridge. Each recipe is indexed with a system of icons so that a user can easily see whether it is low in sodium, gluten-free or vegetarian. Nutrition facts are listed as well.
Mario Batali Cooks, $4.99: This app presents users with a simple interface, over 60 Italian recipes, step-by-step instructions, photos and videos. Wine drinkers love it because they never have to guess at what bottle of wine to drink with each recipe – Mario Batali Cooks lists wine pairings with each one. High Five Labs, Inc., created this app with usability in mind, and recipe hunters won’t have to look for long to find the perfect meal.
Author Bio: Mandy is a stay-at-home mum with 2 children in primary school, in her past time she loves to garden, travel, cook and write blogs for other stay at home mums and anyone with similar interests.