September 23, 2009

Need a Recipe? There’s an App for That!

Games, weight loss, saint’s feast days, Mass readings, organizers, to-do lists, voice memos, note-taking and more! It seems that there is an app for just about everything.But are there any apps for the foodie? You bet. Whether planning a menu, searching for a restaurant, looking for a recipe, trying to figure out what bouillabaisse means, converting measurements, making a shopping list, mixing a drink or even losing weight, there’s an app for it!Out of the many apps available on iTunes, I picked a few of my recipe favorites to share with you.

Need a recipe?

Epicurious – If you are looking for recipes, the Epicurious app is a good place to start. It will also create grocery lists for you! Price = FreeAllrecipes.com’s Dinner Spinner – Lots of recipes here too. I use this and Epicurious all of the time! Price = FreeMacGourmet Touch – Fantastic! Absolutely wonderful! Amazing! Sounds great doesn’t it? I love this little app. Tons of recipes, and you can add as many of your own recipes as you like. It’s the companion to the desktop application by the same name, and it syncs with the desktop app too. One great little feature… it automatically creates a shopping list for any recipe you choose! Another great feature: you can put it into chef mode and it will display the recipe to you as you cook. Cool! But, it’s Mac-only (which is great for me!). Price = $4.995800+ Drink and Cocktail Recipes – Having a party? Want a hot cocktail or coffee drink to keep you warm this winter? You’ll find lots of great ideas here. And step-by-step instructions too! Price = $.99 (free version also available)Todo – This is a great one too. With it you can create all kinds of to-do lists, even grocery lists! And it syncs with a couple of online apps, making it easy to input your to-dos: toodledo.com and rememberthemilk.comPrice – $9.99Barista – This one is for all of you coffee connoisseurs. Recipes for espresso drinks, tips for brewing the perfect cup, explanations of espresso terms and equipment… it’s all in here! Price – $2.99

Want to be healthy?

Lose it! – Want to lose weight? With this app you can create a “calorie budget” and track your food intake and exercise to insure that you stay within your budget. Weight loss “on the go!” Price = FreeI Can Has Cheezburger – A funny look at… well, the unhealthy life. Sometimes humor can be a great motivator. Price = $.99 (free version also available)

Trying to decide where to eat tonight?

Urbanspoon – Roulet for your dinner decisions. You can also perform regular searches as well. Categorizes restaurants by rating, price, location, and type of cuisine. It’s a fun tool, and in my experience it is very accurate. Price = FreeOpenTable – Need a reservation? OpenTable may be your answer. You tell it when you want to eat, what you want to eat, and how many people will be joining you, and OpenTable will list for you all the restaurants that meet your criteria with open reservations. You can also make a reservation right from the app, as well as look at menus and send emails to your friends. This app is designed to work with OpenTable’s website: opentable.com Price = Free

And these are only a few of the foodie apps that are currently available at the iTunes store. And since we foodies are so popular, we can expect more iPhone apps in the near future.These are my favs for now.

Do you have a favorite foodie iPhone app? Comment below!