October 22nd, 2018 | Updated on March 18th, 2024
4 Essential Traits of Kitchen Apps That Can Make Life Easy For Homemakers
Handheld devices have taken the computing world by a storm and devices like tablets/smartphones have risen tremendously in popularity. Dependence on PCs and laptops has declined and more and more users are flocking around these handheld devices, which now possess immense computing capabilities.
These hand-held devices further have been empowered by millions of apps, which can be used to achieve any task in the world. The best part is that many of these apps are free for download, so it’s a win-win situation for users!
Applications from all industries and all types can be seen on the app stores. There are apps for everything and anything that you can think of. And, if you’re looking for a kitchen app, it should ideally have the following features:
1. Recipe: This is the most important of them all. The app should provision all types of recipes and download other recipes on demand. The user could get the flexibility to filter the recipes based on the ingredients possessed at any time. This would enable the user to have all the power in the hand. Having possessed all the ingredients, the user will be able to cook anything in the world.
2. Maintenance of Equipment: A kitchen has countless appliances and equipment. The app could be used to store all the details of these equipment and service related information. It will prompt from time to time for maintenance activities, which will ensure that all the equipment, are serviced from time to time. Also, users can request for service through the app, which will have an interface with the vendor.
3. Material Tracker: This section of the app could be used to store the volume of the ingredients possessed in the kitchen. The content can be updated from time to time and also referenced in specific cases. This will enable the user to track the contents and order ingredients at an appropriate time.
4. Games and Advertisements: The app can include some games or puzzles, which can enable the user to kill some time when not doing anything. Also, the same channel can be used to push advertisements relevant to the homemaker by other vendors. The app can help generate revenue for the companies, which are targeting homemakers. It can be a good channel for communicating with homemakers. From time to time, it can collect feedback from users about the app usage experience and this can be shared with the relevant teams.
The restaurant app can be like one go-to point for the user for any kitchen related issues. It can have provision to control the home appliances remotely; ex: increase the temperature in the refrigerator; start the dishwasher, shut down the oven, etc.
The app demo can be downloaded for free to try out basic features and then user needs to pay for the premium version, which offers many advanced features to the user. Many kinds of pricing models can be explored and then user can decide on the one that suits their needs.
Scroll Down For Best iPhone and Android Kitchen Apps
1. Sous Vide
One of the trickiest parts of sous vide cooking is figuring out how much cooking time and and what temperatures are needed for each dish.
For the experimental cook, the Sous Vide app will help you figure out the appropriate cooking duration and temperature for 175 cuts of meat, and you can get back to being mad genius in the kitchen.
2. Dirty Dozen
I try to buy organic but I’m also trying to save money to send my kids to college. So, I selectively buy organic, and the Dirty Dozen app shows me the 12 fruits and veggies that contain the highest levels of pesticides. (Spoiler: strawberries top the list.) The app also features the Clean 15, which includes fruits and veggies for which you don’t necessarily need to buy organic. Dirty Dozen is also available for Android.
Download ( iPhone )
3. Menu Translate
If there are ‘Old World’ Italian recipes you’d love to try, or items on the menu of a restaurant you wish you knew, but which you cannot read a word of because you don’t speak a word of Italian, this new app will help you by translating them into English.
4. Perfect Produce
This app won’t tell you which are the dirtiest things in the produce aisle, but it will tell you what to look for and what to avoid when picking your produce. It also lists nutritional information and recipes for a wide variety of produce, but what I use the app for is its storing and preparing tips. For example, Perfect Produce taught me that an avocado can last up to five days in the fridge and carrots should not be stored next to apples or pears. Perfect Produce is also available for Android.
5. iCookbook Diabetic
For those who are suffering from diabetes, the recipes and tips in this app are provided by registered dieticians and accredited food experts to assist you in making the healthy food choices.
6. Nose to Tail
Meat-eaters, take note: the Nose to Tail app maps out where on the animal various cuts of meat come from, describes their characteristics, and how best to prepare them. You get the cow for free, while an in-app purchase unlocks pig, chicken and lamb. Nose to Tail is also available for Android.
7. True Food
For those who are concerned about genetically modified products, this app helps you sort out which products from the supermarket contain genetically modified ingredients.
Download ( iPhone )
8. Seafood Watch
This app helps you find seafood that is fished or farmed using sustainable methods. With Seafood Watch, you can look up a particular type of fish to see if it is the Best Choice, Good Alternative, or something to Avoid. You can also look up restaurants and markets in your area that feature ocean-friendly seafood, and you can add places you’ve found that offer it. Seafood Watch is also available for Android.
9. Kitchen Calculator
For those who struggle with converting and calculating kitchen portions into different units of measurement, this app is a clean and easy way to convert any portion from one unit of measurement to another.
10. Substitutions
Whether you or your dinner guests have dietary restrictions or the grocery store is simply out of an item on your list, this app helps you find the right food substitution. There is no Android version, though the Food Substitutions app is similar.
Download ( iPhone )
11. Cooking
Unlike many other kitchen apps that are chock-full of recipes, this app provides you with something that other recipe-based apps do not. This app contains no recipes but provides a wealth of information on how to read, interpret, and utilize your recipes.
Download ( iPhone )
12. Thyme
Thyme is five timers in one (plus one pun). It lets you keep track of four burners on your stove top along with one over timer, making it useful when things are really cooking in your kitchen. Thyme is also available for Android.
13. Wave Timer
If you are frying fish, making a meatloaf or otherwise engaged in a messy recipe, Wave Timer can save your phone from getting gunked up. The app uses your iPhone’s front-facing camera so you need only to wave your hand over your phone to stop the alarm. Wave Timer needs to run in the foreground, so it’s not great for your battery if you are timing a roast in the oven that needs to cook for hours. Wave Timer is not available for Android but there is a similar app called Wave Alarm.
Download ( iPhone )
14. How to Cook Everything
With expert advice and recipes from food writer, author, and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, this app also includes several useful kitchen tool functions, such as a timer and temperature converter.
15. Google Drive
Yes, I count Google Drive as a kitchen app. I use Google Drive for many pursuits in my life, and my Recipes folder is one of my most visited. I created a Recipes folder for my favorite, most-used recipes, which I can access on my phone when I’m at the store and also easily share with friends and family. Google Drive is, of course, also available for Android.
16. Foodle
This app provides over 4,000 nutritional fact sheets on food, so you can make smart choices in the supermarket aisle.
17. Paprika
Paprika is a highly rated recipe organizer. In addition to storing recipes, the app boasts many bells and whistles, including timers, grocery lists, and a meal planner. What I like best about the app is its integrated browser, which makes collecting recipes from around the web a snap. Paprika is also available for Android.
Download ( iPhone )
18. Evernote
An extension of the popular Evernote app, the Evernote Food app helps you keep every aspect of your meals, from recipes to shopping lists, in order.
19. BigOven
BigOven also offers recipes, grocery lists and a meal planner, but what makes this app worth a spot on your phone is its leftovers feature. Pop in up to three ingredients you are looking to get rid of, and the app will suggest recipes. BigOven is also available for Android.
Source: Cnet, The Daily Meal
