Maybe your grandmother didn't need apps to cook, but they just might make your life a little easier. Between putting virtually any recipe at your fingertips and creating digital shopping lists, apps may be the most helpful cooking technology since the dishwasher. There are a lot of apps out there, though, and weeding through them is not always easy. We've done our research: here are our top 8 cooking apps. Be sure to share yours below!
1. Foodie: This app features a beautiful, seasonally-curated collection of recipes from top food bloggers and professionals. For example, the May edition brings you 40 recipes featuring the best of spring produce -- it's basically a promise you'll never be at a loss when it comes to what to cook. Have we mentioned it's free? Are you downloading it yet?
2. How to Cook Everything: Inspired by the amazing (though huge) cookbook of the same name, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything app brings you 2,000 recipes, how-to illustrations, shopping lists, and references. In short, you'll literally be able to cook everything.
3. Substitutions: As the name would suggest, this is a virtual encyclopedia of substitutions. Whether you've run out of cumin or completely forgot you didn't have cornstarch, this app will keep you calm in the most stressful of cooking situations.
4. Paprika: We've mentioned the website before, but the app is certainly worth a nod, too. It allows you to store any recipe on the internet, add personal notes, meal plan, manage your shopping lists, and sync across all of your Apple products. Need a new secret weapon in the kitchen? This could be it.
5. Green Kitchen: This app comes from the bloggers behind Green Kitchen Stories. It's a hand-picked collection of vegetarian recipes, with many vegan and gluten-free options as well. Step-by-step photos give you more reason than ever to eat your veggies.
6. Weber's On the Grill: If you often wish there were a way to grill 3 meals a day, this app is for you. Between recipes, basic marinades and rubs, instructional videos, and techniques and timers, this is the ultimate griller's companion.
7. Moxtra: This app makes it easier to share photos, videos, and documents with friends and family. Invite your friends who love to cook into a binder within Moxtra, and then easily share food photos, cooking videos, recipes, and notes. Bonus: this app's uses go well beyond the kitchen.
8. Cook4Lyfe: Here's an app that can do everything from suggesting recipes using ingredients you have on hand to letting you know which grocery store would be best for your specific ingredient list. Grocery shopping just got so much easier.
Have we missed one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
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