It's official - I have to be the biggest combination of cook and nerd in the free world. I spent the train ride back from a trip to Beacon, NY playing with a few of the new iPhone apps that I had recently downloaded. Here then, are my reviews of two:
The Betty Crocker Mobile Cookbook (clicking will open iTunes)
My manhood took a big dive on this one. I must admit, I really liked searching through the recipes and found myself constantly clicking on the "Surprise Me!" tab in the lower left corner. What's even better, you can do a general search or search by ingredient. In the search by ingredient tab you can let the application know two items you have and what you would like to make (dinner, appetizer, sides, snacks, etc.). The results are then selected based on those criteria. I selected "eggs and flour to make an appetizer" which resulted in seven different recipes. Once you click on a particular recipe you can scroll through the entire list of ingredients and instructions, read the nutritional information, save as a favorite, and even email the recipe to yourself.
Overall, version 1.0 of the application seems like a real winner. With over 4,000 different recipes and at the super special price of "FREE" everyone should pick it up.
AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner (clicking will open iTumes)
How many cookbook / recipe applications can one person have? I don't know, but odds are if there's one out there I'm going to try it. Those who know me, know I am a big fan of the AllRecipes.com website. I find myself using it regularly so when I came across this application I downloaded it thinking it would be a "lite" version of the website. As much as it is, it isn't. The application is very similiar to several popular slot machine-type applications where you can leave three "spinners" unlocked and have a totally random selection or you can lock up to all three for a more defined selection. The three categories areDish Type, Ingredients, and Ready In. This app preforms really well and there's the option to save as a Favorite, but what I really wish was there was a quick way to find just one random recipe without have to spin, then tab to see the results. Still, to me this is another application I plan on keeping on my iPhone.
Now, I'm off to go play a first person shooter on the Playstation while listening to the Deftones so my manhood isn't totally comprimised. Maybe after that I'll save a kitten from a tree before I chop the tree down to build a deck or something. Real men are tough!