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Remember when I was lamenting the lack of a perfect iPhone app for groceries and lists and menus? Well, apparently I’m not going to get everything I’m looking for in one app and it’s not going to be free. At least not yet. So, while I searched for perfection I came across something pretty darn close. The app is called Chef ($2.99 from iTunes) and it’s got a companion website “Chef’s Little Helper“. I’ve been using them for about a week now.
The interface is very nice. Bright, crisp, appealing, graphics and easy navigation. From the main screen you can access the app settings, deciding which page the app opens to, some grocery list setting as well as your website log in and which color scheme you prefer (just blue or black). Definitely sign up for a free account on the website, it’s what makes this app so useful.
The recipe search is beautifully done. You can choose the meal type and the cuisine type – and I love the wheel selector thingies, I think more apps should use them. There are tons of recipes in here. I don’t know if they’re all user submissions, and use at your own risk – they’re obviously not guaranteed to be good. Use your own judgment.
:blink:
The cookbook shows the recipes that you’ve entered at the top, and then the bookmarked ones beneath it. You can rate the recipes, and add the ingredients from the recipe right to the grocery list, even email the recipe to someone from right within the app. You can add pictures with your recipes, but you don’t have to. I wish more people would, but that’s just me.
The grocery list is sortable by aisle and you can add from the app, from the cookbook and from the website. And they all sync beautifully. Nicely done.
There are even four kitchen timers! I have three of them in my kitchen already, but sometimes I need as many as five. I haven’t tested their effectiveness and accuracy, but it’s nice to have.
What I love most about this app and site is that there’s a community feel – the ability to create your own cookbook, as well as try other other cooks’ recipes. There’s even a forum, but it doesn’t seem very active. If you decide to give it a try, I’m ColorMePink.
My personal wish list:
- the ability to add items that the app doesn’t recognize to an aisle (ex: the app doesn’t know what rappini is, so it puts it in “odds and ends”. I’d like it in produce where it belongs.
- Ability to add recipe submitted by someone else to your cookbook, via the website
- Remove bookmarked recipes from your bookmarked list in your cookbook
It is OK to use my photos or content provided a link back and proper crediting is given
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