A smartphone or tablet is a perfect kitchen aid. You don’t have to worry about slopping sauces or powders into a laptop keyboard. If you make a mess, clean that touchscreen or cover it with plastic wrap to keep the gunk off. Android also has many good apps to help you find tasty recipes and get cooking advice. And keep all your ingredients in one place for a faster trip to the grocery store. Whether preparing for a large holiday dinner, hosting a party, or just trying something new. Check out these apps that free you from sifting through an oversized cookbook. Or wondering where you wrote down grandma’s cookie recipe.
Food Network in the Kitchen (Free)
The TV channel’s app is a must-have if you’re a regular Food Network watcher and have a favorite celebrity chef. You can browse through recipes you’ve caught on shows or at specific topics, like dinners, brunch, or desserts. The app had a good database of cooking choices. So avoid mistaking it for just a gimmick to hook you into more Food Network programming. Its neatest feature is that you can send a recipe’s contents to a shopping list with one tap. So save your favorite meals to your recipe box. Start with Spicy Pop Pulled Pork; it’s delicious. If you swap devices often. Sign in with a Facebook or Twitter account to sync your information between Android and iOS.
Yummly (Free)
Grocery IQ (Free)
Cooking good meals requires a trip to the grocery store for all those ingredients. Grocery IQ is the best Android app for quickly creating a list and syncing it up with others.
You can add items by voice, typing them, or scanning barcodes. So tap the microphone and start saying everything you need while browsing through the refrigerator or pantry. It helps to reduce any background noise, so it accurately catches what you say. Sign in to the same account with your spouse, partner, or fellow chef, so either person can change the list. Grocery IQ struggles with specific items. For example, the app suggested three separate list items when saying Chili Cheese Fritos. So for particular brand names, it may be best to stick to a generic title and edit the text afterward. The app will also find coupons based on the items added to your list. It’s one of the few apps that are not only free but actually puts money into your pocket.
Cookpad Recipes (Free)
Foodspotting (Free)
Foodspotting is an excellent app if you take culinary inspiration from dishes you know about. Restaurant dinner parties are great ways to pick up ideas. The app lets you foodspot by documenting and sharing with others. It has a social-network element, where you can create a profile and follow others to keep tabs on their favorites. Use the Explore section to see what other meals are, although you’re likely to get hungry. The only downside is the interface definitely needs an overhaul. The service is still active, so the developers will impress us with a Material Design ready theme soon.
Must-Have Recipes from BHG (Free)
Better Homes and Gardens has transitioned from its heavy, oversized cookbooks to the world of mobile apps. The Android version of its app has a robust database of recipes, shopping lists, and detailed directions. The latter breaks down each recipe step-by-step, including nutrition facts, tips, and make-ahead instructions. While the app is free, in-app upgrades are sprinkled throughout. If you are tempted by additional recipe categories like soups, fall baking, or 30-minute dinners. The interface could use a touchup, as the sidebars get too small in portrait mode.
Google Search (Free)
Make sure to pay attention to some of Google’s built-in Android tools. Search does an excellent job when searching for recipes. Pulling out snippets like user reviews and cooking times on the results page. If you’re using Now, the app will search for you. The digital assistant will offer cards with other recipes from your search history. It’s a rather odd implementation, as looking for a recipe is tied to a specific dinner or event. So if you already made the meal and didn’t need to find alternatives. Swipe away the card when it pops up. Unless you’re always looking for new methods of making pulled pork.
Evernote Food (Free)
Evernote wants to help you remember everything. The recipe is an excellent area to put this philosophy to work. It’s easy to acquire many different favorite meals. Evernote Food breaks this down into categories to keep your recipes, famous restaurants, or meals all organized and easily accessible. You can browse through suggested dinners or restaurants with its Foursquare-powered database. Or capture your own and send them to Evernote with the company’s army of browser plug-ins or mobile apps. You’ll need an account to put the app to work. Which will also create a folder to connect. What you save in Evernote Food to the leading mobile or desktop app.
