Recommendations for food apps, please!
I’ve been in a serious cooking funk lately, so I downloaded a couple of recipe apps in an effort to kickstart things again.
And then I thought, why not make a list of my favorite free food apps? Not just recipe apps, but food apps in general.
The opening image that greets you every time you open this app is quite exquisite, and possibly the most gorgeous on any of the apps I own. Use it to find good eats nearby, rate eateries, and follow other Foodspotting users. What I like is how visual it is – it’s all about the pictures of dishes and what looks good. There’s also a tab for specials, though it’s empty for my area. (I tried downloading Urbanspoon but it’s not available in Auckland. Sadface.)
Metro Eats (Auckland only)
I tend to stick to cheap eats, as a function of being on a budget and simply preferring ethnic flavours over traditionally haute cuisine. Take your fusion and stick it. While we’ve got a few classic favourites, it’s always good to find new restaurants. Metro magazine’s app comprises its top 50 fancy restaurants, 50 best bars, and 100 top cheap eats. Each listing includes a little bit on information about the food, the ambiance, and the address. I’d also like to see opening hours for each eatery – next year? (Also, one blogger with a very ambitious appetite is eating her way through the entire Metro list.)
The Insider (New Zealand only)
The Insider informs you about nearby deals and offers – that’s happy hours, two for one deals, and other specials in Auckland and Wellington bars, cafes and restaurants. You can search and filter deals to drill down to find what you’re looking for within quite specific parameters.
Epicurious
Epicurious offers both culinary inspiration and a baked-in grocery list so you can manage all your mealtime admin in one place. Narrow down recipes by categories such as low carb, low fat, decadent desserts, weekend brunch, and healthy snacks. My fave is the ‘I can barely cook’ tab for super easy meal options.
Half Hour Meals
Like Epicurious, Half Hour Meals incorporates grocery list and offers search by ingredients, cuisine type, meal type, special dietary requirements, etc. I’m all about minimal ingredients and fast cooking times (hence why I watch Rachael Ray/Jamie Oliver and my favorite cooking blog is Stonesoup), so meals in 30 minutes? I’m all over it.
