Working from home has been a blessing in disguise, to some extent. While it has introduced a new order for most of us who were accustomed to office work, it has given us time to try new things. Ever since the lockdown began, I have learned new hobbies and done projects that I couldn’t manage to do because of time.
Since most people work from home (just like me), they have extra time to learn new useful skills. If you have always wanted to learn how to prepare a particular meal, this is the right time. Working at home means that you can access your kitchen anytime and go about your cooking. Let me show you some of the free iPhone apps that you can use to learn how to cook. Remember, it is never too late. You can still become the chef that you wanted to be growing up. Here are some free recipe apps for you:
BIGOVENÂ RECIPES & MEAL PLANNER
This is one of the most reliable cooking apps if you would like to learn, re-learn, or improve your cooking. It has been around for quite some time since its unveiling in 2003 by a software veteran who wanted easy access to cooking recipes. You will not part with a single cent to access the thousands of recipes found in this app. Over time, it has become one of the most popular recipe websites worldwide for both iOS and Android users, having recorded over thirteen million downloads.
With the iOS version, you can easily access over 350,000 recipes, which is more than I thought. The app is also easy to use, and once you have identified the recipe you would like to try out, you only need to tap it to unveil step to step instructions. You can also add snapshots of your recipes and share them with others, at no extra cost.
FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN
I would highly recommend this app because it allows you to access all your favorite chefs from Food Network on your iPhone at no extra cost. It comes with over 70,000 recipes, all categorized, to give you an easy time. Besides the recipes, you will access videos and photos from some of the best Food Network chefs and shows. Navigating the app is also relatively easy as you can look up any recipe, either by the chef or by the ingredients.
If you feel that a particular recipe is incomplete or lacking, it allows you to add your notes, tips, and substitution. With constant updates, you will always access new features and experience improvements to make your time worthwhile. If you cannot find an ingredient, the app allows you to shop for it by creating a shopping list.
You can further customize the list to include any other thing that you want. You will also easily find recipes thanks to the Popular or Recently aired sorting options. Furthermore, you can view all information about the recipes used in your favorite episodes.
YUMMLY RECIPES + SHOPPING LIST
You can quickly establish what this app is all about, just from the name. It was founded in 2009 to allow people to learn and discover new recipes. It is not as big as most of the apps on our list but has been featured in the best apps list. Yummly has several sorting options such as ingredients, diet, allergy, nutrition, cuisine, time, taste, among many others, to help you discover the recipes quickly. You can always bank on its sorting technology anytime.
A feature that makes this app stand out is that it lifts its recipes from different sites. These include Epicurious and Food 52, ensuring that you will never run out of recipes for any occasion. Apart from the magnitude of recipes, Yummly allows you to add your desired recipe to your favorite. You can then transfer the recipe to your shopping list and get it delivered.
EPICURIOUS
Epicurious has built a name over the years. Most people have either used this app at one point or still relies on it for their cooking. Well, it lives up to its name, with over 35,000 tested recipes from famous publishers. These include Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and Harper Collins. It also witnesses constant updates, giving you new recipes day in, day out. It allows you to keep updated by subscribing to the latest recipe video feed for daily updates. There is also a recipe box to house your favorite recipes, which you can then share in your social media.
Do not be afraid that you will not find a given ingredient. This app allows you to create a shopping list that you can use at the store. Perhaps one of the most outstanding features is the Smart Kitchen Timer, which tells you the accurate duration your food will take to cook.
SIDECHEF: RECIPES+MEAL PLANNER
SideChef is one of the most detailed apps on our list. Unlike most of our options that only allow you to look up a given recipe, it personalizes recipes to your diet and taste and gives you weekly meal ideas by different cooking experts. This app is largely functional, which makes it one of my favorite options. You can easily plan your meal within the application, which will not take much of your time. Lastly, there is an included shopping list that you can use to source the required ingredients from the store.
KITCHEN STORIES RECIPES
If you love aesthetics, this is the right app for you. Instead of the standard recipes, this app has several photos and videos of delicious meals, accompanied by easy steps that you can follow when preparing meals. All this app does is to nicely bring out food, helping you gain interest in preparing your meals and following the easy recipes. If you love admiring beautiful photos of food, this is the right application for you.
You can make use of this extra time that working from home has given us. There are several projects that you can hop onto and have fun. If you would like to learn how to cook different things, try any of the iPhone apps for kitchen that we have discussed.
