Have iPhone, Will Cook

With 85,000 applications available for the iPhone, you can stream videos, go onto your favorite social networks, play games, read countless books and play instruments…just to name a few.  You can now cook on your iPhone or iPod Touch.  Well, not cook on your phone, but with the help of your phone with Kosher Cookbook.

Kosher Cookbook is a brand new application, launched in time for the High Holidays, and on the “What’s Hot” list in the iTunes App Store.  From chicken soup and tzimmis to moussaka, the cookbook doesn’t stick to your basic Jewish foods.  The Kosher Cookbook offers 300 recipes, 50 Shabbat meal plans, and over 150 photos, all from the comfort of your own phone.  But wait – there’s more!  No, you don’t get a set of Ginsu knives for ordering, but you do get customizable meal plans and an ingredient list that turns into a shopping list.  The list also allows you to uncheck items you already have on hand.  Just grab your phone and head to the supermarket.  The recipes are broken up into categories by dessert, breakfast, appetizer, parve, meat, dairy, and “my recipes,” where you can bookmark your favorites.  You can further filter results by type of cuisine, food type, or course.

Alexander Libkind, CEO of APPSolute Media, came up with the idea for the cookbook about a year ago.  “We were looking to create a user experience that starts at the meal planning stage and takes the user all the way to taking the food from the oven, and Gloria Kobrin’s cookbook was the perfect product for the app,” so they included her recipes. 

According to Libkind, within the next few months they will be adding whole new books, as well as updates released before the end of the year.

These updates include:
1) The ability to email your shopping list to another person or directly to the store.
2) The ability to add your own items to the premade shopping lists.
3) More recipes and cookbooks.

Although I have not tried any of the recipes yet, I have skimmed through the application, which seems user friendly and easy to navigate.  I also skimmed through the recipes and found them to be quite basic like Franks ‘N’ Beans or Breadcrumb Stuffing.  There are a few that stood out for me, however, such as the Fudgey Flourless Chocolate Cake, Coconut Chewies and Moussaka (Pareve).  I am willing to give it a try.  Alexander’s favorite is the Spare Ribs with Hoisin Sauce, which his wife cooked on Rosh Hashana, “and it turned out amazingly great reviews.”  Another one he recommends is Armenian Meatballs with Sour Plum Sauce. 

Kosher Cookbook is available in the iTunes App Store for $4.95, which is a lot cheaper than most cookbooks and won’t wind up lost in the shuffle between the countless others on your bookshelf or countertop.