Dinner is but one swipe away…
These days, smartphones double up as culinary lightsabers. Scything their way through every takeaway within arm’s length via satellite, they can laser-point you to your nearest pop-up Afghani street cart with a sole swoosh of the forefinger. But any app happy iPhone addict will know their Just Eats from their Urbanspoons by now, but what of the food downloads you may not have heard of? Here we compile our rundown of the 10 best time saving and effort sparing apps – ’cause we’re nice like that.
(Image: Rex)
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1. THE PERFECT EGG TIMER
Best for: Breakfast
The perfect boiled egg isn’t so much a science as it is an art form. And aside from catering your preference in the age old runny vs. hard-boiled debate, this app takes into account factors like egg diameter, temperature and even altitude – should you like to eat your dippy egg and soldiers atop of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Available for: iOS, Android
Price: £0.69
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2. VEGMAN
Best for: Meat-free dinners
Attention leaf eaters (carnivores, close your ears). Dining out when meat’s not on your menu is no mean feat, especially if you’re in an unknown land. Using GPS, recommendations and reviews, Vegman collates a comprehensive list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in your area, as well as veggie friendly eateries should you be dining with animal eaters.
Available for: iOS
Price: Free
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3. TOPTABLE
Best for: Reservations
We’ve all been there – you’re out with some pals, take a brief respite from drinking to show off what you profess to be the ‘best restaurant in the city/country/world’ but once you finally get there you’re told they're fully booked. Well no more, as toptable generates the restaurants in your area based upon your dining party, food taste, price range and what time you’d like to eat. Even better, the app lets you reserve tables, check out menus and even earn redeemable points to use at participating restaurants.
Available for: iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Price: Free
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4. FOODSPOTTING
Best for: Your most-loved dish
Unlike the dimley-lit dinner carousel that is Instagram, Foodspotting is an ingenious app that puts smartphone snack snaps to good use. Rather than rating restaurants, users recommend individual dishes and upload images to give a democratic peek into what’s on offer in your area. Though the app doesn’t allow hateful reviews, “We’re all about love” say the site, it’s an ace way to find the perfect chickpea frittata (or whatever it is you’re after) in your immediate vicinity.
Available for: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry
Price: Free
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5. TIPULATOR
Best for: Eradicating bill-based squabbles
Consigning napkin-scribbled long division to the depths of history, this handy app will divide a restaurant bill evenly between diners, calculate a tip to any percentage and even round it up to make for an easier split. Do note though, it can’t provide a separate bill for the guy who quaffs the most expensive starter, main, dessert and four cocktails, before going suspiciously quiet when the bill appears.
Available for: iOS
Price: £0.99
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6. COOKIT
Best for: Keeping meals on track
If your Sunday roast efforts usually descend into the charcoal equivalent of The Crystal Maze, then this may be the most useful 69 pence you’ll ever spend. Upgrading your bone-dry chicken and blackened potatoes to relative fine dining, the app works out individual cooking times for an unlimited amount of items, prompting you with alerts on when to baste your meat, boil your peas and put the kettle on for your gravy - like a helpful, pocket-sized mother.
Available for: iOS
Price: £0.69
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7. GOJEE FOOD
Best for: Making a meal of it
Answering all manner of bare fridge SOS calls, Gojee gives a host of inventive recipes based on your gaggle of ingredients, along with beautiful, dribble-inducing photography. A much-loved app that bizarrely got muddled in with women’s fashion when Gojee rebranded, the recently relaunched food-only download has 100% less pictures of lingerie, and yet is every bit as easy on the eye.
Available for: iOS
Price: Free
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8. iGRILL
Best for: Oven-cooked perfection
Granted, it’s not strictly free as you’ll have to shell out on the accompanying thermometer attachment, the app – loved by Facebook mogul/grilling enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg – wirelessly communicates with you to ensure your meal is always at optimum temperature, giving you a nudge when it’s time to dish up. There’s also Facebook and Twitter integration, so you can entertain/irritate your friends with food pictures even more than normal.
Available for: iOS, Android
Price: Free
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9. SUBSTITUTIONS
Best for: Swapsies
There’s quite literally nothing worse than making a meal and realising you’ve forgotten one key ingredient, with no time to dash down the shops. Ok, global poverty probably just edges it, but it doesn’t make the aforementioned first world problem any less irritating. With this inspired app you’ll be enlightened to how many ingredients can subbed in at the last moment, along with how-to recipes for DIY replacements, what to swap in to cater for allergies, special diets or what ready-made alternatives are on offer at your supermarket, on the off-chance Lidl does not carry your desired strain of rare Venezuelan herb.
Available for: iOS
Price: £0.69
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10. EUROPE – THE MICHELIN GUIDE 2013
Best for: Deep-pocketed food lovers
Though eye-wateringly expensive for an app, hungry foodie types will point out this continent-wide affair is a snip compared to the country-specific print guides. With maps, reviews and rundowns of every haute hotel and restaurant accredited by the misshapen tyre monster, it’s a must have for the well-heeled gastronome with no mind on his money and foie gras on his mind.
Available for: iOS
Price: £11.99
