You know an app is going to be good when my two hardcore Waitrose and iPhone loving friends both recommend it independently of each other.
This app is not about ordering your supermarket shopping on your phone – that’s what the nifty Ocado app is for. No, this is your friend in the kitchen and supermarket.
I normally call my mum (aka the cook’s helpline) when I want to know cooking times for meat or the difference between boiling vigorously and a rolling boil. When you’ve got children climbing up the cooker you can’t be rifling through cookery books! My mum’s off on holiday for a week, so now the Waitrose app will be her stand-in…
The Cook’s Tools feature of the app is like downloading my mum’s core kitchen skills – GENIUS!
The How To videos are superb. It’s all too easy to misunderstand techniques when they’re explained in words and photos – now you can watch over and over again until you get it! Cutting up mangoes has always troubled me, so it’s great to see how it should be done.
The selection of recipes looks appealing and is regularly updated. I’m liking the look of Speedy Pasta with prawns, lemon and mint and Delia’s English Summer pudding.
The recipes are laid out with user-friendly tabs for ingredients, method, nutritional info and even drinks guidance for suitable matching tipples.
A fab little feature on the recipes is an in-built timer that counts you down as you cook! Really handy to keep you on track if you need to pop out of the kitchen for any reason.
The shopping list function is a masterstroke. You can add items from any of the recipes to your list, you can also manually add stuff too. Then once you’re actually going wild in the aisles you tap the item you’ve just put in your trolley and it crosses it off your list. Love it!
You can also email your shopping list to someone else if you can’t be bothered to do the shop yourself – brilliant!
Weaknesses? The Service Counter section is a bit irritating coz it takes ages to download – but once it has it offers up explanations of all the cuts of meat, types of cheese and fish with suggestions of what you could do with them. Extra inspiration always good in my book.
The Offers section is also a little on the small side – but then Waitrose isn’t really known for its cheap deals…
If you’re after recipe inspiration and authoritative cooking advice this is the app for you! Plus it’s FREE too – winner!
I was really interested in this app when I got the email about it (not entirely sure why as I don’t have an iphone yet!) and I’ve been intrigued to find out what it was like. It sounds good and I really like the idea of it. I have a mild (ok, more than mild!) obsession with Waitrose so once an iphone has made it’s way into my hot little hands I think I’ll be downloading this for myself!
Ditto on the Waitrose Love – it’s in a league of its own! Let me know what u think of the app once u get your iPhone!
I think I am falling out of love with my Android phone…. I may have to switch to iPhone when my contract is up next year.
I’m smitten with my iPhone – it makes my life so much easier! The only drawback is the rubbish battery life.
I think you’ve convinced me to download this app – was toying with the idea but had resisted because I already have enough iphone in kitchen issues – as in I cover it in allsorts of sticky stuff whilst working in there! – Off to download! x
I know what you mean. The screen on my phone gets covered in greasy pawprints when I’m using my phone during cooking!
Ooh, this definitely looks like something to check out!
I have a little something for you at my place when you get a minute http://bubbleboo-thethoughtbubble.com/2010/08/11/versatile-statistics/
It’s a great app. Thanks for the blog mention 🙂
See I knew I should’ve gone with an iPhone and not be talked into having a Blackberry!!!
It’s never an easy decision tho – and contracts are SO long these days – think mine is 2 years!
Ooh, fab! As if I needed any more reasons to love Waitrose. I have no iPhone but am getting an Android phone next month and sincerely hope that there’s something similar for that.
If Waitrose have any sense I’m sure they’ll have something for the Android. It’s a great app – especially considering it’s free!