Whether you’re a busy career-focused millennial or a parent juggling work and family, it can be tough to find time to cook. Luckily, modern technology offers many useful tools that make preparing a gourmet meal at home easier and more efficient than ever. Your phone is your gateway to becoming a skilled amateur chef, as you can use it for everything from looking up recipes to keeping track of the time when you have a dish in the oven or a pot on the stove. Follow the tips below and discover ways you can use technology to make meal prep more fun and convenient.
Find inspiration for recipes online
One of the most fun parts of cooking for yourself is the diversity of dishes you can prepare. You’re no longer limited to the prepared meals you find at the supermarket. You can experiment with cuisines from around the world, creating an Indian curry one week and an Irish beef stew the next. Use your phone or tablet to search recipes online. There are many resources available. Food Network apps offers thousands of options to choose from, for example, while the award-winning Green Kitchen app is geared specifically toward vegetarian meals. When you pull up recipes on your hand-held device, you can easily consult them as you cook.
Get ideas from local restaurants
You can also find inspiration right outside your front door. If you have a local restaurant you love to frequent, scan their menu for ideas. Some of the food and drink recipes may have a unique local flavor that you want to emulate. You can even source your ingredients locally by finding a farmers market in your area. Simply drop an email to the restaurant to ask if they would be willing to share their recipe. If it’s top secret, you can turn the task of trying to replicate it into a game.
Create a digital shopping list for advanced planning
There’s nothing fun about getting halfway through a recipe only to discover that you’re missing an essential ingredient. Trust technology to help you plan in advance. The MealBoard app lets you combine recipe management, grocery and pantry management, and meal planning in a single place. Download it to your phone, and you will be able to refer to it when you’re out at the grocery store. You can even add your own recipes to the app.
Turn to technology to make your cooking healthier
Substitutions are a great way to make your cooking healthier. The American Heart Association recommends certain swaps to decrease the amount of sugar, sodium, and fat in your favorite dishes. For example, instead of whole milk, you can use low-fat milk, while instead of butter, you can use soft margarine or liquid vegetable oil. To simplify the process of substituting ingredients, use the Substitutions app. It provides a comprehensive list of what you can substitute for commonly used ingredients.
Beware of going over your data usage
When you start relying on technology to make cooking more fun, you will likely be using your phone more frequently. But surfing for new recipes that excite you can quickly eat up your data usage, especially if you’re away from home. This will result in added charges if you aren’t careful. Make sure you don’t exceed your limit by reviewing wireless phone plans and finding the right one for your needs. For example, if Verizon is your provider, the “Play More Unlimited” plan is ideal for streaming music and videos, while the “Do More Unlimited” plan is best for productivity.
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When you take advantage of the above tech tips, cooking will quickly become enjoyable. You will also reap the health benefits that come with preparing your own meals, such as being able to proactively manage your own portions. With your trusty mobile device, you will make cooking more fun—and more nutritious.
Reference:
Eric Kelly of My Dadventures eric@mydadventures.com
