The third section is a favorites section. You can add recipes to you favorites for easy reference at a later time.

Fourth, is a the Search section. This is self explanatory…

Lastly, the fifth section is an explanation about the app & how to submit your recipes as well as some Conversion charts, in case you need to know how many milliliters are in 1/4 cup…

I was quite surprised by the quality of each recipe – written & photographed (might I add, the “Chestnuts soup with turnip tops” recipe from Irene binaghi, is mighty good.)

Some of the issues I encountered: I had the app crash when reloading the download page. This only happened to me twice ant was sporadic. In cookbooks, when displaying the list of recipes, a thumbnail photo is visible; however, in viewing the recipe by itself, the photo did not show up (this only occurred in some of them).

Overall this is a really neat concept. Some of the main things that I felt were missing from the app – a lack of check boxes to know which ingredients you have added or what step you are on. I’d really like to see this implemented. Another thing that would be really cool to see, would be a global rating system that users vote by only within the app.

iPlant is a really neat application, it is a reference for you to view the medical and culinary information about a number of plants.

Pros:

-Large database
-Large amount of info, including
– scientific name, medical, culinary & other popular uses
-Simple interface
-Free

Cons:

-No pictures

4.6/5

On the main screen, it is a simple list of the plants and by tapping on the name you’ll see numerous details about the plant.

On the first details screen, you have a summary – the scientific name & summary.

On the food tab, you can view the food purposes of the plant.

On the Medicine Tab, you can view the plant medical uses and other popular uses.

On the Warning Tab, you can view any warnings or dangers about the plant.

On the final tab – Wiki – the application pulls up Wiki information.

This application is so simple yet very complex and very informational. I am not sure I would change much in this app, maybe the
addition of some pictures, but personally I’d rather have all of them with pictures or none at all. The application does exactly what is says it does and it does it well.

Cons:
-Small text
-Poor search function
-Awkward UI

For those of you that don’t know, a Glycemic Index is the measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion releasing glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have a high GI; carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream, have a low GI. (via Wikipedia) Glycemic index – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Data:
The data in the app claims that the data comes from the National Cancer Institute and is accurate based on the research I did. However in knowing this – have you ever looked up information on the USDA website? The search function isn’t exactly accurate.
When searching for potato, you get everything from Potato Salad to “Beans, Green & Potatoes” with “raw, potatoes” somewhere in between. Well that is how this app is as well. The search function needs work. If I searched for “potato.” I would expect “potato” to be the first result not something else with potato in it.

Interface:
Besides the poor search function implemented, the UI is a bit weird as well. The use of a “nice” background, removes real estate from the much needed text placement. In other words there is a small area where the text is displayed, this shrinking it and some might have difficulty in reading the small text.
Also the search bar seems to float just below the top of the screen, which seems a bit awkwardly placed.

When you tap on an item, you will see it’s full title as well as a colored box with the Glycemic Load number in it. The box changes colors the higher the number is. Bright Green = Good; Red = Bad. I do like the colored boxes, however I’d rather it be the background or something, as using the whole screen would see nicer anyway.

Overall:
I think this is a great reference and concept, however, I think that there needs to be some major UI changes as well as making the search function better.
I’d also like to see an option to browse through certain items that begin with a certain letter of the alphabet or filter by low, medium & high GI numbers. At the current price ($3.99,) I think that the price is quite high. Maybe $1.99 if like to use GI as a reference, if you use it a lot, wait for it to drop a dollar or so then grab it. I think if they make the few pre-mentioned changes this app will work a whole lot better.

Pros:
-Unique & well-executed Interface
-Ingredient Checklist
-Numerous Photos in Directions
-Favorites List

Cons:
-Only Vegan Recipes
-No way to edit recipes

4.7/5

FREE

The application starts you with a list of recipes, displayed as you see your contacts.

You also have the ability to search through the recipes for keywords (as you would with your contacts.)
In the standard window, in the top-left corner is the “bookmarked” icon or also know as the favorites list. You have the ability to add or remove recipes to your favorites list. The picture below shows a list that comes standard in the favorites list (can be edited).

Upon clicking on a recipe title, you will be shown a very nice photo of the entree. Also a star-icon in the top right-hand corner appears, this allows you to select the current recipe as a favorite.

As you scroll down you will see the Ingredients list. You have the ability to check-off your ingredients as you go down the list. A very nice feature if you ask me.

Some recipes have “optional ingredients” that are recommended if you wish to add them to the recipe.
As you scroll down you will also find instructions, the instructions also have pictures! This is an excellent idea, especially for beginning chefs. I would really love a “beginner’s Guide on Cooking Basics” or something of the like that is formatted this way.

At the current time of this posting there are 70 recipes in the application. The application is updated via VeganYumYum’s blog. When a new recipe is posted it will show up in the list with a blue dot to the right of the title (as you would see for a new /unheard Podcast in iTunes.) At the bottom of each recipe, you can find a link to the original blog post that can be opened in the Safari.app

…you then flip over the tile with a swipe of your finger and it reads:

Toxic! “O sheesh”, you think to yourself, “good thing I didn’t get that…”

You realize Sushi Time might have just saved your life…

Sushi Time is a simple app. Its used to look up terms that may be used in a sushi restaurant, and it you are daring enough to try a random dish, you might want to check to see what you are actually getting.

Terms are sorted in alphabetical order or you can view them by type.

Within the list view, navigation is simple, it’s like scrolling through your contacts. Upon clicking on a term a tile will appear with the name and a picture. You can swipe over the tile to reveal information about the term by using the swiping motion. Besides the description you also gave the option of adding to your favorites.

Therefore you can pull up those terms next time you want to order them in a resturant and impress the waitress…

Overall I was expecting more. I thought it would geve me a little more information about each item. I also don’t like the – see picture then swipe to see description. I am not quizing myself over terms, I just want the facts, so It would be nice if they made it just one page instead of a flip screen. $1.99 is asking too much for this app at the moment.

$1.99

2.5/5