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Top Kitchen Gadget ... the Cell Phone?

It won't make coffee or dice, but can download recipes, call Mom

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 21, 2009 12:18 PM CST

(Newser) – Forget about trying to buy newlyweds the ultimate kitchen appliance: They almost certainly already have two. For both everyday cooks and professional chefs, the cell phone has become the go-to gadget, the New York Times reports. What other tool could combine the functions of timer, measurement converter, recipe generator, shopping-list creator, expert-advice conduit, food-history resource, and camera?

College students credit their phones for teaching them to cook, in part because it puts Mom’s advice at their fingertips. But even notoriously tech-wary experts are warming to smart phones. One chef uses his as a reference tool: “And then do I use it to play the Macarena in the kitchen and drive everyone crazy? Yes, I do.”

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The new all-around kitchen tool lets you convert liters to ounces, look up ingredient substitutes, and send pictures of your finished product. (©heartajack)

The iFood Assistant application, powered by Kraft Foods, helps iPhone users find recipes, create quick and easy shopping lists and find the nearest grocery store. (Kraft Foods)

Was it salted or unsalted butter I needed? Good thing I brought my internet-enabled cell phone with me to the store! (©quinn.anya)

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I can take this to the farmers’ market, I can take it to Italy, use it as a camera, look up the history of dishes so I can brief my servers, and make voice notes while I’m cooking. - Chris Cosentino, the chef at San Francisco's Incanto restaurant

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Top Kitchen Gadget ... the Cell Phone?