I love hosting Thanksgiving every year. Hearing my guests’ contented sighs as they bite into my homemade macaroni and cheese or compliment my turkey’s perfect golden brown glaze makes me happy. It takes a lot of work though, so I have my smartphone help me. Many great apps can save you time and energy so that you can spend more of it with your family and less time in the kitchen.
- Allrecipes Video Cookbook- One of the most highly trafficked recipe websites, Allrecipes offers an app that allows you to search by course. It also comes with user reviews and ratings and can be saved in your recipe box for later. Tonganoxie mom Desiree Kenney says, “I make a lot of new dishes with that website.”
- KitchenPad Timer- According to Mashable.com, this app provides up to nine different timers (five stovetop and four oven) for the many dishes you’ll need to keep track of. You also can set temperatures and flame height and give each a distinct ringtone. This app currently is only available for Apple products.
- Ratio- For the cook who realizes halfway into making a dish that she’s short on an ingredient, this is a great app. TheDailyBeast.com describes it as an ingredient calculator. “If you have only one egg and your recipe calls for three, Ratio will do the ingredient math so you can still make your dish, just less of it.” This app is available for iPad, iPhone and Android.
- Celebrate the Holidays with Better Homes and Gardens- When entertaining, we know it’s not just about the food. The atmosphere plays a big part too. This app has 24 complete party plans, including recipes, invitations, decorating ideas, games, activities and easy projects. It even has suggested playlists. You’re covered from A to Z! The best part is that it’s not limited just to Thanksgiving. They have other occasions as well. This app is currently only available for Apple.
- Pinterest- My motto is “When all else fails, head to Pinterest.” This is the app for everything. The visual appeal of the pins and easy search tools make this a top pick for most. You can type in specifics or browse through categories. From décor to kid friendly games to meal ideas, it’s all there. Plus, storing ideas for later is made simple—just create a special board for future reference. This app is available for Apple and Android.
Jennifer Bosse lives in Kansas City with her husband and two children. She loves all things Thanksgiving.