Before its launch, there was a lot of speculation about how we might look forward to using the iPad in the kitchen. Well, the device has been out for about a month now, which has been just enough time to put it through its paces and get settled into using it. What are your thoughts on the iPad in the kitchen? Hear ours below!
First a small disclaimer of sorts: This is actually the first Apple device I've ever owned, and I've been extremely curious about how it might integrate into my daily routine. Before getting the iPad, I had no prior experience with technology like this in the kitchen, using apps, or anything beyond using a recipe notebook and a pen.
I decided to get an iPad for a lot of reasons, not all of which had to do with cooking. Mostly, I was already doing most of my recipe searching and cooking-related exploring online, and it felt natural to bring that with me into the kitchen. I wanted the kind of mobility and flexibility this device offered.
Recipe Websites - The number one way that I use the iPad in the kitchen is as a recipe viewer. Instead of copying a recipe from my computer into my notebook - and then running between between my kitchen and computer to double check what I wrote - I just bring up the recipe, enlarge it to fill the screen, and take it into the kitchen.
Most of the time I have it beside me on the work surface, much like I would have my notebook or a cookbook. If I'm doing something very messy or that takes up space, I set it on a separate counter out of harms way (though I might build a peg board like Sarah Rae's soon!) If my fingertip is sticky or dirty, a knuckle or the back of my hand can be used to scroll through the recipe.
Besides having the recipe with all its notes, comments, and exact wording right there, I also like that I can easily open a new screen and do a quick Google search if I have a question about anything. This is super handy and has saved me a lot of time. It's also a nice to be able to check my e-mail and browse blogs while I wait for water to boil or some bread to finish baking!
Reading Food Blogs - This actually has been slightly less handy than I was hoping. I read the majority of my blogs through an RSS feed (Google Reader), and the website's interface on the iPad is different than I'm used to. It requires a lot of clicking through links, scrolling, and opening new windows. Tagging and e-mailing posts also requires some delicate finger work. So far I've found this to be annoying and tedious, but I'm also open to the idea that I'll adjust to it with time.
Also, without constantly enlarging the screen, I have found the type on most websites a little too small to read comfortably for very long. Things are slightly better in the landscape view, but then you can't see as much of the screen. Which then requires more scrolling and clicking. It's a trade off.
Casual browsing or looking up old posts is fine, but sitting down for a long reading session with my favorite blogs is not the best, in my opinion.
Cooking Apps - There aren't too many of these so far. The Epicurious app is really fantastic and well-suited for the iPad, which matches our first impression of it. I actually find myself using Epicurious more as an app on my iPad than I did browsing the website on my computer.
I'm really crossing my fingers for more cooking apps. Hopefully, iPad apps for Ratio and How to Cook Everything are already in the works since they already exist in iPhone form.
E-Magazines and E-Cookbooks - Also not many of these so far, but the potential is definitely there. I recently came across the maiden issue of Sweet Paul Magazine (check it out here!) and it looks phenomenal on the iPad. Seriously. The whole iPad screen is filled with those gorgeous food shots, and the text fits nearly perfectly in the vertical view.
If this is a taste of things to come...well, I'm hungry for more!
Movies and Clips - To be honest, I haven't used the iPad for this at all (for cooking purposes, anyway). It's not the lack of Flash or the lack of video quality, it's just my personal habit. I don't watch a lot of cooking videos. The non-cooking videos I've watched look great, though! If e-magazines and e-cookbooks start to integrate more video links, this could be really handy.
Overall - After using the iPad for a month, I definitely like it and I'm happy having it. It's fulfilled its purpose of bringing technology into my kitchen in a way that feels natural and easy. It's not necessarily revolutionary or life-changing, but I didn't need it to be. I see the iPad as a tool, rather like my KitchenAid mixer and my favorite knife. These things make life easier, to be sure, but they're only as useful as you make them to be.
How have you been using the iPad in and around the kitchen?
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The app store has an app for Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" that appears to be the entire book in a $4.99 app. I've looked up random things in the book to compare, and so far every word of text has been identical!
I think it costs maybe $5, but the NetNewsWire RSS reader app is specifically built to sync with Gooogle Reader. All you do is log into it with your google id and password and it syncs all your feeds with what you have in google reader. It also synchronizes read/unread, so you can go back and forth between NNW on the iPad and Google Reader on a computer while keeping what you've read and what you've not in sync.
Works very nicely in my opinion. I go one step further in that when I find something I want to save (on either google reader or NNW), I send it to InstaPaper where I have folders for dividing it up. InstaPaper has the advantage of storing things locally on the iPad, so once I save something to InstaPaper and sync it, I can read those items on my iPad when I'm offline. Great for if you need a recipe when you're somewhere without Internet access.
Here I finally thought of a use for an iPad - in the kitchen, as an interactive cookbook - and y'all went and beat me to it!
I was pretty firmly in the "what for?" camp, but I'm starting to sidle up to the "want one" camp now. But if I get one, I'm definitely going to get a nice cookbook stand for it, to keep up off the counter. (I like the pegboard idea, but don't have a place to put that, either.)
Ever try using a laptop with speech commands? I can't imagine cooking and having to wash my hands in the middle of something to adjust the touch screen. It's a great device, had potential (would rather have a full OS on it than a mobile one making it an MID rather than a tablet).
I agree with the NNW - once I found that then the ipad made sense for me - my blogs become magazines!
Thanks for the tip on NNW! Can you add tags in it too? That's a big thing for me.
Is it really worth getting if you already have an iphone?
I love the iPad! It's wonderful for the kitchen, and excellent for reading in bed. I have small hands, and the weight of hardcover books often strain my wrists, so the ipad is certainly a blessing for me!
i would never get an ipad because it seems to be a uni-tasker. at first i thought it would be cool to use in the kitchen, but i know i get messy sometimes and prefer to print out any recipes in those situations... that way i can toss them if i handle them with dirty hands, or add to my cooking binder if it is not too roughed up.
I use it for my grocery lists. another thing that I have found handy is saving recipes to Evernote and then I can open up Evernote on the iPad and cook or whatever.
I want one now.
If you don't want to touch it with your sticky fingers, would using a q-tip work?
no, the touch technology senses "skin" but you could get one of those styluses designed for iphone, itouch, and other touch phones that works through some sort of magic
I plan on buying one for the same reason. I currently have two binders full of recipes and am on the process of digitizing them. I created a private blog and am uploading my recipes, tagging and categorizing everything, and is totally searchable. That way, I can access my favorite recipes on my iPhone, a friend's house, or my future iPad in the kitchen. It will be a long process, but worth it!!
Another good choice is newsrack for reading RSS on the iPad & if you ever get an iphone there app sinks with both google reader and iPad /iPhone. I think it is a little more user friendly. You can also set up individual folders is you desire.
Another idea for the kitchen....
If you activate the accessibility features you could actually have the iPad read the receipe to you in the kitchen. There is somehhig really nice about having it walk you through a complicated technique without having to stop and read the screen.
I really want a tablet for my kitchen. (I've put off buying a laptop for years because I couldn't figure out a way to keep it neatly out of the way, clean, but still useful).
I just don't want an apple product.
@amazonww - just curious, why don't you want an apple product?
I use the Apple ipad dock in the kitchen. I love it. Also the Epicurious app for recipes is my favorite along with foodnetwork.com.
For those worried about getting the ipad greasy; I just put mine in a gallon size Ziploc. The touch technology works fine through the bag. So if I spill or splash it isn't a big deal!
I second the evernote comment - it's great for accessing recipes. I use an ipod touch for accessing recipes in the kitchen, and it works well.
I have an Ipad, and I love the free Feeddler set up, on the Ipad it seems similar to the layout Google reader on a computer.
Buy the I-Pad; bought Bestest Hubby one a month before Christmas as he's a geek. Anyway, he set his I-Pad on top of his car roof forgetting it was on top & drove away. Destroyed! So, I got him another one since he was in love with us both! Would you all believe that hubby won another one at his company Christmas party? So, now I have one too for recipes and grocery lists. We own windows everything but now with our
I-Pads we can now sync with my recipes and items as he shops for groceries. I cook, he shops. We both love, love the I-Pads and use them more than our laptops. If your hands get tired reading books or folding books as mine do the I-Pad solves your problems. Greatest way to read everything too. No more losing pages, or folding book jackets or covers over. It's been a dream for us both now. Get one and forget ever buying another book which takes up tons of space when your family reads vs. TV 90% of the time like we do. Impress yourself in the kitchen by using the Zip-loc baggies to protect the I-Pad along with a lower priced stand.