iPhone App: Pastatime

When we included pasta measuring tools on our list of 10 Most Useless Kitchen Gadgets, many of you chimed in that you actually find them helpful. Well, if you own an iPhone, here's a tool that allows you to measure pasta without cluttering your kitchen drawers.

Pastatime is an easy-to-use spaghetti measuring app for one to four portions. The measurement changes as you toggle from standard to longer length spaghetti. Unlike physical pasta measuring tools with holes, this digital version just helps with eyeballing – or, if you have a protective covering on your iPhone, you might place the noodles directly on the screen.

There's also a timer, which you can use to set an alarm for pasta or anything else. It's kind of redundant, since the iPhone already has a built-in timer, but some people might enjoy the hourglass visual. (Note: this is just a manually-set timer; the app doesn't suggest cooking times.)

• Pastatime, $0.99 at iTunes

Have you used any other good cooking apps lately? Let us know!

(Images: Pastatime)

Comments (4)

I have to confess, I never understood the spaghetti-measuring tools until the shocking (to me) revelation - last week on this site - that not everyone who cooks owns a set of scales...

posted by zeropixelcount on November 16th 2009 at 5:32pm
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Seriously?? A spaghetti measuring app? What ever happened to good old-fashioned eyeballing it? Any cook worth their salt should know how many people will be fed by a good handful of spaghetti. If you're whipping out your iphone to get an exact noodle count, you're either a culinary lost cause or just looking for an excuse to show off the fact that you bought an iphone (I know way too many people who are of the latter crowd).

posted by Oneisco on November 16th 2009 at 6:41pm
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Oh this is brilliant! I am terrible at eyeballing pasta portions. I always make too much or too little! I'm going to download it for my ipod touch.

And what's up with the cooking snobbery Oneisco? Sorry, but anything that helps people cook is good in my book.

I'm a good cook-- my dad was a chef-- and usually I never use measuring devices when I cook. My dad taught me to eyeball most ingredients. For some reason, pasta alludes me though!

posted by geekgirl on November 17th 2009 at 8:27am
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I'm with you geekgirl. I can eyeball teaspoons, tablespoons, half cups, etc but spaghetti? It just never works out to the amount I need!

posted by valleyval on November 17th 2009 at 11:40am
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