5 Apps For Food Fanatics

These are the best apps if you love to cook, travel, dream & eat!

There are few industries that have been revolutionized by social media quite like the food industry. From popup restaurants earning fans on Twitter to children learning new cooking techniques by following chefs on YouTube, food and cooking are more accessible than ever before. And if you want some culinary inspiration on the go - or if you have a food based business you're looking to take to the next level - these 5 apps will have you reaching for your knife and fork.

Photo courtesy: communitymediaworkshop.org

Tender: This is a cheeky take on the dating app Tinder - but for people who'd rather have homemade doughnuts instead of a date. You can 'swipe' to find the recipes that set your heart a flutter, save the ones you want for future cooking, and even give unappealing recipes the ax. Perfect for anyone who feels that their soulmate is chocolate.

Mixology: This is perfect for budding bartenders or any foodies who want to bring their bar skills up to be on par with their cooking skills. You can browse through recipes, you can tell the app what's in your liquor cabinet and it will suggest recipes, and you can learn more about the different ingredients, even the different glassware. There's a cool 'shake' element to this app, where you shake your phone, the app will select a liquor and a mixer at random and it will suggest recipes accordingly. (It also does non-alcoholic recipes, like smoothies).

Zomato: The replacement to Urban Spoon, Zomato is the biggest site for aggregating restaurant reviews and you can search for restaurants based on price, cuisine, and user ratings. 

Tastemade City - This is an emerging app that takes you on video tours of different restaurants and meals from around the world. It's great for people who like a sneak preview of what they'll be doing when they travel. It's also cool to see the atmosphere of the restaurant - is it good for date night, is it good for business meals?

Checkout 51 - I use this app constantly and it's perfect for home cooks. It's a coupon app. You upload your grocery store receipt in order to redeem dozens of rebate style coupons on a wide variety of products that are worth 25 cents to $5 each.  There's everything from fresh produce, to pantry items, to pharmacy supplies, to alcohol. Once you get $20 or more in coupon rebates, they'll send you a cheque in the mail.


PS: Check out Sculpt Social's segment on food apps on CTV Ottawa Morning Live!