BETA YOURSELF
SMART COOKING Already got a kitchen full of clever gadgets? Add one more, says Craig Grannell, by recruiting your smartphone or tablet to help you plan, schedule and make great meals… THE BASICS
■ Prepare yourself
Any good chef will ensure things run smoothly by sorting ingredients, tools and accessories in advance. If you’re using a phone or tab, that thinking extends to your technology: install and keep timers and conversion apps handy; where possible, run through what you’re going to do, so you don’t mess things up at a critical moment.
■ Dedicate a device
If you only own one smart device, use it when cooking. But ideally work with a spare phone or tablet in the kitchen so it doesn’t matter if it gets covered in flour. Give it a permanent spot on the counter, and ensure its stand (see panel opposite) and charger are stable so it won’t topple into your casserole.
■ Keep your kit clean
Naturally, a charging port you somehow fill with jam during baking is something you’ll need to fix. But it’s also vital that you don’t transfer germs from gadgets to food. So whether or not you’re using a dedicated device, give yours a wipe with a suitable anti-bacterial cleaner before you start cooking.
■ Be hands-off
Cut the risk of germ-transfer and device-trashing by limiting your interaction with the touchscreen. Explore what you can do with voice commands, be that setting timers or switching steps in cookery apps. Turn off the automatic lock so your screen doesn’t shut off when you’re halfway through a particularly tricky bit.
■ Protect your tech
If you use your main phone in the kitchen, keep it well clear of anything that could splatter it. But even spare devices shouldn’t be drenched in hot fat, random spices and that half-litre of sherry you’d planned on using to give your trifle an extra kick last year. So do consider a screen protector, and investigate affordable but effective protective cases.
START COOKING ■ Master key skills
Measure up
Chances are you’ll need to convert between metric and imperial with some online recipes. Morpho Converter (£free, iOS) lets you pin conversions for regular use.
Kitchen Stories (£free, Android and iOS) is great for cookery newcomers. It provides a photo for every recipe step, and prior to tackling a dish you can delve into how-to videos on prep work and other techniques.
■ Watch some videos
Tasty (£free, Android and iOS) is like cookery telly for people with no attention span. Each recipe comes to life in about a minute – and clips are cut into tiny looping snippets for when you’re working through a dish’s individual steps.
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03/02/2022 16:46
