LostInTechnology

Sous Chef: Mac App for Cooks and Cook-Challenged

Posted on 12. May, 2009 by Luis Sandoval in Apple, Internet Tools

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Today’s society has become an instant gratification society. We consume content, food, information, anything we can get our hands on, quickly, entirely, and we move on. Of course the speed of progress and the changing world help influence these changes, but what about taking the time to cook an well planned meal?

Impossible you say?

Well perhaps for some of us that are used to microwaving just about anything we can, it’s an odd concept to wrap our heads around. A great number of us have not left our college days where our diets included three main staples, pizza, Ramen noodles, and a “beverage” of choice. These habits have carried over into our professional and personal lives after college as we move from place to another, one meeting to the next, with little attention being given to where we are getting our daily intake of food.

For those us Mac users looking to unleash the chef inside all of us, or perhaps for those of us that already know how to cook but looking for more diverse recipes, Sous Chef for Mac is what you have been waiting for.

Sous Chef, Under the Hood

Sous Chef is the premier application for digital cooking assistance. It takes the fumbling of searching Google, or the inability to find just one solid recipe on food sites, and places the power solely on this one application to root out what you are craving.

Where most applications only show you the recipe, Sous chef really allows you to get creative by taking you step by step through the process. A useful process for those that are unsure of their cooking skills. To further the apps functionality, you are able to substitute ingredients and the recipe will adapt accordingly. Plus you’re able to browse the thousands of recipes at your finger tips to find just the right one for your occasion.

Brought to us by Acacia Tree Software, this app has proven it’s worth by having attracted over 57,000 recipes to date with more being added everyday. The usefulness goes beyond just finding great recipes to make, it integrates into your everyday life. Plan a weeks worth of meals and go through the grocery list building tool built in.  With something as useful as this, users will now be able to go to the market with a plan in mind. The list is comprehensive of all the ingredients you’ll need and the breakdown of how much you’ll need of each. No more overspending or purchasing of items you don’t need.

Features

Sous chef stands to continue it’s gain in popularity with two features that I thought were very useful, especially as someone who spends a lot of time online.

The first feature I want to mention is the ability to import recipes from .txt files. More often than not I’ll find an amazing recipe online that I want to make on a later date. Prior to Sous Chef I had to bookmark the page, or write it down. I even used a few other note capturing tools, but in reality, it’s so much easier to take the .txt file that I have and import into the application and not worry about any of the other steps. Sous chef will hold on to my recipe until I need it, and continue to hold it in case I want to come back to it.

The second feature I especially liked was the ability to blog straight from the application itself to share your recipe on the your blog. Currently the platform supported is Blogger, but I have no doubt that in time other opportunities will be available, and posting your recipe on any site you write on will be very advantageous in sharing what you love with your audience.

Two bonus features in my opinion that make this little app that much better, but were not necessary to hard sell it to me was the fridge mode, and the voice mode. Fridge mode allows you to input what you currently have in your fridge and Sous Chef will work with you to build a recipe based on its existing database of recipes, remember I said over 57,000. Surely you will find a recipe in that. Very useful for busy parents who did not have time to shop. Use what you go and let Sous Chef assist you in making that meal happen.

While cooking in the kitchen, Sous Chef does not want you to have to print out the recipe, why not have it speak it to you? That’s right, the application also comes with the ability to read the recipe to you as you go through the motions. It offers a high res view to see the recipe from afar, but can also read it to you as long as you can control it with a remote. Still it’s a nifty little addition that for me sweetens the application use in my day to day cooking experiences.

Sous Chef is Social

Sous Chef is about a cooking community, and that means more than just you. Aside from the blogging aspect, Sous Chef leverages the cooks from around the world to input their recipes into the database. If one is entered, your app is updated. It’s that simple. It can be hard to find the right recipe, especially if you’re cooking international food or specific styles, but now with Sous Chef, you’re connected to the world, with people in areas that know how to make their traditional foods better than anyone else. Whether you’re looking for local tastes, ethnic flavor, or just something to tide you over, Sous Chef is definitely recommended.

Connect with the world, put your cooking skills to the test and try it out. I’ve used it personally for health recipes and I’ve found amazingly delicious food without the fast food drag.

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Tags: Acacia Tree Software, blog, Blogger, Chef, Cooking, Fast food, Recipes, Sous Chef, Sous Chef App, Sous Chef Application