Feast Kitchen Raises The Bar For Cooking Apps

Imagine a gorgeous cookbook that literally evolves in the palm of your hand, not only pooling recipes from some of the world's best chefs, but also updating your shopping list, keeping track of purchases and converting measurement units all with one tap—just to name a few features. You're starting to get the picture of new cooking app Feast Kitchen.

The app launched January 7 on iOS, and the iPad version launches today.

Author Michael Ruhlman, whose recipes are featured in the app, calls it "drop-dead gorgeous," and he's not wrong. The photography rivals the best magazines and cookbooks, and the chefs behind the recipes are A-listers. Think Dan Barber, Jacques Pépin and José Andrés.

Ricotta and Wild Rice Pancakes Two Ways by Chef Deborah Madison (see here for recipe) | Photo: Deborah Jones

If this sounds intimidating, fear not. The app's culinary team takes careful measure to test each recipe as many times as necessary to make sure it's accessible and works well for the home cook. Seamus Mullen's ancient grains mushroom stew, for example, looks both like something you'd want in your weeknight rotation and a side you'd serve at a dinner party.

You'll also find videos profiling chefs, as well as technique-driven clips—like how to truss a chicken.

"It's a tool to inspire, but not to preach," cofounder Jakob Nordenhof Jønck says.

Feast Kitchen is also seamlessly functional. Once you've chosen a recipe, one tap will add ingredients to a shopping list, which in and of itself is helpful, but it gets so much better. If you select multiple recipes, the app will pool ingredients, so you don't have to do the math on your own.

Bitter Chocolate Sorbet by Chef David Kinch (see here for recipe) | Photo: Deborah Jones

With the rise of meal kit delivery services, new culinary apps being developed every day and an increasing array of instructional food videos out there, Feast Kitchen has jumped head first into an already saturated market. But if there's one must-have tool to download, this digital cookbook-cum-personal chef instructor is a solid start.

Comprehensive, functional and just plain old pretty to look at, Feast Kitchen has it all.