At first glance, the application is very well thought out – clean interface with selections based on the type of meal you are making (snack, breakfast, entree, appetizers, desserts, etc.) and breaks it down according to what you main ingredient may be (beef, chicken, vegetarian, etc.) Each recipe features not only a crisp photo of the finished product, but also the serving size, ingredients, and nutritional value. The recipes range from basic to advanced – and the best part of all the recipes is that most of the ingredients can easily be found at your local supermarket. Of course, KRAFT being the maker of the application, expect to find many KRAFT-related products on your list. Marketing ploy or not, this really helps to simplify the grocery list and in the long-run possibly save money on ingredients – especially for the occasional cook.

When browsing the recipes and reading the instructions, you can turn your iPod Touch/iPhone to its side to zoom in on each direction and swipe right to left to view each step on its own card.
The “shopping list” and “recipe box” features are especially nice. They act like bookmarks, so you don’t have to constantly return to the menus to search for something. By clicking on the “shopping list” button, it will automatically compile a neat list of items you will need the next time you hit the supermarket. If you prefer to shop per meal, it can also break your list down by recipe.
When connected via Wi-Fi, you can access videos of various recipes. Depending on your connection, it may take some time to load, so be patient – I had a few instances when I started the video too early, found it got stuck in the middle waiting to cue, reversed it a little to re-watch some directions and crashed to app. The demonstrations are quick and concise, and very easy to follow.
I wanted to test out a few of the recipes myself and chose a couple dinner entrees: the Tangy Curried Chicken and Fiesta Chili Mac.
The Tangy Curried Chicken was incredibly easy to make. Just mix KRAFT Sandwich Spread (which I had never heard of prior to this!), lemon juice, curry powder, and ground red pepper in a bowl. Pour and coat on chicken thighs, chop up some onions and cook in a skillet/frying pan.
The end result was a little charred on some spots, but quite delicious. I served mine with white rice and a spinach salad. Highly recommended for a quick meal.
The Fiesta Chili Mac was a little more advanced, as it involves the browning of ground beef, draining, and simmering in a stock pot. I actually had more trouble finding the Taco Bell “Home Originals” Salsa and Taco Sauce and ended up buying something similar. Each of the recipes leaves some wiggle room to experiment and embellish, so I seasoned my ground beef with a homemade taco seasoning made from spices in my cabinet to sub out some of the Taco Sauce. (I really didn’t want to use the whole bottle, considering I use half-a-packet when I eat my food at Taco Bell…) I followed the rest of the recipe according to the directions.
The end result tasted great! The salsa gave the chili a nice variety of flavors and the macaroni cooked tender. In fact, it was even better the second day as leftovers as the spices and flavors all had ample time to really season the food. The beans also gave the chili a nice texture (and extra fiber which is great for everyone!)
Once you’ve tried your selected recipes, you can always go back into the app and leave your own comments and ratings. Viewing others’ comments is also helpful to get ideas for substituting or even adding ingredients.
In review, I found that it can be tough to effectively cook and refer back to the instructions before the screen went black. Also, dripping food on the iPhone isn’t necessarily a good idea, so keeping it out of harm’s way was also a priority. It doesn’t take long to load up after you swipe past the main screen, but it can be problematic if your hands are dirty. In retrospect, it might have been better to just print out the recipes or at least memorize most of the steps.
I should also note that this application is not necessarily for “absolute beginner” cooks. If you know the basics like browning meat, draining pasta, boiling water, etc, you’ll probably do fine navigating your way around the kitchen with these recipes. If the kitchen is something that you are clueless about, I suggest watching some of the videos to get started.