Before you can chop, toss, sauté, or grill, you must first gather your ingredients, which is often more time-consuming and tedious than it should be.
How often have you gone to the store, gotten everything you thought you needed, and returned home, only to realize that you didn't pick up an onion? Or maybe you thought you still had plenty of basil but forgot you used the last of it in that Tuesday night stir fry.
Luckily, plenty of apps have been created to solve a spell of forgetfulness and make shopping easier so you can get to the cooking and eating faster. To find out which ones are best for creating lists and, in some cases, ordering ingredients right away, we went to four pro chefs. Ahead, see their picks, then download the one you like best, and chop to it.
The Chef: Leah Cohen, Top Chef season five contestant and chef and owner of Pig & Khao, a Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant in New York City.
Her Pick: Cohen prefers to make her lists in the Instacart app, because she finds more choices from local stores. Plus, the list and shopping are a one-stop destination. After a list is created, you can place an order and Instacart delivers in as little as two hours. Cohen’s recent lists have included picks like parsley and yellow onions from Whole Foods and chicken cutlets and Del Monte fresh cut sweet peas from Fairway Market.
Instacart, free, available on the App Store and Google Play.
Photo: Courtesy of Leah Cohen.
The Chef: Dimitri Moshovitis, executive chef and co-founder of CAVA, a company with Mediterranean restaurants across the country and products in Whole Foods and other organic markets.
His Pick: “I love Out of Milk because not only can I make a simple grocery list, but with the ‘Essentials’ and ‘Pantry’ features, I can also keep track of items I use every day. I can also share my shopping list with my friends and family, so during those big holiday dinners I can split the list up and make it a lot faster to finish shopping. It also has a barcode scanner that allows me to add certain brand names that I love.”
His recent Spice Rack items have included everyday musts such as kosher salt and more obscure picks like smoked paprika.
Out of Milk, free, available on the App Store and Google Play.
Photo: Courtesy of Dimitri Moshovitis.
The Chef: Carly de Castro, co-founder of Pressed Juicery
Her Pick: "I like using Yummly to keep track of my shopping list, because it's a huge timesaver. Not only does it provide a personalized feed of recipe suggestions, but it also allows you to curate your shopping list based on the specific dishes you plan to make. I also love that it's integrated with Instacart, so I can get my groceries quickly. With two kids and another on the way, sometimes I have to squeeze in my cooking at off hours, and Yummly makes the process so easy and streamlined. It's a great way to make sure I don't miss anything!"
de Castro recently assembled the ingredients needed to make chipotle lime salmon.
Yummly, free, available on the App Store and Google Play.
Photo: Courtesy of Carly de Castro.
The Chef: Adam Kenworthy, Chopped winner and private chef
His Pick: "I used to shop at the grocery store for all of my clients. The first time I tested FoodKick, I ordered avocados as a measure of produce reliability. The first time — and every time since — they have been perfectly ripe. It is very important for me to trust the quality of produce because when my groceries arrive I do not have time for back-up plans or sourcing new ingredients. Plus, I can click 'Shop Past Orders' to quickly and easily re-order items I've ordered in the past and already know I like. I frequently use that feature to create new shopping lists for myself."
FoodKick, free, available on the App Store and Google Play.
Photo: Courtesy of Adam Kenworthy.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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