The MBD Endorsement: Pepperplate

"When we eat together, when we set out to do so deliberately, life is better, no matter what your circumstances."

—Thomas Keller*

So, I've taken up cooking. Nothing fancy, nothing special. But I make an alright roux and aside from the occasional bag of Jiffy Pop, the microwave sits neglected, so that's something. I can't bake for shit but fuck it; baking is for old ladies.

Anyway, like I said, I'm no Chef, just a dude who collects recipes that sound tasty and prepares them. As such, I need certain tools beyond the usual pots, pans, and knives. One such tool is a trusted recipe repository. Giada's site is a good one. The Pioneer Woman is fantastic. Google works, too. Food Network. Travel Channel. Whatever.

My other secret weapon is Pepperplate. It's incredible. I can add, edit, sync, and share recipes in LITERALLY SECONDS from any device--the web app on my browser, the iPad in the kitchen, and the iPhone at the grocery store. Scaling a recipe up or down is a cinch. The meal planning calendar and shopping list functions are dead simple and work flawlessly, and there's even a cooking timer baked in (harf harf harf) to the app. Pepperplate does everything my previous kitchen tool (Mac Gourmet) did, except, you know, better, faster, and totally free. Now that's a recipe for success.**

* God, starting a blog post with a ham-fisted quote like that is just such a twee thing to do I feel like I'm writing this in 2002.

** That was awful. Sorry.