If you think healthy food is bland and boring, the Green Kitchen app is here to change your perception. This collection of vegetarian recipes from the Scandinavian kitchen of David and Luise (and adorable young daughter Elsa) focuses on vibrant fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and unrefined sugars. Not only are the recipes delicious, but also the photos are stunning and the app functions beautifully with a sleek and modern design. Bon Appétit magazine agrees, saying Green Kitchen is “proving that even wholesome recipes can make for tantalizing food porn.”
Inspired by their popular food blog, Green Kitchen Stories, the creators offer a collection of 78 fresh and healthy recipes, each including mouthwatering photos. Each recipe is labeled Raw, Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole Grain or Sugar Free. No matter what your lifestyle is, you’ll be inspired to get in the kitchen and cook with nature’s bounty (even carnivores like me). Read on to see more of this inspiring cooking app.
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Getting Started
Launch the Green Kitchen app and you know you’re onto something good. Themes of nature and fresh, healthy ingredients are evident in the opening photo of a handful of cooking ingredients on a worn wood background. The Scandinavian aesthetic is refreshing and modern. You’ll want to get in the kitchen with David, Luise and little Elsa and get cooking.
Immediately upon launching the app a refreshing Scandinavian aesthetic is evident in the simple, modern style, left. The home screen is a collection of photos representing the recipes, right.
This app is simply a collection of recipes, represented by gorgeous photograph tiles on the home screen. Swipe left and right to view all the tiles. The home screen tiles are perfectly sized to tempt you with the many soups, salads, drinks and baked goods. No internet connection is needed to view all content, which is great for on-the-go entertainment while you ride the bus or wait for an appointment, planning your next delicious meal.
Browsing
Tap a photo tile to enter the world of Green Kitchen filled with vibrant salads, refreshing beverages, comforting baked goods and nourishing vegetarian meals. The photo of your selected recipe is enlarged and accompanied by the recipe name. Swipe left and right to browse each recipe.
Tap the icon in the top left corner to browse all recipes by category, left. Or use the handy search tool to look for an ingredient, like quinoa.
You can also browse by selecting the icon in the top left corner and scrolling through all recipes by categories such as Breakfasts, Drinks, Main Courses, Soups, Salads, etc. Browsing is easy and fun. The cogwheel icon in the top right corner lets you change the cooking measurements from US to Metric, a nice feature.
The Recipes
Choose a recipe and the photo enlarges to fill your screen. Every photo is simply stunning, featuring appetizing plates in a beautiful setting. Tap the arrows at the bottom of the screen to view a summary of the recipe. You’ll find valuable information in a single glance, like preparation time and portions. You may be interested in how each recipe fits into any dietary choices — consult the handy icon guide, which labels the recipe as Raw, Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole Grain or Sugar Free. The heart icon is for adding the recipe to your favorites, but sadly all the favorites are not gathered in one place on the iPhone version as they are in the iPad. You have to scroll through the recipes manually to find them.
Select the recipe for Ribboned Asparagus & Bean Salad and the photo enlarges to fill your screen, left. Select the arrows for a Summary of the recipe, including handy nutritional information, right.
A short paragraph artfully introduces the recipe, describing any unusual technique or ingredient and explaining why you’ll love it. Green Kitchen offers a wide variety of recipes for every season and occasion. Some cookbook apps leave you wanting more, but this one includes a generous selection of recipes that are updated throughout the year for free.
Get Cooking
You’ve found a recipe and you’re ready to get cooking. The iPhone version of this app is breaks the content down so it’s easy to read on your phone. On the bottom of the screen you’ll notice three tabs: Summary, Ingredients and Instructions. Go to the Ingredients tab to see what you’ll need to make the recipe. The icon in the top right corner allows you to email a shopping list, which is convenient. Another clever feature of the app is that you can tap highlighted ingredients for a definition. Almost every ingredient has an available definition, but often times the most unique ingredients don’t. This is disappointing because it’s the unusual ingredients that might keep someone from trying a recipe.
View Ingredients to see what you’ll need to make this recipe, left. The Instructions are clear and easy to read, right.
Green Kitchen has done a great job at writing clear instructions that are easy to follow. Vegetarian cooking tends to involve a lot of prepping ingredient components, combining everything at the end. The instructions are broken down into groups, like “Preparing the Salad” and “Dressing,” ensuring more efficient and organized cooking for the user. Ingredients lists and Instructions are easy to read on the iPhone and navigation is speedy. Everything you need is at your fingertips and nothing more. That’s good design.
Conclusion
Green Kitchen is a generous collection of diverse recipes with easy to follow instructions. The stunning photography and Scandinavian style are a breath of fresh air. This app is beautifully designed and a pleasure to use in the kitchen. No matter if you’re a vegetarian, all foodies can find inspiration in the fresh, life-affirming recipes. The iPhone version of this app retains the visual impact of the sumptuous food photographs while packaging the recipes in a format that’s easy to navigate on the go. Browse through the recipes and dream of what’s for dinner tonight while waiting in the car for your kid to finish practice or standing in line at the post office. Your next fresh, healthy meal is at your fingertips.