Are you a Giada de Laurentiis fan? I remember watching her in the early days of Food Network on her Emmy award winning show, Everyday Italian. She’s just as likeable today as she was then. Giada isn’t just a Food Network celebrity; she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, owned her own catering company and has proven to be an entrepreneur with seemingly endless amounts of enthusiasm and energy. Several years and one child later she’s still going strong, making regular appearances on The Today Show, writing cookbooks and starring in another popular series, Giada at Home.
If you’re a Giada fan then you’ve got to check out the free Giada app featuring recipes from her latest cookbook, “Weeknights with Giada.” The theme is “Quick and simple recipes to revamp dinner.” Many moms out there may find it a comfort that even a famous chef meets challenges when it comes to getting dinner on the table every weeknight after work. Giada is here for you, with plenty of useful tips and encouragement in video “bites” throughout the app. Looking to revitalize your weeknight suppers? Keep reading to learn how Giada can help.
Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.
Getting Started
Launch the app and you see Giada in her quintessential California kitchen. It’s all creamy whites and natural light, and Giada is cooking up something delicious. Random House Inc. has created an app that’s simple and beautiful, aiming to promote her latest cookbook, “Weeknights with Giada.”
The home screen displays three options: browse the recipes, listen to Giada pronouncing Italian words, or take a look at her twitter feed, left. All Bites is a collection of recipes and video tips from Giada, right.
What you see on the home screen is what you get. This free app is a collection of recipes, found by tapping on the All Bites button. The app maintains a good balance — promotional material isn’t too in your face, and users get to enjoy a nice selection of free recipes.
All Bites
All Bites is a numbered list of recipes and videos. It follows the sleek, modern design of the app and doesn’t complicate the small collection of recipes with unnecessary categories or over-engineered search tools. You’ll find appetizers, desserts, main courses, side dishes, pastas and salads. Video tips cover topics like breakfast for dinner and how to keep meals fun and interesting by mixing things up.
The app includes several video tips in which Giada shares how to keep weeknight cooking easy and fun.
In the videos you’ll see the personal style Giada is known for as she sits on a comfy chair in the living room and shares cooking tips paired with personal anecdotes from her own family. She often refers to her little girl and meeting the challenges of putting dinner on the table during busy weeknights, which lends credibility the app. Each video has valuable takeaways that moms will appreciate, like getting kids to eat their veggies, planning ahead so weeknight meals are quick and eating meatless on Mondays to encourage the family to try new foods. The only thing to note is that the videos are a little slow to load and require an Internet connection.
The Recipes
In honor of her cookbook, “Weeknights with Giada,” the recipes are all quick and easy dishes to enjoy on busy weeknights. The dishes are vibrant and flavorful, utilizing a wide variety of fresh produce like purple potatoes, kale and peppers. You’ll find the influence of several cuisines, from Mediterranean to Thai to California-style. Giada even included a handful of desserts to make weeknights feel special, like mascarpone cupcakes and espresso caramel bars. It’s good to see Random House Inc. adding new recipes in periodic updates to the app.
Each recipe is accompanied by an attractive full-screen photo, left. Giada’s easy breezy style is evident in her introductory note for Grilled Sirloin Steaks and you can’t help but want to cook it!
Each recipe is accompanied by an attractive full-screen photo of the dish. You can tell the food is simple, but flavorful. Tap on a recipe and read Giada’s introduction note. Her enthusiasm comes through in the words, and you can’t help but want to cook the dish. It’s easy to scroll through and read the ingredients list. Breaking the dish down into components gives users a bird’s-eye-view of the task at hand. Recipe steps are clear and concise so the home cook can put a meal on the table efficiently. The only downside is that you can’t browse the recipes by swiping left and right. Once you’re viewing a recipe you’ve got to tap the All icon to get back to the recipe list. Adding swipe functionality would be a plus.
Other Features
Back at the home screen you’ll notice two more tabs: Sound Bites and Giada Tweets. All Bites is a selection of recipes and video tips. The Sound Bites feature is a bunch of audio clips of Giada pronouncing the words of Italian cuisine. It’s a nice touch, injecting a bit of fun and personality into the app, so distinctly Giada.
Tap on a word to play the audio clip of Giada saying it “the Italian way,” left. The app also includes Giada’s real-time twitter feed, right.
The Giada Tweets tab takes you to her updated twitter feed within the app. She really engages her audience on twitter, answering questions and sharing photos of her daily family life.
Conclusion
If you’re a Giada fan you’ll love her app for the free recipes and handy meal planning tips. Random House Inc. has done a great job capturing Giada’s fun and enthusiastic personality. The app is sleek and modern with an interface that’s easy for users to navigate. The design and stellar photographs really portray the attractive California lifestyle Giada’s television shows (Everyday Italian and Giada at Home) are so known for. Giada comes off as friendly and approachable — just another mom in the kitchen trying to get dinner on the table — and many women can identify with her. If you’re looking for a few delicious and quick recipes to revitalize weeknight suppers, you’ll enjoy this free app.