Whether you're looking for a food truck, farmers market, sustainable fish recipe or food education, you're in luck. There is an app for every type of food enthusiast out there.
The ones listed here are geared towards information and resources that are local, health conscious or sustainable. They are all super fun to play around with and can really help simplify and enhance your culinary explorations. All are free unless otherwise noted. Bon Appetit!
- Locavore: Get a list of what fruits, vegetables and herbs are in season and for how long, where to find them, what is about to come into season, a map of local farmers markets, browse by vegetable or fruit, and connect with others on Facebook about what you ate locally. (This would be handy for the Eat Local Challenge in September!)
- Fooducate: I've broken down ingredient lists and health claims in past articles, but no matter how much you know, it is still overwhelming when faced with hundreds of cereal boxes to choose from. Well guess what, now there's an app for that. Just scan a product's barcode and up pops a grade, descriptions of why it got its grade, calories per serving, consumer ratings of the product, better alternatives—and more.
- Eat St.: If you're into street food, here's the app for you. Find out who your local food trucks are and where they're located. Linked to maps, Twitter streams, hours and menus.
- FishPhone: A guide to healthy and sustainably fished and farmed seafood. All items are ranked and include a short summary as well as a color key for fishing or farming methods, health implications such as PCBs and mercury content, and environmental impacts. It even includes chef recipes and wine pairings.
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- What's Fresh ($.99): This is another useful app for those who like to eat locally. It tells you what is in season anytime and anywhere and includes a growing calendar and map.
- Jamie Oliver's Recipes: Jamie Oliver has an app with a “taster pack” of 10 healthy recipes including a library, shopping list, video tutorials, and kitchen essentials. Additional recipe packs can be purchased.
- OpenTable: Not only is this an easy and efficient way to reserve a table, it is a good way to discover new restaurants in your area. You can filter the search by neighborhood, cuisine or price point.
- Foodspotting: Search for nearby restaurants and things such as the best fish fry or Bloody Mary and then view pictures and reviews posted by other diners.
- Whole Foods: Search for recipes by course, category or special diet needs or enter what you have on hand and it will search for a recipe for you. Like Jamie Oliver's app, once you choose a recipe it automatically enters the ingredients into a shopping list.
- NoTakeOut ($3.99): This app makes healthy meals manageable by offering recipes using seasonal foods from your area, express line-friendly shopping lists, step-by-step game plan for efficiency as well as voice control for hands-free operation while cooking
