Why Your Kitchen Wants Its Own iPad
Cooking-school gateway, recipe database, foodie networking ... an iPad in the kitchen has uses far beyond being a message center
Houzz Contributor. I'm a Silicon Valley-based writer, columnist and blogger, covering technology and culture. http://elgan.com
Houzz Contributor. I'm a Silicon Valley-based writer, columnist and blogger,... More »
The Apple iPad is the fastest-growing consumer electronics device in history. But what's it for? Where do you use it?
As a hard-core iPad fan since day one and a certifiable foodie, I can tell you that the kitchen is the single best place to use an iPad. Sure, you can bring your iPad into the kitchen. But you really should buy your kitchen its very own.
Don’t think of it as a needless expense; think of it as the cheapest possible way to transform your kitchen into the futuristic smart kitchen of tomorrow. For less than $600, you can give your kitchen abilities that even the most optimistic futurists never dreamed of. It's a wonderful time to be a gadget-happy foodie.
As a hard-core iPad fan since day one and a certifiable foodie, I can tell you that the kitchen is the single best place to use an iPad. Sure, you can bring your iPad into the kitchen. But you really should buy your kitchen its very own.
Don’t think of it as a needless expense; think of it as the cheapest possible way to transform your kitchen into the futuristic smart kitchen of tomorrow. For less than $600, you can give your kitchen abilities that even the most optimistic futurists never dreamed of. It's a wonderful time to be a gadget-happy foodie.
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The kitchen as family information center. Technology is only as good as the human needs it fulfills. A detailed look at how real people actually use their kitchens reveals why an iPad is such a great addition.
The kitchen is the one room in the house where every family member is likely to find themselves every day. So it’s very common to use the refrigerator door as a message center, art gallery and reference library. What’s on your fridge door right now?
There’s nothing paper and magnets can do that the iPad can’t do much better. Digital photos can display in a revolving slideshow. The iPad can photograph finger-painted words or anything else for the picture gallery.
Notes and notifications are easily shared. The iPad supports pen input, and styli of every description are available. (Plus, a finger works fine too.) Best of all, apps like Penultimate will let you write notes to family members and email them at the same time.
You can even use the iPad, plus an iPhone, as a kind of baby monitor to watch the kids while you’re in the kitchen. There are many apps available that do this, but a free set called Camera-A for the iPad and Camera-B for the iPhone let you set up an instant video monitor. Having an iPad in the kitchen makes it that much easier.
The kitchen is the one room in the house where every family member is likely to find themselves every day. So it’s very common to use the refrigerator door as a message center, art gallery and reference library. What’s on your fridge door right now?
There’s nothing paper and magnets can do that the iPad can’t do much better. Digital photos can display in a revolving slideshow. The iPad can photograph finger-painted words or anything else for the picture gallery.
Notes and notifications are easily shared. The iPad supports pen input, and styli of every description are available. (Plus, a finger works fine too.) Best of all, apps like Penultimate will let you write notes to family members and email them at the same time.
You can even use the iPad, plus an iPhone, as a kind of baby monitor to watch the kids while you’re in the kitchen. There are many apps available that do this, but a free set called Camera-A for the iPad and Camera-B for the iPhone let you set up an instant video monitor. Having an iPad in the kitchen makes it that much easier.
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| The kitchen as culinary proving ground. The foodie revolution is bringing people into the kitchen to learn how to make food from scratch. And some of the best instruction is video. YouTube and, of all things, Google+, are revolutionizing how we learn to cook. Search for any cooking instruction on YouTube and you’re likely to find it. How do you make asparagus soufflé? That knowledge is always just a YouTube search away. A lesser-known option is full-fledged live, interactive cooking schools on Google+. That service offers a video chat service called “Hangouts,” which enable up to 10 people to chat at the same time. Some chefs are using the services to teach live cooking classes, with all the students cooking along in their own kitchens. One example is ChefHangout.com. When you’re learning to cook, it’s best to have an iPad mounted near eye level somewhere, rather than taking up precious countertop space. |
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The App Store also offers thousands of kitchen-specific apps, which give you measurement conversions, kitchen timers, recipe organizers and more.
And there is incredible foodie content like Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything,” Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” and even an Epicurious app with 28,000 recipes.
The kitchen as home entertainment center. Kitchen activity isn’t just fun stuff like cooking. It also involves boring stuff like cleaning. An iPad mounted in the kitchen can bring you live television, news, podcasts, social networking, videoconferencing and more to inform and entertain you as you scrub the sink. You can even scan the Houzz iPad app to get ideas for home design.
It’s also for catching up on the news, weather and email in the morning while you’re getting ready for work. And nothing could be better for food-related social networking that an iPad-equipped kitchen. Take pictures of your creations and share them on Facebook, Instagram or Path. Monitor your social stream. Hang out on Google+.
How to install an iPad in the kitchen. There are dozens of options available for easy and affordable mounting or placement of your iPad in the kitchen. Here are a few:
And there is incredible foodie content like Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything,” Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” and even an Epicurious app with 28,000 recipes.
The kitchen as home entertainment center. Kitchen activity isn’t just fun stuff like cooking. It also involves boring stuff like cleaning. An iPad mounted in the kitchen can bring you live television, news, podcasts, social networking, videoconferencing and more to inform and entertain you as you scrub the sink. You can even scan the Houzz iPad app to get ideas for home design.
It’s also for catching up on the news, weather and email in the morning while you’re getting ready for work. And nothing could be better for food-related social networking that an iPad-equipped kitchen. Take pictures of your creations and share them on Facebook, Instagram or Path. Monitor your social stream. Hang out on Google+.
How to install an iPad in the kitchen. There are dozens of options available for easy and affordable mounting or placement of your iPad in the kitchen. Here are a few:
- Woodford Design makes a $50 magnetic mount for placing your iPad on a metal refrigerator.
- A very inexpensive solution is the Original Kitchen iPad Rack, which is an innovative system with an acrylic rack that’s mounted under the cabinet and easily stowed.
- Belkin makes a range of mounting solutions for the kitchen, including a $40 Fridge Mount, a $50 Cabinet Mount and even a $40 Chef Stand, complete with stylus.
Comments
suzanneb116 I love my kitchen IPad! I have been storing personal recipes in my "Contact" list for years. (I have a separate Recipe group and additionally group them as companies under the letter "R".) Since the contacts automatically update to my phone, I can check the ingredients at the grocery so I never "forget" a key ingredient while shopping.
12 months ago · Like
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alitafish I know a BBQ competitor that has a digital thermocoupler for his smoker. While the competition is running around in the smoke getting greasy and sunburned, he sits in his tent with a fan and a beer monitoring his smoker from his iPad.
12 months ago · Like
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iavanzini @suzanneb116 that's such a great idea!
12 months ago · Like
karengardenhouse When I bought my new iPad I realised the kitchen would be place where I would use it the most and because I have just had it all refurbished and newly decorated , I chose the cover to match! Is that sad or is it because I love the houzz site so much and am addicted to looking at fabulous interior design?
12 months ago · Like
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2070 I saw kitchen attachments for my iPad, at the Apple Store, wondering how I could apply them to fit my kitchen lifestyle, and Houzz just made my day. I,too, am addicted to this site and to my iPad!! Keep up the great work!
12 months ago · Like
bwrensch The original folding cover also works to hang the iPad from the refrigerator since the cover is magnetic. It's not as good as the solution shown above since it will hang lower, but it will also serve as a cover or stand. Just make sure if you adjust the height of the iPad, you do so by first grabbing the iPad and then pulling the cover off the refrigerator. Otherwise you could easily drop the iPad.
12 months ago · Like
jaxon898 I think some of these ideas are great, but let's not forget that hanging out with real people (not just through internet) is still the best way to stay connected!
12 months ago · Like
vinomanibala give some indian model kitchens also
11 months ago · Like
hildebrant I've been using the Paprika Recipe manager app. You owe it to yourself to check it out. I've since thrown out all paper recipes, and it syncs across all my devices.
9 months ago · Like
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kellycarterster I love pepperplate. It is an app and a website for organizing recipes and menus.
9 months ago · Like
kgrimes58 Did you try the iPad mount called KICMount? It is really nice and we use it in our house all the time! 
4 months ago · Like
bluesbass0945 Aargh! Why all the mounting "solutions" that do not include a way to keep the iPad plugged in? Unless I'm missing something, you would need to dismount your iPad periodically to recharge it and that kind of defeats the purpose of a "permanent" iPad in the kitchen. The best one I've found so far is the Mophie Powerstand (http://www.mophie.com/product-p/1195_pwrstd-ipad-alm.htm) but that takes up some counter space and needs a USB power run. I keep mine in my kitchen's "communication center" with my phone and mail, so it's near a power outlet, but I can unplug it and move it to my workspace if I'm using a recipe. It has become the main email and calendar station on my first floor. The Mophie is great looking in a modern kitchen and it does keep the iPad at a great angle for browsing and you can change it from portrait to landscape orientation quickly. 
4 weeks ago · Like
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Ideabook updated on Dec. 27, 2012.
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