Cooking Planit recipe appAny app that can help me get a delicious home-cooked meal on the table easier and more efficiently has my vote. Yes, I realize that there are quite a few recipe planning apps on the market but some end up being supplanted by my trusty pen and paper.

Sometimes it’s just easier to jot something down than attempt to navigate through a complex app while at the market (true story) which is why the Cooking Planit app for iOS is different. And yes, I’m quite fond of the punny name.

The app is easy to follow, offers tons of cool recipes and menus, and really looks good enough to eat. Plus you can choose how much you want Cooking Planit to do for you. You can input a recipe that you’ve got, or browse through tons of possible dinners based around a theme, a favorite food, or even something you’ve already got in your pantry, all while telling you how long to expect the meal to take to prepare, and then to cook.

As for the planning part, Cooking Planit will also help you make a grocery list with like items grouped together, which really does make things easy when you’re in Aisle 4. I just wish it gave you the option of adding time for whiny kids that distract you from the task at hand. –Eva

This thing does everything short of cooking the food, and if the next version has that, I would be in heaven. Cooking Planit is available at the iTunes app store for $.99. EDITED TO ADD: The app is now $2.99 which is unfortunate–but it’s still a good app.