10 Delicious Recipe Apps for Your IPhone

Not only is Jami Oliver's 20 Minute Meals the best recipe app available, but it's also one of the best apps I've ever tested. It includes detailed, step-by-step pictures for each recipe, so it's a perfect app for those who aren't confident in the kitchen. The recipes are easy to follow and there's a tab at the top that switches the ingredient amounts from two to four people.

The downsides? The 20 Minute Meals app only has 60 recipes. It's also on the expensive side compared to other recipe apps. Even so, Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Meals is so well done that these minor issues are easy to overlook.

Overall rating: 5 stars out of 5

Weber Grills is a great app choice for those who are serious about their meat. It includes more than 300 illustrated recipes and the pictures will definitely make you want to fire up the grill. Like many recipe apps, Weber Grills includes a shopping list and a favorites section. It also has lots of how-to articles if you're not yet comfortable or knowledgeable around a grill. The integrated grill timer is a nice touch, as is the 'doneness calculator,' which tells you how long to cook different types of meat and at what temperature.

The app is free and packed with features. It was completely redesigned for iOS 9.0 and includes a built-in timer to work with Apple Watch. 

Overall rating: 5 stars out of 5

The Whole Foods Market Recipes app is a terrific value – it's free. The sleek interface is easy to navigate, and the app includes hundreds of recipes that are illustrated with mouthwatering pictures. Each recipe has icons that tell you if it's gluten-free, vegetarian, low-sodium, or if it meets any number of other dietary concerns. Nutrition facts are also included.

The Whole Foods app includes an "On Hand" tab where you can find recipes based on ingredients you already have. The shopping list is pretty robust – I love that it can be emailed – but it doesn't consolidate the items so some ingredients may show up twice.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

At first glance, the How to Cook Everything app may seem a bit pricey. But if you take a closer look, you'll realize that you get all 2,000 recipes from Mark Bittman's book of the same name – and the book is a lot more expensive. 

The app's interface is pretty sleek, although there are no pictures to accompany the recipes. It does include an integrated cooking timer and a shopping list. How to Cook Everything also has more cooking instruction than nearly any other recipe app, with videos on everything from how to sharpen knives to how to roast a chicken. It's a comprehensive resource that will turn you into a five star chef in no time.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

If you have a problem coming up with dinner ideas, you'll want to take a look at the AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner app. It's free and includes thousands of user-submitted recipes. Just shake your iPhone to find a new random recipe. AllRecipes is a good choice for vegetarians or those with special diets because you can filter the recipes easily. Nutrition facts are also included.

The recipes take a few seconds to load over Wi-Fi – you have to look at an ad for a while the recipe loads – and there's no shopping list. If that feature is important to you, you can upgrade to AllRecipes Pro.

Overall rating: 4 stars out of 5

Simply Organic is a simple – no pun intended – recipe app that makes it easy to serve healthy and wholesome meals. Like the AllRecipes.com app, Simply Organic includes a random recipe generator if you just need a quick dinner idea. It offers a ton of categories to choose from when you're browsing, including vegetarian entrees and healthy recipes for kids.

One of the best things about the Simply Organic app is that you can sort your results by a variety of criteria, including rating. This makes it easy to find the most popular recipes. Nutrition facts are included for each recipe as well. Unfortunately, Simply Organic doesn't include pictures, but it's free.

Overall rating: 4 stars out of 5

If you're still upset about the shuttering of Gourmet magazine, this free Epicurious app might make you feel better. Featuring recipes from Bon Appétit and Gourmet, Epicurious is definitely a foodie's app. The slick interface is easy to use and you can browse recipes by main ingredient, meal, or dietary consideration such as vegan or vegetarian.

The recipes are displayed in a slideshow format. Although this is pretty, it does make for too much swiping if you're browsing a lot of recipes. I also encountered a glitch when some recipes weren't added to my shopping list. Even so, Epicurious is still a good deal among free recipe apps.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Martha Stewart's recipe app includes a number of standout features for a low price. It supports push notifications, so each day you'll recipe a message for the daily recipe – a great feature if you want dinner ideas with a minimum of effort. The recipes are easy to follow and each one includes a picture. Martha Stewart's app also has a host of sharing options, including email, Twitter and Facebook. The shopping list is broken down by aisle, such as produce and meats, making it easier to manage in a busy grocery store.

I did encounter a few crashes here and there, and the app includes a good amount of ads.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

If you like variety, the BigOven app may be a good choice. It's free but offers a whopping 350,000 user-submitted recipes so you'll never get bored. Most recipes include pictures, which is great, but there are only eight recipes listed per page.

BigOven does have some excellent features, like a "Leftover Wizard" that searches ingredients you already have. The "What's For Dinner?" selection lets you see what other users are having for dinner that night. Twitter integration is another plus. While the functionality is impressive, BigOven isn't as sleek as other recipe apps and it can look amateurish in some areas.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

This SparkRecipes app is a good choice for dieters. It includes nutritional information for all 500,000 user-submitted recipes. The app has a ton of search options even though it's free, which makes it easy to wade through the recipes efficiently. You can even limit recipes based on their calorie count. The instructional videos are helpful and load quickly over a Wi-Fi connection.

Unfortunately, the recipes aren't as easy to follow because the ingredients and instructions are listed on separate pages. Browsing by category can also be overwhelming given the numerous recipes.

Overall rating: 3 stars out of 5