http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/technology/personaltech/apps-that-help-take-the-guesswork-out-of-grilling.html 2016-09-05 10:02:02 Apps That Help Take the Guesswork Out of Grilling Apps provide recipes, timers, advice — everything you need except steaks and burgers to make your cookout delicious. === COOKING with fire is a technique dating to our prehistoric ancestors, but today it can feel high tech with the many apps that take the guesswork out of grilling. Cooking starts with a recipe, and one of the most sumptuous grilling recipe apps is The recipes are well illustrated, with photographs of all the ingredients, which you can tap to learn more about their history. Attractive photos also illustrate each step of the preparation and cooking process, which may help cooks follow the instructions to achieve a great-looking and delicious meal. The recipes are easy to follow, and the app includes nutritional information and space for writing notes if you tweak a recipe to suit your taste. Photo Cookbook is a great option if you usually cook the same range of food and are seeking inspiration. It costs $4 on Grill It The app has not been updated recently, so its design looks dated. But it works well, is intuitive (which is handy if you have greasy fingers) and costs only $1. Whether you are cooking a steak on a grill or barbecue, the one thing to get right is timing, to avoid over- or undercooking. The app is a clever timer with preprogrammed information on cooking times for foods as varied as steak and vegetables. You select an item, and if it is a steak, you then tell the app how thick it is and how well done you like it. Then the app sets up a new timer for you. You can set multiple timers for different items at once, which is helpful when cooking for a group of people with different preferences. You can add custom timers to help monitor the cooking time of your recipes. The app is simple to use, elegant looking and includes basic cooking instructions, including temperatures. It can also remind you when it is time to flip a steak. The app includes Apple Watch integration to get timer alerts on your wrist without being distracted from the grill. A simpler timer option is Android users should check out Grilling enthusiasts are enthralled with Japanese Kamado-style grills, which have closed ceramic lids. The Green Egg Nation is free, but for a $5 annual membership fee you can add personal notes to recipes, set timers, build shopping lists and delete ads. A lot of promotion for Big Green Egg products is featured, but most of the advice can be used for any brand of Kamado grill. Ello