Introducing Pepperplate links!

(i'm going to wax poetic about my ipad for a moment here, but even if you dont have one, keep reading - this is for you too...)

so, about a year ago, i started thinking that maybe i wanted an ipad...  i'd spent many months making fun of what i felt was basically an overgrown phone that you couldnt use to make calls... (incidentally, my 3 year old nephew actually calls his dad's ipad 'the big phone') and didnt see why anyone would want one, but then, one day, it hit me.

i need this in the kitchen.

so when ipad 2 came out, i was right there on the pre-order bandwagon. I thought it would be great to have my recipes online instead of on random printed sheets all over the apartment.

and it was.

but, of course, i needed just a little more... So i went searching.

and i found the Pepperplate app.  a way to store recipes and turn them into menu plans?  score. exactly what i needed.

and, as it turns out, a lot more...

see, they have a website too (told you this wasnt all ipad love) and its amazing.  AMAZING.

Between the site and the app, you can do a million things...

• import recipes directly from supported sites
• use the bookmarklet on your browser to do a simple copy/paste of recipes from unsupported sites
• create manual recipes
• edit recipes for your modifications, no matter their origin
• menu plan
• create shopping lists, customized for your grocery store
• keep your ipad awake while cooking in the app
• share your recipes with others and allow them to import those recipes into their own pepperplate accounts.

and, oh yeah, its FREE.

So the other day i started thinking - how do i use this on Kitchen Hell?  So i tweeted the lovely @pepperplateapp people and asked - is there a way to create and share these links? and within moments, they got back to me with the details.

Therefore, from now on, any time i post a recipe, there will be a Pepperplate link under the title/creator - but before the ingredients - which will allow you to import that recipe into your own account.

(it also creates a clean print if you don't want to use an online version of said recipe)

I'll be going through the archives and adding links to old posts, but if you see any you want converted sooner rather than later, just drop me a line (or use the bookmarklet).

I hope you love Pepperplate as much as I do.  And no, this was NOT a paid or requested endorsement - i really, truly just think this site/app are that useful that i wanted to share :)

tiny kitchen tricks

one of the biggest problems with cooking in a teeny-tiny kitchen (manhattan or otherwise) is counter space.  aside from not having room to knead, roll, measure, stir - there's no where to put a recipe and not have it end up destroyed by the end.

many people organize their internet-based recipes in binders and i'm no exception...  a quick trip to staples and a purchase of some sheet protectors and a binder and you are set and ready to go.  As soon as a recipe is deemed sheet-protector-worthy, into the binder it goes.  this serves to not only hold the recipes but also allows you to pull one out and put it on the counter - the sheet protector is easily cleaned off with a sponge and your recipe stays nice for next time.

on thanksgiving, this problem is compounded by the fact that you have 10 recipes going at once...

turns out the sheet protector method is good for more than just cleanliness - its good for space too.

after sitting with a pile of recipes on wednesday and having those slippery sheet protectors cause an avalance every time someone exhaled, i got smart...  grabbed the pony-tail holder ring that was hanging up in my bedroom and slid it through the top hole in those sheet protectors...

this not only allowed me to keep the recipes together and clean, but also allowed me to put them in the appropriate order and, most importantly, hang the entire thing from my cabinet knob...

allowing me to see exactly what i needed to do next without any mess or waste of space.

dont have a hair tie holder? its ok - this entire creation can be yours for the low price about $11.50 and one quick trip to staples:
Sheet Protectors - $7.49 for 25
2" Binder Rings - $3.99 for 9