Ditch the Cookbook: iPhone as Kitchen Helper

Erin Patrice O'Brien for TIME

The latest gizmo for adventurous home chefs is something millions of us already use every day: a handheld computer. That's right. You may think of your iPhone or Nintendo DS as just a phone or gaming device, respectively, but both have speedy processors and lovely displays that make them nifty interactive cookbooks. Even T-Mobile's Google phone has a video cooking program that makes recipes on paper feel as flat as day-old pancakes.

Sure, old-fashioned cookbooks are nice to look at, but they eat up too much counter space and can't compete with the ever expanding trove of recipes online. And getting...