Gilt Taste releases iPad app for the kitchen June 27, utilizes touchless interface

Gilt Taste logo

 Ever find pulling up recipes on your iPad but not wanting to use it in the kitchen - fearing that you will get your messy hands all over it?  Well, so have many people.  Fortunately, e-commerce company Gilt Taste has a solution for this need.  Released today, this iPad-only application that shares the name Gilt Taste has 140 appealing recipes that can be easily accessed using a touchless interface.  This allows for ease of use and a clean screen while cooking in the kitchen.

How it works

Gilt Taste uses the iPad's built-in front-mounted camera to track hand movements - giving users the ability to turn the page of a recipe without physically touching the tablet.  Users can move their hand left-to-right in front of the camera to flip to the next step of the recipe, or they can brush their hand right-to-left in order to go back to the previous step.  During the whole process, the ingredient list stays on the left side of the screen - keeping you informed of everything that you need for your meal.  Finally, users can proceed to the next part of a recipe without having to stop and wash hands.

Gilt Taste's Touch-Free Recipe Mode technology allows the screen to stay lit during the entire process, something that many other cooking apps do not offer.  For users that do not want to change their settings to prevent the screen from auto-locking, this comes in handy for recipes that have long and complicated processes. 

Recipes offered

The New York Times states that the recipes from "Gilt Taste - as would be expected from a site curated by Ruth Reichl, a former restaurant critic for the New York Times and a former editor of Gourmet magazine - are generally made from fresh ingredients, are more modern and creative, and some call for exotic products available on the site."  

Other cooking solutions

Gilt Taste is not the first hands-free recipe application.  iCookbookk was released by Publications International last year, and it offers voice-recognition features that can be utilized with simple commands. The downside to this application is that it only works well if the kitchen is quiet. 

Other chefs who use their tablets often, including culinary students, simply cover their iPads with plastic bags or plastic wrap to keep the screen clean.  The touch screen still responds to commands.  Chef Sleeve sells a disposable iPad cover that is snug and clearer than ordinary plastic bags.  However, all of these forms of protection are rendered useless when flour or other kitchen products covers the screen.  

Download the application and let me know if it helps you in the kitchen!

Source: NY Times