Laura: QOOQ, The Food-Proof Tablet

I recently gave my cookbooks a bit of a rest to try out the QOOQ culinary tablet, the first touch-screen device designed specifically for the kitchen – and the messes that come with it. The tablet includes a counter-friendly, prop-up stand and contains thousands of gourmet recipes from distinguished chefs around the world.

From a design point of view, the nonslip QOOQ is heat-resistant, with a thick, spill-proof screen that can withstand oily or floury hands. My personal favorite feature: step-by-step HD videos that demonstrate everything from culinary basics to advanced cooking techniques (no need for YouTube!). Music and weather apps are built-in, and its browser means you can also log onto your Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts, and access recipes from cleaneating.com and other websites. The device allows you to save your favorite recipes and ingredients, create a culinary profile and make your own shopping lists and meal plans. It also acts as a culinary reference, with sections that offer facts about kitchen tools, wines and ingredients.

I was very impressed with the variety of recipes offered – the search function makes it easy to select a dish based on a particular theme, category, food trend, chef, ingredient or season. There’s also a “health and well being” category of recipes – a good place to start perusing for clean picks. As new recipes and chefs are added frequently, the selection never gets stale, though it’s important to note that users have the option of paying for additional content (per recipe, themed packages or subscriptions) beyond the 1,000 free recipes.

After testing it out for a few weeks, the QOOQ delivered on the culinary front; but compared to other tablets, it offered a slightly slower browsing experience and wouldn’t be the best tool for work purposes. Passionate home cooks will find an excellent resource in the QOOQ – its kitchen-friendly design, high-quality recipes and customizable features make for a fun and useful culinary accessory.

($399 US, qooq.com)