Best Cooking Apps For Almost Any Kitchen Crisis

You open your fridge, and staring at you are some leftover scallions, carrots, and uncooked chicken breasts — what will I ever make with those, you think...? Simply plug them in to the convenient Leftover Wizard tool from BigOven's free app and it'll suggest recipes for you to make from over 170,000 in their database.

Available For: iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows

Your best friend is bringing his new girlfriend over for dinner and you're pumped. But wait, he calls you one hour in advance to tell you that she's allergic to gluten. Instead of panicking, download the Cook It Allergy Free app to find tons of gluten-free recipes that will keep everyone happy and full. With hundreds of gluten-free recipes that are constantly being updated, you can also adjust the recipes to find substitutions for other allergies like milk, peanuts, etc., if you have dinner guests with 2 or more different allergies.

Available For: iPhone and iPad

Inspired by the farmers market to buy a beautiful looking vegetable, only to realize when you get home that you have no idea how to cook it? Instead of flipping through dozens of cookbooks, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything app will tell you what you need to know with just a few strokes of your finger. With over 2,000 recipes, 400 how-to illustrations, you can learn how to cook anything from a hollandaise sauce to roast beef.

Available For: iPhone and iPad

Have you ever found yourself at the market, eyeing that gorgeous watermelon or pineapple but having no idea what to look for? With easy, how-to advice, this Harvest app will tell you how to pick the best and ripest watermelon in the store.

Available For: iPhone and iPad

Feeling overwhelmed looking at all of the recipes that you're supposed to make tonight? Not sure how you're going to remember to buy everything and cook them all at the same time without burning one or under-cooking another? This No Time To Cook? app from Real Simple does it all. Compile your recipes into grocery lists, set up timers for each of the recipes so they are all done at the same time and you won't have to worry about ending up with burnt, blackened food.

Available For: iPhone, iPad and Android

A self-proclaimed locavore, or maybe just someone who wants to start shopping locally more, you find yourself in a different part of town with no idea of what farmers markets are nearby. But you desperately need food for dinner and refuse to shop at a local supermarket chain. Do a quick search on this Locavore app to find where the closest markets are to you and what's in season at them.

Available For: iPhone, iPad

It's a gorgeous day and a bunch of your friends have gathered around to BBQ in someone's backyard. But just as your stretching your legs and sipping on some sangria, a kitchen crisis occurs and you're called on to man the grill. "What?!?!" you say, "I have no clue what I'm doing!" But alas, you're the only one who hasn't taken down their own pitcher of sangria so you have no choice. Search Weber's Grill app for quick tips, short instructional videos and recipes.

Available For: iPhone, iPad

You're starving and stuck at the grocery store with no clue what to make for dinner. Want something quick and easy that will satisfy your demanding palate? Search for 20-minute meals on Chef Jamie Olivier's app that comes with step-by-step photos. It's perfect for cooks with a time crunch.

Available For: iPhone, iPad

Feeling confident in your cooking abilities, you've decide to throw caution to the wind and forgo a recipe for dinner tonight. Instead, you're going to cook without one, using your own knowledge and experience. Except, wait a minute, should you use ¼ cup of vinegar or ½ cup in your braising liquid? Hmm, a little too much could totally throw off the flavors of the dish, while too little won't bring enough. Use this Ratio app from Michael Ruhlman for some quick advice — it's especially useful for baking tips.

Available For: iPhone, iPad