It's a universal question; "What should I make for dinner?" Apps and websites are already helping to make that a little easier -- people are turning to technology to search for recipes and inspiration.
According to Allrecipes.com's 2013 Global Food Trends Survey of over 7,000 cooks, it looks like more people are searching for those items using a mobile device.
Colby Grab of Allrecipes tells Mashable family-focused cooks are increasingly adopting mobile technologies to help "discover, create, and share everyday recipes and meal planning." Here are the five trends they found in their survey of over 7,000 cooks worldwide.
Searching Recipes Online
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No more dragging out the big cookbooks and copying recipes from magazines. Home cooks have made online recipe sites their #1 resource. The survey found 63% of cooks are finding recipes using a wide range of mobile devices.
All About Video
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Video has become a huge resource for finding recipes and meal ideas. With the portability of the iPad and other tablets, the number of cooks visiting video sites for meal inspiration went from 9% to 18%. Colby Grab tells us people prefer the visual resource over reading a recipe.
Check Prices
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A shopper with a smartphone is a smart shopper indeed. More and more cooks (35%) use their mobile device to look up product pricing before they even hit the store. That way they know where to go to get the best deals on their ingredients.
Shopping via phone
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I'm not the only one, it appears, who uses a mobile phone to look up a recipe once I'm already in the store. Sometimes you just spot a great deal or super-fresh ingredients and want to make use of them. Cooks in the UK (27%) and Argentina (25%) have a strong mobile in-store presence -- looking for meal inspiration and ideas in the aisles via mobile.
Mobile Recipes
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More than ever, home cooks are using digital, mobile and social tools to plan, shop for and prepare new recipes. The Food Trends report finds 26% of global cooks search for recipes on their mobile phones.
Do you use your mobile device to plan your meals or shop for food? Let us know in the comments.