Before there were smartphones, I was the kind of foodie who stuffed her purse with scraps of paper, scribblings with the names, addresses, and cross streets of restaurants, markets, bakeries, and bars that I wanted to try. I had a pocket notebook on me at all times, as well as a tourist’s guide of my own city (my own city!) for the detailed maps and cafe listings.

Then came smartphones.

Smartphones revolutionized the foodie lifestyle, but not in the way some people might expect. Sure, apps for OpenTable and Menupages certainly come in handy, but there are 10 absolutely essential apps most food enthusiasts could not do without–and surprisingly, they are not “food” apps.

Say what you will about the word “foodie,” but to me, the term embraces all kinds of eating, drinking, and cooking, from haute cuisine to hamburger stands to homecooking. It’s a marvelously undiscerning word. You don’t have to know everything there is to know about, say, the Loire Valley to be a foodie, but you probably should have a few reliable tools on deck for the next time you’re faced with a bottle of Vouvray and forget where the heck “Vouvray” is.

 

Best Microsoft MCTS Training – Microsoft MCITP Training at Certkingdom.com

 

These 10 apps likewise serve a diverse range of purposes. They come in handy at the farmer’s market, high-end specialty food stores, restaurants, and bakeries. While traveling, they can point you toward eateries that are considered local favorites. When ostentatious menu descriptions start to go over your head, these apps can help you hold your own. They can even alert you to food recalls.

Click into the to discover these 10 essential apps for foodies that aren’t food apps. For more traditional apps for food enthusiasts, see “10 iPhone Apps for Foodies.”