Whether you’re basking in the heat in Miami or dodging the rain clouds in London, you’re bound to find yourself in a number of al fresco dining situations this summer, so make sure you’re prepared.
Granted you don’t want to be the loser reading out recipes while everyone else is drinking cocktails and getting sunburnt, but now our mobiles are well and truly extensions of our hands it’s easier than ever to quickly check you’re doing everything right, or just get a bit of inspiration.
BBQ
For hearty and meaty barbecue recipes try this application from Weber. It’s a little pricey, buy not only is it packed full of food inspiration, recipes for marinades and sauces and how-to videos, but it comes with a handy grill timer as well.
Weber’s On The Grill, available for iOS devices for $4.99.
If you’re not a meat-eater or just want to pack more fruits and veggies into your BBQing experience, then try this app from the fancy people at Whole Foods Market. It’s full of healthy and easy recipes, which allow you to search through based on ingredients or special dietary preferences. Most are easy and summer party friendly, but some probably need a bit of preparation beforehand.
Whole Foods Market Recipes, available for iOS devices for free.
Cocktails
The popular Pocket Cocktails application is a big bank of cocktail recipes full of old favourites as well as a couple of adventurous new concoctions.
Pocket cocktails, available for iOS devices for $0.99.
Drinkspiration is another app full of drink ideas and recipes created by Absolut Vodka. You can get recommendations from all over the world and even keep a record of which you’ve tried, although that might be a little scary.
Drinkspiration, available for iOS devices for free.
Useful
Unfortunately, as soon as we get a bit of sun here in the UK almost half of our guests are wiped out due to allergies. The official Clarityn app uses GPS to give you a pollen forecast for your area, so although you can’t wipe out your allergies completely, you can at least come prepared.
Clarityn Allergy Pollen Forecast, available for iOS and Android devices for free.
If it starts raining and you need to find a bar or you’ve just run out of meat then an app like Layar or Google Maps is a bit of a lifesaver. Layar uses augmented reality to guide you to the nearest restaurant, bar, supermarket, you name it, there’s a layer for it.
Layar is available for iOS, Android and Symbian OS devices for free.
Becca Caddy is a BitchBuzz Tech columnist and freelance writer. She is also the UK editor of US-based tech blog Popgadget.net. You can follow her @beccacaddy or read her blog beccacaddy.com.
Images via Absolut Drinks, Weber and the Apple store.