Last Spring I told you that French people could learn How to Cook on their DS. After Japan and Europe, the interactive cookbook comes to The United States.

Personal Trainer: Cooking will be released on November 24, 2008. The interface lacks style but it is the concept and the functions that make this product interesting.

There is approximately 245 recipes plus the demonstration videos of techniques. You specify the number of portions and maneuver within a recipe with voice commands. You create your shopping list while you build your menu.

Selecting a recipe is a breeze. You can search for recipes by cuisine origins, ingredients, calorie count, cooking time, difficulty and more.

You can put a stamp on the calendar, marking when and what you have made. A fun and practical gift idea of Christmas for new cooks or for someone who wishes to get back into the habit of home cooking.

SOURCING:
+ Personal Trainer: Cooking – $19.99 USD
+ Nintendo DS Lite – price: $129.99 USD

You might also like these posts

Last May, I talked about how the Nintendo DS handheld could be a cool tool in the kitchen.

Basically, I explained why I think it makes more sense than the computer. At the time, I introduced a French digital cookbook called Leçons de cuisine.

Preview at E3

Now it is the turn of 100 recipes by Jamie Oliver to go on the Nintendo DS handheld. What’s Cooking with Jamie Oliver will roll out starting October 2008.

It is more than a cooking game with several levels and competitions. Players can store 100 of their own recipes into the cookbook. The only draw back is that you are limited to hundreds of handpicked ingredients to record your own dishes.

The coolest thing is the shopping list. You build your shopping list from the list of ingredients of the selected recipes. The shopping list supports both Jamie’s recipes and your own recipes. You can easily bring your DS when you go grocery shopping and save on paper.

Until them, I am leaving you with a preview of some screenshots. All Jamie Oliver’s photos on the game were photographed by his long time collaborator David Loftus. Until the release of What’s Cooking with Jamie Olive on the DS, rely on his vast collection of cookbooks.

>>> Sourcing:
Via: Atari serves up Jamie Oliver deal [Licensing.biz]
Via: Jamie Oliver Gets His Own Video Game [Food for Thought]
Via: E308: The Jamie Oliver game is … really cool? [DS fanboy]

You might also like these posts

The computer entered the kitchen a while ago. Unfortunately, what is on the market is not really practical nor innovative.

The solutions so far are either small retractable under the counter screens, a computer integrated in an odd place like the fridge (who wants to stand up while browsing the Net) or use too much counter space.

Keep it Simple

The ultimate solution must be small, movable and support voice commands. And to gain mass appeal, it must be cheap. Enter Nintendo DS.

I am huge fan of the DS. After my surgery, my husband gave me a crimson DS Lite to occupy my mind. I am so happy with his gift. The DS Lite screen is easier to read than my old DS.

Nintendo DS already attracts the non gamer crowd with games like Brain Age. The other day I was at Future Shop looking at DS games and a woman in her fifties was buying a DS for herself. With the Wii and the DS, Nintendo is committed to serve a broader audience. I think they will bring exciting stuff in the future.

Learning How to Cook on a DS

The time where you get your recipes on a DS is not far away. Last week, the PR firm of Nintendo in France La Boite Com Concept invited journalists for a tour of the upcoming Leçons de cuisine. In the kitchen of a rented loft in Paris, they greet one or two journalists at a time. Each journalist prepared a recipe in order to experience the digital cookbook.

From what I have read, Leçons de cuisine targets the beginner cook. Leçons de cuisine explains culinary terms. The recipe adjusts automatically to the number of servings you need. A truly handy feature! There is no need to type any command while you are cooking; everything is voice activated.

Popular in Japan

The cookbook also comes with a few mini games. The French cookbook/game is an adaptation of a Japanese version. The recipes and techniques have been adapted to the European market. No words if or when the title will hit the stores in North America.

I would wait for a more advanced cookbook in terms of recipes. But I think the concept shows great potential. It certainly proves that you do not need a fancy computer in the kitchen. You simply need some interactivity. As far as making grocery lists, the old pen and paper work the best.

>>> Sourcing:
Buy online: Nintendo DS Lite Crimson & Black at Amazon.com – price: $129 USD
Buy online: Nintendo DS Lite – Crimson Black at FutureShop – price: $139.99 CAD
Pre-launch Ad: La Boite Com Concept
Kitchen photo: Video on Elle TV France – Rights reserved
Via: Marianna [Tastespotting] + Leçons de cuisine [INpact Virtuel]

You might also like these posts