Review: Cook with Campbell's for BlackBerry

Soup’s on! Ah, is there any better way to warm up than with a big bowl of hot soup? Oh…wait, it’s summer isn’t it? Oh well, I can still have cold soup, right? When I was a kid, I was a sucker for tomato soup and crackers; it always hit the spot. As I got older, I learned that soup wasn’t just soup; it was a way of cooking. For example; my Mom would use cream of mushroom soup when cooking chicken or meatballs and we just loved it. To be honest, the “M’m M’m good” slogan didn’t even cover half of it.

A lot of times, you can pick up books with soup friendly recipes that you can experiment with. Some cans of soup even have recipes written on the back, but imagine the number of cans you’d have to collect to equal one recipe book. You can also install the ‘Cook with Campbell’s’ application on your BlackBerry. This application is the go to place for fantastic recipes you can whip up using Campbell’s Soup (what else?). Get your can opener ready, we’re about to open up a can of deliciousness with this one.

About Cook with Campbell’s

The Cook with Campbell’s application was developed by eSphere; a BlackBerry Alliance Associate member. They provide mobile solutions for various verticals. According to BlackBerry App World, the application is only available in Canada. App World also states that Cook with Campbell’s is compatible with all devices. The application is currently in version 1.0 and has a file size of 260kb. Once downloaded, the home screen starts to look like a pantry with the Cook with Campbell’s soup can icon.

main menu or main course?

At the first screen, three options are available; Recipe Search, Favourites and the Showcase Recipe of the day. The showcase displays an image of the finished product along with the recipe name, prep/cook time and the community rating (out of 5 stars). As I open up the showcase recipe, I can scroll through detailed ingredients and directions. For those (like me) who are watching their waistline, you can also see the Per Serving Facts (calories, sodium, carbs, etc). When looking at a recipe, you can also add it to your list of favourites or create a shopping list. When a shopping list is selected, a screen will display the items needed and their measurements, along with a box that you can check. Select what you need and then choose to send off the items in an email.

a pinch of this, a dash of that

Going back to recipe search- the application allows you to find yummy recipes using the following criteria; Dish Type (pork, chicken), Ingredient (tomatoes, potatoes), Product (type of soup) and Cook Time. Slowly but surely, it goes out on the hunt and brings the results back to your BlackBerry, where you can scroll through the recipes matching your choices. With access to 3G, it typically takes 10 seconds for recipes to appear. Not having all of the recipes stored on your BlackBerry does save on memory, but it makes this application nearly unusable when outside of your coverage area. If this happens, only your favourite recipes will be available to you.

Search for recipes

nom nom nom

Conclusion

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to grab a bowl and get slurping. Cook with Campbell’s is a great way to search for recipes and manage recipe shopping lists on the fly. Though slow to respond while performing searches, it still succeeds in bringing you fantastic recipes. If you have a can of soup, but want to add pizzazz vs. heating it up in a pot, download Cook with Campbell’s; it’s a free application at BlackBerry App World.

Pros

• delicious recipes
• easy to use search options
• manage a grocery list based on ingredients

Cons

• lags during search results

More Info

• More information/Download Cook with Campbell`s for BlackBerry Smartphones >>