We’re not all born with cooking skills, however, the vast majority of us share something in common: as passion for smartphones and tablets. If you forget the worries of the kitchen for a moment, you’ll find that mobile technology is empowering a new generation of chefs in the making.

The iPhone and iPad have paved the way for a new level of interactivity with billions around the globe.  The print industry in particular has found redemption in the app marketplace, building hands-on resources available to you on demand.  We see the Food Network expanding its app strategy to digital cookbooks published as apps, inching its way closer and closer to the consumer.

The six-book series is collectively called the Food Network Favorites.  First in the bunch is Food Network Cupcakes, having already graced the top 10 Paid iPad Apps in the Food & Drink category.  The cookbook takes an international approach to cupcakes, reeling inspiration from around the world.  There’s also healthy cupcake recipes for calorie counters.

The series is focused on an app-centric publishing strategy that provides a better user experience than other digital publishing outlets, like e-books or webzines distributed through channel partners like Apple iBooks, Google Books, Amazon Kindle or Zinio.

“The Food Network Favorites series is a cross between a magazine and a cookbook. Building this concept in the app platform enables us to include functionality and features that allow our users to interact with the content beyond just reading text,” says Bob Madden, GM & SVP of Online Brands for Food Network.

Get Cooking

Another book in this series is Super Soups, which features original and easy-to-make soup dishes. The cookbook comes with dozens of photos, all optimized for the iPad’s new Retina display.  Talk about tasting with your eyes…

It contains a mix of 40 different recipes from the network’s celebrity chefs, from the likes of Time-Life, Betty Crocker, and Better Homes and Gardens and their test kitchen.  The app-book is divided in sections like Go-To, Hall of Fame, Family Friendly, Healthy, and Hearty. Each page of the app is peppered with tips, tricks, videos and sidebars galore.

Bob Madden, Food Network’s general manager and senior vice president of online brands says the Food Network site shares over 450,000 recipes with over 7 million monthly unique visitors.

“We have a little of that in Soups but scaled back to focus on photography and the utility,” Madden says. “So much so that if you’re salivating at that glimpse of a steaming bowl of creamy butternut squash soup, you can swipe the screen to move the copy off the page for a better view.”

A Recipe for Mobile Tech

The app strategy is an important one for many brands today, but an increasing demand for user functionality will drive demand beyond the current app structure.  Food Network is already thinking outside the box when it comes to distribution strategies, and frameworks like HTML5 will present new opportunities for diversification.  They’re in fact evaluating an HTML5 model for these specialized recipe app-book collections.

“We currently use the Adobe DPS platform and are happy with the features and capabilities it provides for us. However, we’re always researching new platforms, such as HTML5, to ensure that we provide a robust user experience for our app users.”

The company’s other offering Cupcakes! app is consistently ranking in the top 10 in iTunes’ food and beverage category. The company says while the first issue is focused on soups, it will bring cookies, pies, breakfast, burgers, and more in upcoming editions.