Perhaps you've prepared a meal from an app that made you say "wow," but when is the last time a cooking app itself elicited that response? Panna is a dazzling vision of what's possible when such an app takes the form of a specialty magazine – complete with glossy production values – rather than a barrage of images and steps.
Every bimonthly digital issue contains a dozen recipes from top celebrity chefs, each presented through a series of well-shot, high-resolution videos. The first issue contains more than three hours of video, which include start-to-finish directions and can be streamed or saved locally. And the app itself is a visual marvel in portrait or landscape, with a sleek and lively UI that's easy to navigate and heavy on photos and video. You can also email recipes to pals or share via social networks, as well as snap photos of your handiwork within the app for posterity or sharing. Occasional bugs and odd break points between sections of video clips are the only detractors in this otherwise well-built app.
Currently $5 per issue or $15 a year (it'll go up to $6/issue and $25/year in 2013), it's a premium endeavor, but the price pans out on the content end as well, with delicious-looking recipes from Top Chef Masters favorites like Rick Bayless, Anita Lo, and Jonathan Waxman. Each chef provides detailed and personable instruction from his/her home kitchen throughout the entire preparation, cooking, and serving process. The first issue features a heavy slant towards Thanksgiving, with an entire meal's worth of recipes from Waxman -- like Roast Heritage Turkey and Giblet Gravy, as well as Mushroom-Baguette Stuffing and Winter Squash Pie -- flanked by other standalone options that include salads, appetizers, and dessert. And each issue includes one free recipe for folks to sample before shelling out for the whole collection.
The bottom line. Panna entertains and impresses with its presentation while delivering in the kitchen, making it a tasty pick for culinary crusaders who want more than just recipes.
iPad running iOS 5.1 or later
Gorgeous, video-heavy approach to cooking instruction. Stellar UI design in both landscape and portrait. Great-looking recipes from notable chefs. Free recipe in each issue for dabblers.
Occasional layout bugs during use. Some misplaced break points between steps in videos.
