Top Kitchen Gadget ... the Cell Phone?

Forget about trying to buy newlyweds the ultimate kitchen appliance: They almost certainly already have two. For both everyday cooks and professional chefs, the cell phone has become the go-to gadget, the New York Times reports. What other tool could combine the functions of timer, measurement converter, recipe generator, shopping-list creator, expert-advice conduit, food-history resource, and camera?

College students credit their phones for teaching them to cook, in part because it puts Mom’s advice at their fingertips. But even notoriously tech-wary experts are warming to smart phones. One chef uses his as a reference tool: “And then do I use it to play the Macarena in the kitchen and drive everyone crazy? Yes, I do.” (More cell phones stories.)