At last, thanks entirely to app developer, marketing genius and avid cook, Will Turnage, and graphic designer Leah McCombe, the Ratio smart phone application can be downloaded by those who use android devices! Thank you Will and Leah.
Android users, scan this QR or click the link above. Let me know in comments if you have any problems!
For those who don't know what Ratio is or does, watch the demo below. The Ratio app is a cooking tool, a calculator of ingredients for 30 different fundamentals, from cake and muffin batters to bread doughs to vinaigrettes, to sausages and brine. I find it invaluable. If I just need a couple cups of brine, I plug in the amount I want and it calculates the salt for me. Same for if I have 28 ounces of sausage I need to season, or 247 grams of sausage for that matter. Or how to make a teeny cake if I just have one egg. It's not a recipe app and it won't make a grocery list for you (there are plenty of free or inexpensive apps for that). It's a cooking tool that calculates the amounts of ingredients you need based on what you have or how much you want, rather than listing ingredients in a recipe that serves 8 or makes 24 cookies.
What I love best about what Will, Leah and I have made is that it takes the static information of this best-selling book and gives it new life as a dynamic cooking tool. (Here it is for iPhones, fyi.) This is what smart phone applications and the new digital media world are all about.
Will and Leah, again, many thanks for your awesome work.
My Kitchen in the Rockies
That's great. I own a Nexus one and will definitely look into this App.
Thanks so much for sharing!
AddiesDad
Is there a Blackberry version on the horizon?
zach
Perfect. Purchased. Thanks.
Alex
Does this count as my fourth copy of Ratio purchased? Works great on Nexus One.
EdwinTheRedwin
Hooray! Downloaded and installed!
Jesse
Yes! I thought an Android Ratio app was out of the question. I just bought it.
Judy in SATX
Can I hope that a WebOS version is on the horizon please? Thank you!jj
Elle
Can't wait to get my Droid in September so I can get this app. I'm pretty sure it'll be the first one I get! Any plans to make something like this available online? Would be so helpful to so many!
Russ
Ruhlman Enterprises, indeed. 🙂
This is the first, possibly the last, app I've paid for. Thanks Ruhlman!
Liam O'Malley
Just downloaded - so awesome. Thanks!
Natalie Sztern
Blackberry?
Eric the Read
As I'm reading this on my Droid, I can't scan the QR code. How about a clickable link? (Oh, and *squeee* Ratio for Android! *squeee*
ruhlman
i don't have a droid device so i don't know, you need to search for it on your device.
David
You can enter the Android Market and use the search tool. It's pretty amazing.
Philip Ruffo
Yes!!! Just downloaded...my 1st paid app! Let the playing begin. (and the lost productivity at work)
Stuart
I've been waiting for this. Awesome.
Mantonat
Speaking of ratios, I used your creme anglaise ratio to make ice cream last night. The flavor was great and the ice cream set up wonderfully. I did notice just a little chalkiness in the texture and was wondering how I can solve this next time? I love the simplicity of using ratios, but I still need to work on some of the techniques.
ruhlman
never had a chalky issue! perhaps up the sugar?
ruhlman
and no plans for blackberry or pre, sorry!
Badger
Yay! Thanks so much for doing an Android version. First time I've paid for an app, too. Looks awesome and seems to work great on my HTC Eris. My kitchen scale is ready and waiting for me to really test it out!
gabe
Seems like a cool app. The book is quite useful. Why charge for the app though? Seems like it would be more useful as a free resource, a supplement to the book.
Alyssa
My first paid app as well! Can't wait to use it. And thanks for doing a Droid version.
Mike
I liked the book and was looking forward to the Android app so that I could quickly get the right values in the kitchen. Two comments about possible improvements. First, the app must already have built in a calculator that converts among various units (grams, ounces, cups, liters, etc). However I couldn't find a way to get a basic unit conversion calculator to display. This would be a nice general-purpose screen to have. Second, the Hollandaise part of the app could be improved by allowing the unit pulldown to have yolks available as an option. Suppose I want to make a Hollandaise with 2 yolks? Can't do it with this app unless I know how much they weigh, and the weight of a typical large yolk is not in the Details tab either (but it is in the book).
phageghost
+1 on having "yolks" as a unit option. I noticed this too.
Also the ratio/recipe for pound cake seems to be missing baking powder.
But overall a great app. It was one of the first apps I installed when I got my iPhone last week.
Adam Gercak
Great app, working great. This is the only time I have EVER paid for an APP. Totally worth it!
Curious
Is there an update to the iPhone app to scale the UI on the iPad in the works? Love the app, would love it more if it looked better on the iPad
Mike
Another suggestion is to add some suggested brine times in the Brine Details tab. In the book it gives times for port chops, whole loins, and for a whole chicken in the recipe. It would be nice if the app included these times, as well as for other commonly brined items. Without it the app saves time because it does calculations, but you still need to dig out a list somewhere of how long to brine an item. Mr. Ruhlman has written about finesse in cooking, and there can also be finesse in an app.
Julius
I have several of your books and ratio looks great (I'll have to pick it up). Thank you for releasing an app for Android, I've been looking for good apps to help out in the kitchen. I think the price of the app is well worth it, but only if it allows for some further customization. As it is it is more like a resource for the book.
Need before purchase:
-Ability to add/edot ratio's: would be easier if you could edit or add to current ratios and then save as your own (like an above comment that wanted baking powder in the pound cake ratio), but would happily create from scratch. For example, say I have a favorite sausage recipe. Instead of "3 parts meat : 1 part fat" I would like to have "2 parts beef : 1 part pork : 1 part fat". Would be even better if you could add the ratio of spices (there is no need to have a limit on number of ingredients).
-Ability to edit the instructions and details for "My Recipes". The pre-loaded ratios and instructions are great, but if I want to save a recipe for Pizza Dough, I would rather the instructions are specific to that process.
Would be nice:
-Allow sharing on the Android app
-A basic unit converter
-Yolks as a unit option (small, med, large)
In the mean time I will be getting a refund.
Barbara @ VinoLuciStyle
I just got my phone last week and have been frustrated with the learning curve. T-Mobile thinks it not necessary to provide any basic instructions so everything requires 'figure out' time I just don't have.
BUT, I know the bar code scanner and used it on this site and I'm going to stop belly aching that my daughter downloaded ALL of my FaceBook 'likers' into my phone book because this is totally cool!
Mike
It would also be nice to add Tbl and tsp units. The app already has ml, but I don't have any metric spoons. If I just want to make a small amount of a salad dressing, for example, I'd like to be able to calculate how much vinegar I need with 2 Tbl of oil but the app doesn't do that yet.
Mike
One other thing -- you might want to record another video for the Android version because the app doesn't match what you show in the video above. Here are 2 examples: first, the video says you can share recipes by email, but that isn't present in the Android app. Second, in the video it shows the number of servings when you make pancakes (something that seems useful) but the Android app doesn't do this.
Jesse Coleman
Oh joy, rapture! My day has come! Thanks Ruhlman, and the whole app team!
allen
Brine brine, all the time! I brine cornish game hens and use a 1 quart yogurt container, perfect fit and uses very little brine - add star anise, clove, bay leaf, white wine, after displacement check on how much liquid is needed, now you can tell how much salt is the correct amount.
JimD
It seems that IPad support is gone! I would love to get it but it can't be downloaded on an IPad. Boo.
luis
Michael.... you have taken me places I have never dreamed of. You have taught me food principles I would have never imagined.. I am a ratio fan from before you even published. I think if you were to make this application available to run on mac's and pc's...pc being my preference you might do very much better...at that point you could realese it in many languages including French...Italian...Spanish. chinese..Korean ...Japanese...Arabic..and you could really take this to another level.. but mostly I would love to run your app in my pc. That's it.Now it's up to you. Get to work...
Gillian
I've had this app on my iPhone since it came out and I love it! I'm glad I have the book, but the app has become a go-to tool for me. I don't understand the complaints about not having yolks as an option in the unit pulldown menus. If I have one yolk to make something I just weigh that yolk, pop the weight into the ratio, and go from there. It takes seconds to do.. why not be as accurate as possible?
Sue
Thank you Thank you!! I've been waiting for this!
Running for my Droid phone right now. Kinda hate fooling with it but I love Ratio!! It's made me a better cook and a better blogger, too.
Rhonda
Ruhlman;
Congrats on this latest development. It won't help my guys because is they are seen near their phone while on shift, I confiscate it, vacuum seal it and pin it to the "Wall o Shame".
This has been a very successful technique with BOH.
Rhonda
...However, FOH staff, some who are avid cooks may like it. I will ask.
The only rule with them (because they are mostly Vegetarians), is if they are late -- another baby animal "gets it".
The rest are going to have to learn to read the book.
Shai
I'm located outside the USA, I enabled paid applications but I don't have a US sim card. I can't seem to find the application on the market despite this.
Do you guys limit the markets where the application can be sold? Is it compatible with Froyo on the NexusOne?
Anyway if you need my help sorting this out I'm a developer with lots of Android, BlackBerry & J2ME experience.
Randi Lynne
When do you predict a Symbian app?
Georgia Pellegrini
I love how the food and technology worlds are connecting more and more. First blogs, then online recipe sites, now phone apps? Fantastic.
Daniel
It would be really nice if those of us that have purchased the book could get some kind of discount. I know that would require some way to prove that we own the book, but I know there are publishers that have customers register their books to get things.
Kathy
Good morning, Mr. Ruhlman -- I thumbed through the FAQ and read the tarragon pickles post (whose comments have been closed), but I'm not sure where else to find an answer to my question. I hope some of your astute readers (or you) might be able to assist. Here goes.
After looking at a number of refrigerator dill pickle recipes, my boyfriend and I picked up Ratio and realized we could simply brine cukes for a week. The idea simply hadn't registered with us, despite the fact that we can pore over the book for hours at a time. (We've used ratios for meat brine and bread most recently.) We now have six jars of briny cukes on the counter, but they're now cloudy - and that concerns me a bit. Here's what we did on Saturday afternoon:
- washed and sliced lengthwise seven pounds of small cucumbers, some of which sat on a clean, but not immediately washed, counter
- hand-washed (but did not sanitize or boil) seven jars and their lids and rings
- brought 10 cups of tap water to high enough heat that we could dissolve four ounces of Penzeys kosher salt in it, then speed-cooled it in a separate container placed in an ice water bath, stirring nearly constantly
- while the brine cooled, packed jars with varying amounts of dried dill (we have TONS on hand), fresh garlic, fresh jalapenos, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorns, then sliced cukes
- filled jars with brine nearly to the very top and sealed. We had enough for every jar except the last quart, which we topped off with white vinegar just for kicks.
I then got paranoid and insisted that we stick the finished jars in the fridge instead of letting them rest on the counter. I recanted a few hours later and pulled them back out.
Since then, they've been turning steadily from bright, fresh green to the drab, camoflage greens I see in your tarragon dill pickle photo -- that's good. But -- the brine is also getting cloudy. Not knowing whether this indicates some sort of infection or if it's to be expected, I wonder if your readers or you may give me some ideas. I fear that we should have brought the brine AND the dill, garlic, jalapenos, etc. to a boil.
Anyone? Thanks in advance.
ruhlman
Thank you everyone for your comments on ways to make the app better and what to add in notes. i think i can do this in future editions. very grateful to those who took the time to comment.
Kathy, i'm sure your pickles will be fine. the dull green color means your brine is becoming acidic, which is good. the only thing you really need to worry about is funky mold on surface.
As for brine times, that's a great thing to add. 5% is fairly low and a chicken can take 24 hours in it. I usually just brine by intuition. a one inch pork chop, 2 to 3 hours is fine. If you're really concerned, use a 2.5% to 3% brine and I'm guessing you could brine indefinitely.
Kathy
Then I'm relieved and excited. Thanks for the input, Michael -- we'll keep you posted!
Gluten Free
Wow another reason why I'll love my droid eris. About how much does this app run?
Kurt
Works like a charm. Many thanks - now my copy of the book can remain (relatively) unstained!
Haggie
QR code doesn't work and a search of market for "ratio" did not come up with the app???
matt
IPAD? Have the book on kindle - but an Ipad app would be the real deal....
nixy
I scanned the barcode and my phone couldn't find it.... sonyericsson xperia x10 mini pro running android 1.6, this app would put an end to my tiny scraps of paper with sums on!
RT
Is there a update for this app?
Becky
Would love to get this app but the scan and link go to a "not found" error, and searching the play store doesn't fine it either.
I have a lot of people i'd refer this to if it is available
Andrew Stewart
Hey
I bought the Ratio app for my iPhone. Now it’s not available to ref own load? I did pay for it.
Michael Ruhlman
I'm in the same boat. I need to be in touch with @wubbahed.