Bon Appétit goes digital with new app for tablet e-readers

Bon Appétit is the latest gourmet foodie magazine to release an iPad version of its publication.

Bon Appétit is the latest gourmet foodie magazine to release an iPad version of its publication.

Beginning with the March issue, the tablet app will be available for the iPad and Nook and include additional photos, videos, recipes and tips from the Bon Appétit kitchen.

Another feature special to the tablet version is the Kitchen Mode version, which acts as a cooking-friendly tool. Recipes are laid out in large, easy-to-read type and are broken down step by step for the home chef.

Bon Appétit joins other gourmand magazines like Food & Wine and Saveur which also have digital, tablet versions of their publications.

The move towards iPad, e-reader and iPhone apps in the industry has some pundits predicting that the future of cookbooks and magazines belongs to the digital format.

Chef Grant Achatz, for example, bypassed print altogether when he chose to publish the Paris 1906 menu of his Chicago restaurant Next, choosing to release the recipes as an iPad app only.

Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a 752-page tome, was also released as an e-book last year.

The Bon Appétit app is free and the March issue is $4.99.