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Lots of people have aging gadgets hidden away in a dusty drawer. One practical use I have found for an old tablet is as a dedicated kitchen center. This simple thing really improved my dining experience.
There are tons of cool things you can do with old tablets, computers, and phones. Focusing on a single-use lens is a great way to get functionality from an outdated device that’s likely underpowered.
Why a kitchen shelf?
The internet is an incredible resource for recipes, which makes your phone the best cookbook in the world. However, a phone is not as convenient as a physical cookbook. You’re constantly scrolling through ingredients and directions, and the screen turns off while you’re busy chopping onions.
There are, of course, many ways to enhance this experience, but the one I have found the most revolutionary is to use an old tablet as a cookbook that is basically connected to the internet. The screen is a good size for reading recipes, and a stand under the cabinet makes it even better.
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Start with a clean plate
The great thing about it is that it’s very open. You can use just about any type of tablet you have: an old iPad, a cheap Kindle Fire tablet – even an old Microsoft Surface RT.
I’m using an Asus Transformer Book T100TA, released almost ten years ago during the Windows 8 2-in-1 rebirth. The tablet costs around $ 400 new, which means it’s very low powered for today’s standards. He’s a perfect candidate for a project like this.
Once you have an old tablet in hand, I recommend that you do a factory reset or remove all non-essential apps and files. The idea is to make it a simplified single-use device. I deleted pretty much everything except Microsoft Edge.
RELATED: 10 practical uses for your old iPad or Android tablet
Sprinkle in recipe apps and websites
The next thing to do is customize the appliance for cooking. Maybe you just need a web browser to search for recipes, or you might have a favorite meal planning app.
If you’re using an older iPad or Android tablet, it’s pretty straightforward. Go to app stores and download the apps you use. Once you have the apps, it’s nice to clear the home screen of everything else so that cooking apps are easy to find.
I use a Windows tablet, so the idea of “apps” and a “home screen” is a bit different. I put Windows 10 in tablet mode to have a more user-friendly interface. Then I pinned web bookmarks for the recipe organizer and meal kit service that we use.
RELATED: How to turn tablet mode on and off in Windows 10
The key here is to take everything off and put the cookware in the front and center. Really think of the tablet as a glorified cookbook.
Additional credit
A dedicated device for recipes is already a great thing to have in the kitchen, but there are things you can do to make the experience even better.
For me, what took it from a cool concept to a genuinely useful tool was an under cabinet mount. Taking the shelf off the counter and placing it in an easier-to-read position makes all the difference.
There are tons of tablet stands available online. This is the one I bought and it can also be used as a stand on the counter. It has a lot of adjustment possibilities and can fold up when not in use.
Another trick is to turn off the lock screen or login screen. Ideally, there won’t be anything private about the tablet to worry about, so you might as well make it easy to access. It’s especially nice if several people are cooking in your house.
Similarly, you should prevent the screen from turning off or set the screen timeout to a longer time. There is nothing more annoying than having to turn the screen back on when your hands are messy in the middle of cooking. You can do this on Windows, iPad and Android tablets.
Start cooking
You are ready to cook! I really love having this tablet in my kitchen. It’s so much easier to have a dedicated device for all my recipes. I don’t have to go through a full list of apps on my phone, and just mounting it keeps the meter clear.
If you have an old tablet lying around, I highly recommend you give it a try!
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