Popular slow cooker brand Crock-Pot has introduced its own voice-activated mobile application to make creating a meal even more convenient by enabling users to easily access 250 recipes.

The Crock-Pot is already about convenience, with users able to mix together a few ingredients, turn on their slow cooker and hours later be able to enjoy a home-cooked meal. The new Crock-Pot Recipes app for iOS devices is designed to enhance use by providing quick access to recipes for main dishes, soups, stews and more.

?Slow cooking is one of today?s most pervasive and popular cooking methods,? said Jerry Croft, president of cooking and digital media at Publications International Ltd., Lincolnwood, IL.

?It speaks to many solutions, including a tasty home-cooked meal that?s ready when Mom gets home from work or the kids come home from practice,? he said.

?The Crock-Pot Slow Cooker is the original slow cooker and the No. 1 brand in the U.S. As the market leader, it?s important that the Crock-Pot brand develop its own recipe app to serve up delicious recipes slow-cooked to perfection.?

Voice commands
The app was developed by Publications International Ltd., which also created the iCookbook app. The recipes were created and tested by Crock-Pot kitchen experts.

The Crock-Pot brand is 40 years old and continues to enjoy popularity with families for its convenience. More than 64 million households own a Crock-Pot, according to the company.

The new Crock-Pot app has several features, including My Recipe Box, which enables users to manually add their own slow-cooker recipes so they can keep track of all of their favorites in one place; a Tips and Techniques section with how-to videos on how to maximize their use of their Crock-Pot, and the ability to share recipes with family and friends via Facebook or email.

Additionally, the app features iCookbook?s hands-free Voice Command technology, enabling users to advance preparation instructions without having to touch their device?s screen.

On-pack promotions
The Prepare function shows the recipe prep steps in a large flashcard-style display, allowing users to prepare the recipe without placing their device in the cooking area.

All of the recipes can be searched for in a number of different ways and every recipe includes an accompanying photo.

Free downloads of new recipes are available each month through the in-app store so that users can create a recipe collection to fit any occasion.

Crock-Pot Recipes is the third app to be built on the iCookbook platform. Other apps include Johnsonville Kitchens, Butterball Cookbook Plus and iCookbook: Diabetic.

The Crock-Pot brand and Publications International have a number of promotions planned to increase consumer awareness of the app. In addition to traditional advertising, promotions will include social media and in-pack, on-pack and near-pack messages.

The Crock-Pot Recipes app can be found in the Food & Drink section of the Apple App Store for $3.99.

?Nobody knows slow cooking better than the Crock-Pot brand, the leader in slow cooking for 40 years,? Mr. Croft said. ?We?ve learned that the slow cooker consumer really wants a great variety of slow cooker recipes, and we?ve delivered with 250 rigorously tested and proven slow cooker recipes from the brand they trust, Crock-Pot.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York