I’ll admit that when I downloaded the app, I wasn’t looking for anything serious. Like many others, I was persuaded by my friends to make an account. To my surprise, I was greeted by a lot of suitable contenders. And I don’t mean men.

I am not referring to the ever-popular dating app known as Tinder, but instead, the newer and, in my opinion, more practical app: Tender. Tender is a free app designed to hook you up with the best recipes and culinary treats the internet has to offer.

It is very similar to Tinder. For one, all you see is a picture of something tempting. For example, dishes like thai lettuce wraps, tandoori chicken or dark chocolate bark. Tender utilizes the trademark swiping: simply swipe right to save a recipe to your file or swipe left to discard it. At any time, you can keep browsing through pics to find the perfect recipe or reference your file to see what you’ve saved.

tender

Photo courtesy of makeameme.org

Instead of filtering your potential dates by distance between people and age, you can filter your recipe selection by ingredient preferences or dietary restrictions.

Unfortunately, there are some flaws in the implementation of this app. It is unusually difficult to swipe to the next image. Also, the filters seem to be confused about what vegan means and offers recipes with egg and cheese.

But with a little retooling, Tender has the potential to be ideal for college students who, like me, are trying to cook but are hard-pressed to find items to make. And who doesn’t love gazing appreciatively at food porn?

tender

Photo courtesy of tender.com

So next time you’re in the mood to cook and also for judging based on appearances, check out Tender. You’re sure to find something to whip up in the kitchen, or you could always turn it into a drinking game.