The holiday season is full of festivities from children’s plays to office parties to checking off shopping lists.

That means many consumers are multitasking. Never fear, there are an array of apps for both the iPad and smartphones to help you accomplish your seasonal tasks on the go.

Epicurious: Free

A staple of the holidays is food – and lots of it. Whether cooking up a feast for a dozen or assigned to bring a side to the family event, the Epicurious app has you covered. The app offers more than 30,000 recipes from publications like Bon Appetit and well-known chefs and cookbooks. Browsing is simple with specific categories – from party snacks to decadent desserts – and users can search by not only typing in keywords, but also using icons such as what’s in season and what holidays are approaching. The app automatically updates so you can be sure to snag the latest recipes and features a handy shopping list you can save for when you hit the supermarket. A newer feature lets amateur chefs share favorite dishes with friends via Facebook, Twitter and email. And when it comes to actually putting together your culinary masterpiece, Epicurious helps there too – offering cooking-friendly views that make it easy to follow a recipe step-by-step. For $1.99, you can also save favorite recipes and sync your Favorites list in the app with your online Recipe Box at Epicurious.com. A great feature for if you create a hit that the clan wants again next year. [Read more...]