BBC Tells You To Scan For Ingredients

Have you ever watched a cooking program on TV and wished that there was a way to ‘click’ on the screen so that they can freeze the recipe that they usually show at the end of the program or when they are showing you the final product? It is as if you had to have a phone camera with you in order to take a snapshot of the recipe or have bionic memory.

Oh, wait. Hang on. That’s what BBC just did. No, not the bionic memory bit but by placing a QR Code at the end of the cooking process! Brilliant idea for those who love to get hot and bothered in the kitchen.  

BBC used the QR Codes at the end of ‘The Good Cook’ which is hosted by food writer, Simon Hopkinson. The writers and producers of the show must have realized how difficult it is to actually remember all of the ingredients and how to replicate the dishes for ordinary people or novice cooks. Experts may base their cooking on the ‘take a guess’ or ‘thereabout’ memory when watching the show but the same cannot be said for others.

‘I love cooking and love to watch cooking programs but I have the worse time trying to remember everything. Before you can take everything down, the chef is already cooking something else! It doesn’t help either that they say that we can get the full recipe from their website because most times, you will have to sift through tons of other recipes to find THE recipe that you want. And you are never sure if that is the one that you just saw, so, it’s a guessing game,’ shares Eva, a novice wok lover.

So, good on BBC for trying this for the first time. I am not too sure if other channels and programs launched such programs but we are sure placing QR Code at the end of cooking programs is not only useful but interactive and refreshing. Just imagine being able to scan the QR Code, log into the website INSTANTLY and then comment your reaction to it on the mobile phone.

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of QR Codes, it is a 2D barcode system similar to the barcoding system that we are currently using on product packaging. However, QR Codes are far more versatile, free to create and does not require the purchase of an expensive scanner. What you need is a smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry and other Android phones) and a QR Code reader.

I have not seen the program for myself but I hope they give the fans of the show appropriate time to run for their phones, launch the QR Code reader and scan it. If you saw and scanned the code, please share it with us over here about the experience and how useful was it.