Nintendo DS Review – Personal Trainer Cooking

Learn to Cook, From Basic Ingredients to Gourmet and International

May 20, 2009

Better described as a piece of software than a true Nintendo DS game, Personal Trainer : Cooking is nonetheless a great cartridge that can teach one the basics.

Hugely popular overseas and gaining in popularity in the North American market, Nintendo's Personal Trainer : Cooking is a great piece of DS / DSi software that is not only entertaining, but is also extremely functional and enlightening.

Wonderful International Cuisine, Great Recipe Ideas, and Step by Step Execution

The beauty of Personal Trainer : Cooking is that it is so easy to use and versatile. Over 245 recipes are in place to satisfy your appetite, the development team having localized the menu with regards to it's original Japanese release to suit a more Western palette.

Some of the best dishes in the digital cookbook are also international in flavour, though they will certainly appetize even the most conservative of diners. Favourites include Souvlaki, Bangers and Mash, Beef Stroganoff, Chinese Pepper Steak, Lemon Chicken, Shepherds Pie, and Mushroom Pie. A full range of vegetarian options are also available, and the world map allows you to select recipes by their country of origin.

Personal Trainer : Cooking will guide you through each step of the cooking process – giving you a grocery list that you can check off and use to collect your ingredients at the supermarket to kick things off. From there, the software will direct you in the proper preparation, cooking methods, and estimated time to completion – even incorporating a voice recognition feature that allows you to speak "Next" to move to the next step if your hands are full!

The Little Details, Simple Graphics, Attractive Price Point

One of the best things about Personal Trainer : Cooking is the attention to detail that is sorely lacking in many other digital cookbooks. Not only are the menus bright and accompanied by delicious and instructive photographs throughout – but for individual elements of the recipe there may also be further recipes provided to create those items from scratch! The best example of this is a staple of the culinary arts, stock – whether it be beef, chicken, or other – and one will be delighted to see that when items that may be made from scratch are in a general ingredient list, the recipe for creating that element is also provided in great detail!

The graphical style of this software is perfectly balanced, looking very modern and minimalist and incorporating the necessary details and history with a succinct verbal style that imparts a great deal of knowledge to those looking to expand their hobby or for those simply hoping to learn how to cook a basic meal. The icons and photographs are beautiful and accurately represent the dishes and ingredients necessary to compose those tantalizing entrees!

At 19.99 MSRP and shooting 25% lower for used product at outlets such as GameStop, EBGames, or Microplay, Personal Trainer : Cooking is easily worth the money and is a solid investment in one's own skill set – if not the perfect gift for that special someone who you'd like to turn into a gourmet chef.

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