Budding chefs all over the world already know how magical the iPad can be in the kitchen, but they'd be hard-pressed to find a resource that brings it all together better than Appetites, a new instructional app that does everything but turn your iPad into a cutting board (which we're pretty sure they don't recommend).

Appetites’ unique interface puts the “moving” in moving pictures.

Appetites provides a choice of 27 "classes" from six bloggers, ranging from quick bites to elaborate ethnic entrees. Each recipe consists of an ingredients list and a requisite set of written instructions, but the real meat of Appetites is found in the accompanying videos that demonstrate each technique. Otherwise-still pictures begin to play smoothly and unobtrusively upon selecting their respective task, making each recipe straightforward and virtually foolproof.

Would you rather buy a recipe or a McDouble? (On second thought, don't answer that.)

However, all that culinary expertise comes at a price. The app itself costs $4.99, but that only buys you seven classes; the remaining 20 cost $0.99 apiece. And while the app's elegance certainly warrants the price of admission, many of the 99-cent recipes seem either too simplistic (strawberry basil lemonade) or eclectic (coconut Israeli couscous) to justify the additional purchase. The developer promises a new round of both free and 99-cent recipes in April, so Appetites presumably could keep expanding its free options.

The bottom line. Appetites looks like a gourmet meal, but until its cupboard is expanded, most users are going to be left unsatisfied.