Mastercook

[Sandy]

After reading references to Mastercook, I bought a version at Costco called MasterCook Express by Sierra Home. Is this a good version? In looking over it, it doesn't quite seem as great as all of you talk about. Have I bought a different version to the one you are always referring to? I only paid $7.89 for it, so wonder if it is good or not.

[NydiaC]

I just got The Best of MasterCook and I love it. (I bought my mom MasterCook Suite first to try out.) It cost a bunch more than the one you bought ($60 - but they have a $20 rebate until October). I imagine that your version doesn't have as many features that some of the higher cost ones. I think what a lot of people have been referring to is the MasterCook - Cooking Light ($20) as well as the "suite", "deluxe", and "best of". Here is a link to the Sierra Home website where you can compare the differences. http://www.sierra.com/sierrahome/software/catalog/cooking/

They also have a bulletin board where you might get more answers to some of your questions.

[Sandy]

Thanks for the reply. I will check out the versions of MasterCook that you mention, particularly the Cooking Light version. The version I have is not even listed on the site you referred to in your reply. It has quite a few recipes in it, but just doesn't seem as comprehensive as the ones that other on this site have referred to. I'll check around and see if I can find it. thanks again

[Beth]

Sandy, Best Buy usually carries The Best of Master Cook. From what I have seen, that appears to be the version that has the most recipes (I think it is 37 "cookbooks", including 3CL covering '92-98, several Betty Crocker, MasterCook, and others). I think they all follow the same format, but I have heard that the Best of may offer a few newer features. I saw it there, but ordered it from buy.com at a better price I think it was about $47 last I looked), and it was delivered in just a couple/few days.

I saw the Express version referenced somewhere, but I have never actually seen it, so I'm not sure how to compare them. Sounds like a great way to try the concept or use the format for inputing your own recipes or creating your own cookbook at a great price. One gripe I have with Sierra is that they do not make it easy to figure out which version of a product you have. You can't pick up the box or disk and know that you have 5.0 or 5.01, 5.05, etc. You have to go into the program to figure it out, not handy if you're trying to decide whether to buy something off the shelf.

That said, hope you find a version that fits your uses and have fund with it. I'm still learning myself.

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 06-27-2000).]

[Nanci]

I was curious if you ever found out what MasterCook Express was? This was the first time I ever heard of it.

[SandyDee]

I recently bought the MasterCook Deluxe 5.0 I really like it, I paid $30 for it. But I didn't know that there was a Cooking Light version until after I installed this one. Wish I would have known, I would have much preferred it. But this one does have some wonderful recipes and it does Nutritional Analysis, and adjusts recipes to make the number of servings you needs, helps with menu planning and shopping lists and even can keep record of what you have on your shelves. You can even create new cookbooks within the system. So I have created my own Cooking Light cookbook with recipes I have imported from this website.

[Mamasue]

Sandy,

I have Cooking Light 5.0 and also installed patches from their website to update to 5.3. In my opinion, if it were me, I would bring the Express back and invest a few more dollars for a 5.0 version that I know that you will be happy with. I just have a feeling that the one you bought may be outdated. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Good Luck

[NydiaC]

Is there a way to get Cooking Light '99 and 2000 downloaded into the deluxe versions of MasterCook? I thought I remember, from the other bulletin board, someone saying you could.

[Deanna]

Mamasue...I hope you meant to say 5.03! I believe I have downloaded the latest update and it is 5.03...unless I'm screwey!

Nydia...the only way to get the 99 and 2000 recipes is to buy the Cook Pacs available from the CL website. You buy them by the month...

P.S. Karen, yes, 5.05. I'm not at home to check but your are surely right!

[This message has been edited by Deanna (edited 06-28-2000).]

[Karen from VA]

Deanna, the latest MC patch download is 5.05.

[SandyDee]

Seeing that so many of you have MasterCook 5.0 maybe someone can help me with a problem I am having. I only recently bought my software and I am having a difficult time with import assistant. The only way that I have been able to acquire recipes say like from this site is to click and drag and then e-mail them to myself and then put them into the import assistant. Even then I have problems getting them into the cookbook that I want them in. In fact, I often have trouble finding them again once I try to go back and retrieve them. So I usually print off my e-mail and then enter it manually into the right cookbook. I know there HAS to be an easier way. HELP!!

[Nanci]

Deana,

Can I import/upload CookPacs into MasterCook? I thought they were pretty expesive, but . . . after several months of data entry in my free time, I think it may be worth the investment to have all the recipes from CL available.

Nanci

[Pat]

SandyDee, Go to the Sierra Web site and you can get directions for copying from the web and using import assistant to copy into your MasterCook. I have a Try Later cookbook in MasterCook where I put all new recipes from this site and others. If you can't find the instructions at the Sierra site, just let me know and I will e-mail you directions. It is really easy.

[Nanci]

Deana,

Can I import/upload CookPacs into MasterCook? I thought they were pretty expesive, but . . . after several months of data entry in my free time, I think it may be worth the investment to have all the recipes from CL available.

Nanci

[Deanna]

Nanci: I am no way an expert on using the Cook Pacs. I feel they are too expensive and therefore don't buy them myself.

Hopefully you will get an answer from someone else who uses them...good luck!

[Grace]

Originally posted by Nanci:
Deana,

Can I import/upload CookPacs into MasterCook? I thought they were pretty expesive, but . . . after several months of data entry in my free time, I think it may be worth the investment to have all the recipes from CL available.

Nanci


I don't have MasterCook, but I use the Cooking Light Cookware Software, and buy and download the cookpacs every month. I previously bought the diskettes for each month's issue before downloading was available. The diskettes used to cost $13.00 each (!!!), and now the downloads cost $6.98. I am thrilled, and obviously if I didn't think it was worth it, I wouldn't spend the money. I use my software all the time, and my time is indeed valuable, as almost everyone's is, and I think if it takes you typically an hour to type in the recipes for any given month, I say, ask yourself is your time worth more than $7.00 an hour? Anyway, the downloads work for MasterCook too, and if it's opinions your after, mine is that it is definitely worth the $7.00!!

Grace

[Mamasue]

Deanna....you are right...I should have typed 5.05. Thanks for the catch! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

SandyDee....Go here to this url and you will find the easiest way to import. This gal is one of the moderators on their site.
http://members.home.net/pam.e/UsingIA.htm



[This message has been edited by Mamasue (edited 06-28-2000).]

[SandyDee]

Pat thanks so much for the offer for help with the import assistant. I am following the instructions on the website and still not getting it. If you could e-mail me with the simplest instructions (how computer literate do I sound now??!!) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I would greatly appreciate it. Anything that can make my life less complicated works for me. Thanks again.

[Beth]

SandyDee and Pat...you're both ahead of me. When the BB change notice came, I had just started trying to use my Best of Master Cook, and when I tried to export a couple of recipes to this BB, I had no luck. So, instead of importing recipes from this BB, I have copied them onto diskettes in Word and resigned myself to playing with that when I'm not worried about them going poof! It's becoming a bigger project all the time.

SandyDee, you can also look for Cooking Light seperatley, and it's not that expensive. But if you plan to get it, and you want to get a better version of Master COok, it's definitley a better buy to do it all together. If you're no going to upgrade the Master Cook, look and see if you can still find Cheerios O codes. For 3 plus $1.99, you can get Cooking Light. I might even have one left over if you find two others.

[Deanna]

I'm finding Mastercook very easy to use, particularly the edit/copy recipe which I use all the time to post recipes on this bulletin board.

And, Mamasue, thanks a bunch for posting the website with streamlined instructions for using the Import Assistant. Although I've been using Import Assistant since the beginning, I hadn't (until last night) used the Auto-Fill feature. Piece of cake!

I still have about 150 recipes (from my personal files) to enter into Mastercook, and the Auto-Fill feature will make it go much quicker.

Thanks again!

[Mamasue]

Your welcome dear Deanna! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I was importing the hard way when I first installed Mastercook until I found out about Pam's (moderator for Mastercook) Importing Tips.

Here is Pat's web page...she is the other moderator. You will find other great info there too. I also believe she might have cookbook covers to download too. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
http://home.earthlink.net/~kitpath/

[Karen from VA]

I've used MC for years and have imported hundreds of recipes into my "Recipes to Try" Cookbook. I find the @@@@@ method to be the easiest and fastest for importing a single recipe at a time. Here it is:

1. In Mastercook, open anywhere in the recipe book you wish to import to.
2. On the Internet, highlight the recipe you want to import into MC.
3. Right click, then left click on Copy.
4. In MC, left click on Tools, and then Import Assistant (in very top toolbar on your screen).
5. In the upper left-hand corner of the Import Asst. box, type @@@@@ and hit your Return key.
6. Hit Control V on your keyboard (this is a shortcut to paste into the Import Asst. box the recipe that you copied from the Internet ).
7. Now clean up your recipe. Make sure there is a completely blank line in between the recipe title and the first ingredient and also between the last ingredient and the beginning of the directions. If you have multiple paragraphs in your directions, place your cursor in the blank line between each paragraph and hit your space bar a few times so MC knows it all goes together. Also, if there is any text between your recipe title and the first ingredient that you want to include in your recipe, cut and paste it to the end of your recipe.
8. Now, right click anywhere in the Import Asst box and choose Select All. Notice that the Auto-fill button lights up.
9. Left click on Auto-fill and watch your recipe appear in your cookbook.

I hope this helps anyone who may be just learning. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Beth]

Thanks everyone. I just filled another diskette with recipes and other ideas I wanted to save (I've been clipping websites for later reference too). I'd like to start getting them into Master Cook before it gets totally out of hand, so I'll check out auto fill and the @@@@@ method. WIll be back to post salsa recipes later

[SandyDee]

Pat, You are a genious!!!! I tried your instructions and "voila!!" it worked, perfectly!!!! I was missing a step but it was an important step. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much time I spent trying to figure this out. Also Beth, thanks for the info I will look around and see what I can find. Mamasue the url you led me to gave the same instructions that were e-mailed to me and they do work perfectly. I I was using the import assistant wrong and never was able to get the auto fill to work. But it worked perfectly the way it was explained here. Thanks to everyone for the help. I can't believe the time I spent on this. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by SandyDee (edited 06-30-2000).]