Recipe Management Software

[IndyKF]

It seems like a lot of you use recipe management software to keep yourselves organized. I started a database a while back with my Access software, but not knowing much about customizing the DB, I gave up.

What is your favorite software/features? Do any of you use a website to keep all of your recipes (like recipzaar.com)?

I found this one software called Computer Cuisine (http://www.inakasoftware.com/). It's only 19.95 and looks pretty cool. Not sure if it has all of the features I would really like to see though.

I'd appreciate any input/suggestions :)

[wintersummer]

I've used this for about 8 years and just love it.

[marshcl]

i broke down and got mastercook, even though it seems a little clunky to me... i have yet to master the import assistant, but in general if you are importing a mastercook text (i paste them into notepad), they import flawlessly.

it's ok... i don't LOVE it. but perhaps i will with time. i am also interested in hearing how people manage their recipes.

Cat

[wintersummer]

Marshcl - keep working with it! Mastercook is like any software, more time and experience makes all the difference. I never even tried the import assistant until about a year ago, and now I think it's great!

One cool thing I did with Mastercook. For a period of about a year, I took photos and everything I made and put incredible amounts of time into quasi-food styling to make my food photos look good. You can import photos into Mastercook. It was a clash of new digital camera + lots of cooking + desire to make nice wedding presents.

I had a number of young women getting married one year. I made each of them a cookbook, complete with the recipes and the photos. My cookbooks turned out so nice!

I've stopped doing photos of food, because my husband was getting bit tired of waiting 10-15 minutes while I completed the photo sessions!

[marshcl]

Thanks for the advice... and that's funny about the pictures.

[sandee]

I recently moved out and I caved and bought mastercook. There's some things I'd change, but overall a good tool.

I'm currently in the "taking photos of my food" stage!

I thing I find incredibly handy is that you can make menus for big events or the week or what have you...you can create shopping lists from the menus and download them to your pda. i find it so easy to go grocery shopping now. But I think I look weird since I'm constantly checking my pda at the grocery store and ppl give me odd looks :rolleyes:

[Capucine]

Couldn't get the link to work.

I have purchased Master Cook. However, I can't say I'm crazy about it. I suppose if you got it set up it would be nice. However, it seemed like an awful lot of set up time was required. I do know that's the one everyone talks about though.

[imloulou]

I use Living Cookbook and really like it...the customer support forum is EXCELLENT!!!

Living Cookbook (http://www.livingcookbook.com/)

I have used MasterCook but switched when I did not think they were going to update anymore (they did eventually though). I'm very happy with Living Cookbook so I stayed with it.

You can download a free trial too!

[mmbedard]

I use Mastercook and I love it. I use it to make menus, for everything to parties to tonight's dinner. It is great because I can make a shopping list for 1 recipe, 1 menu or a whole week's mealplan. I am very diligent about backing it up because I have a lot of recipe's stored.

Starting with Version 8, there is a Web Import Tool bar that let's me import recipe directly from the internet (this board is the source of a lot of my recipes!) - I find it extremely handy.

I also tried Living Cookbook, but I was not crazy about it. I found it cumbersome.

I have had Mastercook for about 10 years and do not want to change.

[IndyKF]

Couldn't get the link to work.

I have purchased Master Cook. However, I can't say I'm crazy about it. I suppose if you got it set up it would be nice. However, it seemed like an awful lot of set up time was required. I do know that's the one everyone talks about though.

Thanks for all the responses!

Sorry...I think when I put the parenthesis it messed up the link: http://www.inakasoftware.com/

I also found this one that sparked my interest: http://www.bigoven.com/

It seems to have a lot of the features of Mastercook. I downloaded a free trial (you can use for 30 days). It has a nice interface too.

Mastercook's website doesn't do a great job of explaining the features and you can barely read the screen shots. And you can't download a trial version. Here is a feature I "need" but can't find: I like to reference the source of the recipe. BigOven has a "source" field, but it's not a drop-down menu...so in other words, you'd have to re-type the source every time. Seems a bit cumbersome. Can any of you tell me if Mastercook has a feature like this?

Also, when you print recipes, do they allow you to set up your own preferences (like fonts, colors, etc).

[wintersummer]

I use Mastercook and there's a field for source. You can change the print design in wonders of ways.

I hate that there's not a way for you to preview this software. Here's the address of the Mastercook boards on Yahoo. I'd post your question there also and see if someone knows of way to preview. Also, you can get almost any question answered re: Mastercook on those boards. They have some folks who just know everything!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MastercookDiscussion/messages

[PamN]

Yes, MasterCook has a separate field for the source. I use this for, say, the name of a magazine and the month/year. There's also a separate field where you can fill in the website address (You can specify what type of source you want this field to be for).

If you use the web bar mmbedard metnioned, the web bar will automatically fill in the internet address for you. As for the magazine name, etc. you can highlight that and place a checkmark in the bar, and that will be filled in for you too. There's also an Import Assistant, which I use a lot, and if you use that, you can have it remember the entire source field for you -- author, source, copyright, and Alternate Source (you can use that for the internet address or, for an email recipe exchange, the name of the poster and date posted).

Or -- you can import your recipes into a temp cookbook, keeping the imports to just one source. Then you can use Find and Replace to search that field for [nothing] and fill in whatever you want.

That's what I love about MC. There are many many ways to do things, and there's sure to be one that fits the way you like to work.

As for printing, yes! You can change just about anything in the print design to use your own choice of font, color, order of printing -- and it comes with over 20 pre-made print designs. You can use the furnished designs as a take-off point to make your own changes.

For more than you wanted to know -- there's a pdf copy of the printed manual for v. 6 on the ValuSoft website. The current version is 9 and there have been several major additions to the program, but that manual will give you an idea of what kinds of things it can do. Many of the program functions still work as it describes. See it here:

http://www.valusoftsupport.com/library/patch/MasterCook%20&%20Betty%20Manual.PDF

[IndyKF]

You guys have given me some great input! Thanks so much! I'm going to give MasterCook a try...it looks like great software :)