On Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:19:55 -0600, Janet Wilder
> wrote:

>On 2/26/2012 7:25 AM, James Silverton wrote:
>> On 2/26/2012 8:19 AM, James Silverton wrote:
>>> On 2/26/2012 1:08 AM, isw wrote:
>>>> In >,
>>>> Ed > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:21:01 -0500, Mark > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Does anyone know of any cookbook software where you can add your own
>>>>>> recipes to make your own (digital) cookbook?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I would like to be able to copy and paste recipes I get off the
>>>>>> Internet instead of having to type every word. Maybe even include a
>>>>>> pic of the food which often accompanies online recipes. I don't even
>>>>>> know if such a thing exists.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>> Mark
>>>>>
>>>>> I use Word. I have separate files for sausage, cakes, etc to make
>>>>> finding them easier I also have Access so I can put them in the
>>>>> database for simple searching.
>>>>
>>>> There are a lot of issues with using any sort of text editor for
>>>> recipes:
>>>>
>>>> It makes it very difficult to treat the ingredients differently from the
>>>> preparation method, etc. -- you want to be able to search on "egg"
>>>> without finding every instance of "beat the egg whites ..." for example.
>>>>
>>>> Separating recipes in any way into separate files is awkward, too; where
>>>> do you put "sausage gravy" -- in "sausages" or in "gravies"? The huge
>>>> advantage of having a single database is that any given item can be in
>>>> as many different categories as it needs to, and it can be moved
>>>> instantly between them.
>>>>
>>>> Also, it's nice to be able to link recipes that are related -- say, a
>>>> frosting you use with several cakes, so you don't need to have the
>>>> frosting repeated over and over -- and what do you do when you need to
>>>> change something about the frosting; find every instance of it and
>>>> change them all? Good luck.
>>>>
>>>> Or how about scaling recipes for different numbers of servings? Word
>>>> can't even begin to do that.
>>>>
>>>> Or attaching ratings -- how can you search for all your "three star"
>>>> recipes, using Word?
>>>>
>>>>> There are a few versions of recipe software available, but I've not
>>>>> tried them.
>>>>
>>>> I started collecting recipes years before I got a computer or internet
>>>> access. My first "recipe software" was dBase II, with scripts I had to
>>>> write myself; it had serious limitations. I migrated to Word when that
>>>> became available to me. It was somewhat better, but still very limited.
>>>>
>>>> Later I got Master Cook, which was far easier to work with, but sadly
>>>> they stopped supporting the Mac, and with OS X, it just didn't work any
>>>> more.
>>>>
>>>> For several years, I've been using MacGourmet, and while not "perfect",
>>>> it is by far the best recipe software I've used.
>>>>
>>>> At present, my collection is just about 8,000 recipes, and MacGourmet
>>>> can handle it without any problem at all. Yeah, I know that a lot of the
>>>> recipes are near-duplicates, but one of the big advantages of a *good*
>>>> system is that they are there if you ever need them, but otherwise they
>>>> don't get in the way at all.
>>>>
>>>> Isaac
>>>
>>> Yes, I use MS Word and I can do a quick search for specific ingredients
>>> with Google Desktop. However, I can see the value of programs that will
>>> adjust the amounts of ingredients for the number of servings.
>>>
>>> I usually print out the recipe before cooking.
>>>
>> I noticed a little later that someone likes to cut and paste from the
>> 'net. May I put in a plug for the free program PlainText that allows
>> copying a web page and pasting only the textual material. This save a
>> lot of editing and you can define a key combination to run the program
>> and paste at the same time. For example, I use CTRL-0.
>>
> The Recipe Fox add on for Firefox does an awesome job of this for
>Master Cook and I think "Living Cookbook" or something like that.
>
>I have a file in my Word Processor set up so that I can save a recipe
>from this group to it. I then copy the part of the file I want to the
>"Import Assistant" tool in Master Cook and it's imported into my
>cookbook of choice. At the same time, I can add notes and other
>information as well as categorize the recipe and the cuisine.
>
>I started using D-Base for recipes in 1995, but it was really hard. I
>got my first copy of Master Cook in early 1996 and have never looked
>back. I even scanned an entire cookbook into my computer and now have
>it in my Master Cook collection.
>
>It is not a perfect program, but it does what I need it to do quite
>well. I love the searching capabilities. I love the fact that I can
>make as many of my own cookbooks as I want and collect digital cookbooks
>as well.


Thanks for the reminder. I just installed it again and it works just
fine.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)