Help with storing recipes on computer/online

[KarenH]

I was wondering if anyone can recommend any software or app for storing recipes on a computer?  I want to be able to type in and store existing recipes that I have collected, as well as import new ones from heaps of different websites/blogs.

I am not very techno-savvy (using this forum is an achievement!) and I am not sure where to start looking.

We use Apple Mac computers at home, so whatever software we get will have to be Mac compatible.

Up until now I have just been typing in recipes by hand using Word, but now that I have a TMX there are just so many new ones to try that I will never keep up with doing it that way!!

Thanks!
Karen

[Meagan]

Karen there are a few threads on this topic. I am currently using an app on my iPad called ever note which is free and I am pretty sure you can get it on your computer and it will sync with iPhone etc. You can cut and paste and add photos. Also you can add tags which help you search within your documents. Ie soup bread cake etc. Very simple and effective for me at the moment.

[Thermomixer]

I don't use any software, but many seem to use http://www.livingcookbook.com/

[KarenH]

Thanks for those suggestions - after doing some more research I am thinking of purchasing the software MacGourmet which is specifically designed for apple mac computers - will let you know how it works when I have had a go with it

[Ayla]

Thankyou for this thread

[bluesed]

I use a notebook and a pen I find it so much easier to use in the kitchen then having my laptop in the kitchen. Also i think its easier to add notes and modifications etc. And i dont have the risk of losing all my recipes when the computer crashes!

[andiesenji]

I use a notebook and a pen I find it so much easier to use in the kitchen then having my laptop in the kitchen. Also i think its easier to add notes and modifications etc. And i dont have the risk of losing all my recipes when the computer crashes!

While I have no problem having my MacBook in the kitchen, I never read recipes directly from it.   I print them out and hang them so they are at eye level. 

If it is a recipe that I know I am going to be using several times, I stick it inside a plastic bag and hang that up.  I have small cork panels stuck on the insides of some of my cupboard doors so I can use push pins or map pins.  I bought some cork tiles and cut them to fit. 

The combination  scanner/copier/printers are now very affordable and I also scan and print recipes from cookbooks so I don't have to worry about protecting the cookbook in the kitchen. 

[KarenH]

I have been using MacGourmet for a few days now, and so far I am very impressed!  Anyone familiar with using iTunes will find MacGourmet almost instantly easy to use, since it uses the same format and way of creating lists and smart lists.  Like any recipe software I think, it takes a while initially to enter all of your existing recipes, but once they are in there, it is very user-friendly. As I enter each recipe I am trying to put in as much of the additional information as I can to make it easier for future searches of recipes (ie ticking the pre-set boxes for category of recipe (main, dessert, beef, chicken, vegetarian, kids, simple etc), putting in number of serves it makes, preparation time, and ticking the boxes for the key ingredients).  While this is a bit of extra work ininitally, I think it will pay off later when I can quickly search for different things (next summer when I have a glut of zucchini from the garden ).  I am not using all of the features (for example you can enter the nutritional information for each meal), and as yet I have not tried the function where you can plan your meals for the week and the computer will generate a shopping list for you.

I know what you mean about having a paper copy of a recipe with you in the kitchen bluesed - at the moment I am still using a printed copy to actually work from - but we are in the process of building a new kitchen, and are planning to put a computer monitor (networked to the main computer that will store all the recipes) either on the kitchen bench, or on some kind of retractable arm thing so that we can access recipes easily when we are cooking.  DH's idea of saving all the paper I use when I print out recipes!

I like the idea of the corkboards in the kitchen too andisenji -  maybe we can incorporate that into the new kitchen too!  Of course, the most important thing will be deciding where the TMX is going to be in the new kitchen - pride of place for certain 

[Ayla]

Karen, does it do a meal planning calendar?

[KarenH]

Yes it does, but I haven't used it yet and so I dont know how it works  ..... from what I have read on the blurb, it somehow co-ordinates with iCal (if you are using a mac).  Below is a link to a pdf copy of the user guide.  It is a pretty big document, but covers all the features of the programme.

http://marinersoftware.com/media/userguides/macgourmet-userguide.pdf

I am not very computer-savvy at all, so the fact that I am coping with it is a plus for the user-friendliness of the software!  I plan to have a go at menu planning with it later on, but at the moment I am still trying to enter all of my recipes into the database.

The next thing I have to learn how to do is to import recipes directly from the internet into it, to save typing them in myself 

[stacelee]

For anyone who is using an iPad, there is a really nice recipe management program that is called Paprika.  It will import directly from a lot of recipe sites including food.com and taste.com.au.  I haven't tried importing something directly from here but it would probably work as you can manually select the name, ingredients and directions.  For a lot of sites you only have to go to the recipe page and tap on "save recipe" and it works out what is what.  Works really well.  You can also input your own recipes.

I'm currently cheating a little and inputting my recipes as private recipes on food.com so that I can use a full size keyboard to input and then I import them onto the iPad.  It also means I have a secondary storage for my recipe in case I ever misplace my iPad....unlikely since it is glued to me...but just in case.  Paprika also lets you email your recipe to anyone you like which can be handy when someone asks for a copy.

take care
Stacey

[Meagan]

Interesting Stacey, I will have to check it out.

[cookie1]

You all sound so clever. I print mine and file them, although I do feel bad about all the trees I am using up.

[bluesed]

@kjh
If youre planning to put up a monitor you will still need a mouse and a keyboard within reach to search or modify your recipes.

[andiesenji]

You all sound so clever. I print mine and file them, although I do feel bad about all the trees I am using up.

I'm "Green" through and through.  I use recycled paper and print on both sides.