# What computer software/application you use for storing recipes?



## afan (Mar 18, 2013)

If this post doesn't fit to this category, I'm asking a moderator to move it wherever it fits the best...

Anyway,  I made a website to store and categorize good recipes I find on internet. It was ok but after 100+ recipes I got lazy because it takes 10-15 minutes for one recipe to save it (from title, intro text, description, ingredients, cooking steps, images, embed video...) I have now tons of "bookmarked" websites and pages waiting to be stored.

Then I bought Cook'n application. What I like is soooo easy to add a recipe to database (I'm not in any way related with production and/or sale of this product. Just plain user.) It has Online Search mode and it can then store everything from the selected website to the database with one click.
What I don't like everything is stored on your computer and you can search your recipes only on that computer. You can have it on multiple computers (PC or Mac) but can't share database. Actually, there is (in theory) possibility but I didn't try yet. It would be much better if you can store your database somewhere "in Cloud".

I saw somebody on this forum recommended MasterCook application. Anybody has any experience with it? They don't offer tryout version nor screen shots...

What are you using?


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## afan (Mar 18, 2013)

Digging a little bit deeper in this forum, I found several threads about the same question (although, most of them are older than 2 years) and top "choice" is MasterCook.

Can somebody answer to me:

- Can you install MasterCook on 2-3 computers and share database or sync databases? Or, even better, can you share your database over internet?

- Can you search internet and then import a recipe to MC with a click or two?

- Can you embed a video (e.g. from YouTube) to MC?


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

I've used MasterCook since 2000, now running v11.01 on WinXP (v11+ runs on Vista, Win7, and Win8).

It currently is not Cloud based in and of itself, but Evernote, Dropbox, GoogleDrive, and other cloud based storage can easily be used for menus, recipes, shopping lists, etc.

Choice depends on what YOU want the software to accomplish, MasterCook does what I need it to do.

One  feature I really like is the ability to create and share specific cookbooks without effort.


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## afan (Mar 18, 2013)

PeteMcCracken said:


> Choice depends on what YOU want the software to accomplish, MasterCook does what I need it to do.


My plan is to build a database of recipes, categorized and easy to search by type of meal, ingredients etc. And when I'm stuck what to cook today or tomorrow - there is a place to search and find. That's the easy part, I know...

It should have ability to easy pick a recipe form internet, from specific web page, and store it to my database. With one click.  Instead me copy and paste from website.

And I would like to be able to see my recipes from my friend's or my mom's computer (access allowed after log-in, of course). The same as Google Drive or DropBox I can check from any computer.


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## salparadise (Mar 19, 2012)

I built my own database several years ago using Filemaker Pro. It was mostly because I enjoy designing and playing with databases. The problem was that it was never finished, just like a dozen other databases-- work in progress always. There is always one more tweak or some new idea. I started working on a way to add up quantities of the same ingredient in a list and convert the units automatically. It was the opposite of what a good database should do-- make life easier and save oodles of time. So...

When I got a smartphone a few years ago I realized that if I had my recipes in phone I'd be able to see them while shopping. Find a great looking piece of beef or a killer sale on lamb or whatever... look up a recipe, view the ingredient list, buy the items and be home cooking 15 minutes later. No more having to print it out or make a list before leaving home. No more formatting or anything bothersome. I even have a keystroke trigger (Quicksilver) that lets me select text from the web, hit the keystroke, and it copies and saves to the text file in the recipe folder. 

I use Macs, so I simply copy each recipe to a Text Edit file, make sure the first word in the filename is the main ingredient, and save to Dropbox. I have Dropbox on the phone and laptop so (for those who aren't familiar) it automatically syncs in the cloud and now my recipes are always in my pocket, alphabetized by main ingredient, easily browsable in the grocery store. Best system I've ever had, and the simplest. Wonder if those two things are related?


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## x86bsd (Dec 9, 2011)

The best app I've found to date, for me, has been paprika. It's on my ipad and its a really nice app and does everything I need it to. I have yet to find anything better so far.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Evernote will do a lot of what you want to do without you having to build anything. Install it on your pc, your phone, your tablet. It automatically syncs everything with everything else. Add content in one place and its accessible everywhere.

See also http://www.cheftalk.com/a/going-electronic-in-the-kitchen


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