recipe organizing program?

[tash]

I would like to organize all the recipes I have beater. I currently keep everything in a folder on my laptop with every recipe having it's own wordpad. I like this because I can keep notes and easily change the recipe. The biggest problem is as I put more recipes there it is getting crowded and difficult to find things.

My husband suggested the demy which he saw on the news the other day. It seems kinda expensive for what amounts to a digital cookbook that you can't make notes on or search or anything. So is there any kind of really neat organizing program out there that I don't know about? Or where do you keep your recipes?

 

[phatch]

I use text files and the built in OS search tools. Applying some folder hierarchy helps as well as some file tags. But this gives me portability, support across platforms and no upgrade hassles.

 

[thegardenguru]

I've been using MasterCook for 10-15 years. Haven't found anything that beats its ease of use and options.

Last new version I bought was only $10 at a computer store on the bargain software rack.

Joe

 

[tash]

that sounds basically like what I am doing. But I would also love to be able to keep photos with it easily. Right now my photos are all in a totally different folder. I want to be able to search by ingredient though because sometimes i don't know what I want to make, I just know what I have available.

that looks good. Can you easily put in your own recipes with notes and photos and stuff? does it work with win7? my laptop still has xp (which I prefer) but eventually I might have to go to win7

 

[petemccracken]

Mastercook, MasterCook Deluxe 9.0 - ValuSoft, a division of THQ, Inc. Online Store, provides for recipe photos as well as separate preparation photos in the directions.

Adding, or importing, especially with RecipeFox (an add-in for the Firefox browser), is very easy.

Recipes can be stored in separate cookbooks and there is a feature for assigning cuisines, categories, and ratings as well. Nutritional analysis, albeit using an older USDA database, is also available.

Meal planning, menu development, and shopping lists as well as a somewhat cumbersome pantry list are available.

Mastercook works with XP, VISTA, WINDOWS 7, albeit you do have to run as an administrator and there are some tricks to installation on VISTA and WIN 7, follow this guide, MasterCook and Vista, and you should have no problems.

I've used Mastercook since 2000 and have found nothing in it's price range, $19.95 or less, that matches it's capabilities.

 

[vohrtex]

AS a mac user, I am a fan of MacGourmet. Easily import from websites/documents, pay extra for nutritional info, browse by category/style/meal/source, try it out for a while before buying it to see if you lie it. Good luck!

 

[deltadude]

I used to use text notes via windows notepad, I had lots of folders like :
salads
salsa
sauces
seafood
sides
soup-chowders
stocks

with the individual note pad recipe in the appropriate folder. But eventually things got a little difficult because I would store the recipe and then have difficulty locating a specific recipe because I forgot the name and it may have been a shrimp recipe but it was actually a shrimp salad filed under salads.

Thus I needed a program that would allow me to use pictures, import my text files, be free form since that is the way I like to work, plus I wanted it for all my internet browsing for other topics, i.e. bbq & smoking meat, or I'm a serious poker player so things I learned about poker, store all my online access info (passwords, email addr, account info, etc.), how about contact management, and other projects.

The answer for me was TreeDBNotes Pro - Notes, Contacts and Password Manager. I used the trial free version for about 2 months and liked it, and paid the $34.95 price.
Years ago I used to use a great program, NYC "Now Your Cooking" . It sells for $30 for free upgrades, it does so many things for the cook, including helping you shop more efficiently. In fact it was too much.

If you just want to store your favorite recipes, plan special meals, jot some notes, then myTreeDB is a better solution. PLUS, great support, and a support forum that can provide some help if you need it. I have been using myTreeDBnotes for about a year, no problems, however just this past week, something happened on my computer and I'm not sure what, but everything is acting very slow. Well mytreedbnotes died, I couldn't open any of the 4 or 5 DBs that I have. So I had to reinstall the DB application, but after install it would not open my DBs in the main DB folder. AGONY, a couple of thousand recipes gone......... NO! I had the DB program setup for autobackup on another hard drive, there were all my DBs safe, and I just loaded a backup and saved it as the original and back in business.

Below is an image of TreeDBnotes this tab is for planning a special event meal, and over the coarse of the year I collect ideas then make my decisions.

Using the same program, I store all my internet security info. I run a web site, and forum with 2 backups on different sites, and all the login/setup/technical info is all in this DB program. You can store various types of documents, like word, excel. The program has its own table and text formating if you want to use that. BUT the real thing is SEARCH, I now can search on a key ingredient or name and find everywhere it is listed, in the DB.