Recipe Software

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I used MasterCook software years ago (I bought it in 2001). Eventually, I couldn’t use the software anymore and I never replaced it. Instead, I chose to use the internet as best I could to find recipes and to enter my own recipes so that I could find out nutritional information. This has worked pretty well.

So, you are likely wondering what made me look into recipe software now. I thought it would be beneficial for a client I am working with and thought someone reading this might also find the information beneficial.

I could have fallen into a deep rabbit hole doing this research. Do I choose a web app or a program downloaded to my PC? Do I only want an app on my phone? Exactly what features are important to me? What features are free vs require a paid membership? Is membership month-to-month or do I have to commit to several months or a year?

I decided not to get stuck in a deep rabbit hole. First, I did a search to find out what were considered the top recipe software apps. After reading several reviews on the Top 5 or Top 6 (links are below), I scaled down the list to three, plus one that came recommended by a friend.

Click here to see the matrix I created when comparing these four apps (yes, I am a matrix person). Based on my research, paying the $20 for a one year membership for Big Oven is well worth the investment. Here are some of the benefits I saw with Big Oven’s paid membership:

  • My Recipe Box – Store an unlimited number of recipes.
  • Import your own recipes – You can scan 25 recipes for free ( $0.59 per recipe beyond 25). What a huge timesaver the scanning is, especially if you have a lot of recipes you want to add to your app. It may add up fast; however, how long would it take you to do it yourself? Is that the best use of your time?
  • Import recipes from other sites – Use the bookmarklet to import a recipe from any site.
  • Nutritional info – You can only see the nutritional info with the paid membership (some of your imported recipes may include the nutritional content depending what field the information is stored in).
  • Refine or sort – Clicking on this button allows you to enter criteria to filter your search results. Dietary filters – such as gluten free, nut free, vegan, no red meat – can be entered with the paid membership so the app will provide recipes targeted to your diet.

Overall, I thought Big Oven was easy to use on both the PC and the phone. You can also menu plan and create your grocery list, which are features with the free version. There is the ability to sync the phone app with the web app so both provide the same information, which is very useful.

I am giving a shout out to All Recipes for their Dinner Spinner app for the phone. It is fun to see what recipes it suggests based upon the three criteria – dish, ingredients, and ready in. You can have the spinner select the criteria for you or select the criteria yourself. Also, you can import recipes from this app into Big Oven so you could use both apps.

Each of these software apps has its own merits. It boils down to two questions. What features are you really looking for? How much money are you willing and able to spend?

http://lifehacker.com/5289792/five-best-recipe-managers
http://lifehacker.com/the-best-apps-to-manage-your-recipe-collection-1451016805
http://food.thefuntimesguide.com/2009/03/recipe_software_programs.php

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Note: I do not use any of these programs regularly. I came to my conclusion based on brief testing with the apps.

Personally, I use a 3-ring binder with printed recipes as my cookbook. For the time being, that works great for me!

by Michele Spear