-=PCTechTalk=- Re: Long post - Recipe Software
- From: Gman <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2009 20:22:05 -0500
Thank you VERY much for this, Bob. I currently have about 150,000
individual recipes fairly organized on my hard drive and another section
with tons of combination recipes (more than one per file) and yet another
with numerous (old) recipe management apps that I've never built up the
courage to test properly. The biggest reason I never got to test them is a
mirror of what you said about wasting so much time loading them up only to
find some limitation I simply couldn't live with.
You've just saved me a boatload of work and if you were here, I'd kiss you
right on the lips! Much obliged, my friend! :^}
Happy Holidays,
Gman
"The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Keyboard Cowboy" <KBCowboy@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "PCTechTalk - Freelists" <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 8:00 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Long post - Recipe Software
> Whelp!! I've been a busy beaver this week. As many of you know, I love
> cooking, and collecting cook books. One of the things that drives me
> nuts, though, is it's hard to remember what cookbook what recipe was in.
> I'm crazy about tools that give me power over
> tasks...........soooooooooooo.............I went looking for a recipe
> program that would allow me to manage a large number of recipes, be
> extremely stable, use little overhead resources on my computer, and be
> FAST! Additionally, it was very important to me to be able to copy
> recipes from various sources like the internet, email groups, individual
> emails, word files, etc. Having such a program would give me access to a
> huge store of recipes, and allow me to exchange recipes with friends and
> family too!
>
> I evaluated a half dozen programs, actually installing them on my computer
> and then working with them. I also asked on several of the email recipe
> forums I belong to what recommendations people had - based on responses I
> added still another program to the testing regimen. The struggle was to
> find a program with a high degree of power, yet a relatively fast learning
> curve - a program that didn't require a PHD to operate <G>. After
> testing, I picked a program called Now You're Cooking! You can find it
> here:
>
> http://www.ffts.com/
>
> When I test programs, I also like to talk to the developer to see how the
> program is supported, and to determine a little of the history of the
> program. I didn't want to invest a great deal of time building a library
> of recipes to find the developer abandoned the program. I looked at
> recipe programs several years ago and most of them don't exist today.
> I've spoken with the developer several times this week. His name is Gary
> and he's truly helpful. Each time I've called, he's answered the phone
> himself and been extremely helpful. He started developing the program in
> the 90's and it's now a mature program, though he still updates it
> regularly to make improvements. His wife handles the registrations so
> it's a family business - I like that!
>
> Here's an over view of the program features:
>
> # automatic categorizing of recipes (based on user-defined keywords)
> # auto-find and delete empty categories; map one category to another
> # fastest recipe import and search of any recipe software
> # perform any of these power tasks across all cookbooks in a single
> operation:
>
> * recipe search
> * meal plan
> * print recipes
> * import/export recipes
> * duplicate checking and deletion
> * defrag cookbooks and image archives
> * rebuild cookbook indexes
> * auto-link recipe ingredients to nutrition items
> * untag recipes
> * find and replace text strings
> * proper case recipe names
>
> # Quick Web Recipes feature for automatic recipe download and import
> # customizable Export-to-Web feature for automatic recipe website creation
> # customizable multi-rater, multi-criteria recipe rating system
> # nutrition analysis using USDA database directly, including raw, cooked,
> canned, and processed foods
> # accurate nutrition analysis for any recipe from any source
> # more nutrition constituents than other recipe software (now with trans
> fats, vitamin K)
> # nutrition analysis with %Daily Values based on your calories/day
> # customizable diet calculations with nutrition analysis
> # Fitness Calculator to track body fat %, BMI, waist ratios, and other
> fitness metrics
> # consumer features (coupon manager, automatic shopping list with coupons
> noted, shopping list by aisle, cost of list across stores)
> # stable, robust Meal Master™ import/export with dupe checking and
> isolation of problem recipes.
> # multi-file importing of mixed format text recipes in a given file
> # unlimited recipes in multiple cookbooks
> # compatibility with Windows Vista/XP/Me/2000/98/95/NT4
> # registration options for FREE upgrades to future versions (so you can
> pay once, not again and again)
> # tech support that exceeds your expectations
>
> To me, the biggest deterrent to using a computer based program is the time
> it takes to get recipes loaded in the program. I'd rather be playing
> golf, shooting, working in the shop, or taking pictures! What really
> impressed me was the ease with which I can copy or import recipes in the
> program. This program allowed me to create or copy recipes easier than
> any other I tried. It's hard to explain the difference, but Gary
> developed a truly simple method for inputting recipes, and he also
> developed a really cool import system to download and install thousands of
> recipes right from his site. Importing recipes/cookbooks from other
> programs is a snap too. To give you an example, I imported the entire
> MasterCook program (30 cookbooks and 8000+ recipes) in about 20 minutes.
>
> I've imported 56 cookbooks and set up one of my own for Bob's Favorites
> for a total of 57 cookbooks. I've imported a grand total of 297,927
> recipes in the program so far...........you read it right, 297,927!! As
> one of the performance measurements, I did a search using the word Banana
> (title or ingredient) and got over four thousand recipes <laugh> Even
> with the huge number of recipes I have, it takes less than 11 seconds to
> search for a word in the titles. To search both the title and the
> ingredients it took less than 1 minute, 27 seconds!! I've tested this
> program, beat it, loaded it to the max and it hasn't skipped a beat - it's
> rock solid. There's so much more in this program, there's simply not
> enough room here to tell you all about the features.
>
> If you have an interest in managing recipes on your computer, give a look
> at this program, I highly recommend it. I like it so much, I bought the
> program to give to my daughters so we could share easily.
> Regards,
>
> Bob -- the "Keyboard Cowboy"
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