Cookbook Software

[scarbelly]

I have thousands of recipes that we have cut out of magazines and saved in folders. I am looking for a software program that will allow me to scan the recipes into the recipe program ( I have optical scanning software which is supposed to allow me to edit the text) .

I want to be able to edit the recipes and scale them from time to time (we never know how many of the 9 grandkids will be there at a given time)  and I would like to be able to add some pictures as well. I have looked at the big ones - Mastercook and Living cookbook - I have even emailed some of the others to see if their software will let me do this and have not found anyone answer with a positive response.  I am not too computer savy so I need something that is easy to use

Thanks

Gary

 

[deannc]

Great topic Gary...maybe someone will share which freeware program works good.  I search through my Iphone applications a week or so ago and tried one or two for my phone, but nothing I like yet.  Most of the PC ones I've found are $35 or more.  I did find one freeware one I may download at some point to give it a try.  Their site says you can either pay $30 for it or download the freeware version and only have to put up with an advertising manner.  Recipecenter 6.0 is the one I've been looking at.

 

[bpopovitz]

Not sure what version of MS office everyone runs, but I have 2007 and I have a copy of MS One Note with it.  That's what I use to organize all of our household things including recipes.  It works just like a digitized tabbed notebook.  Really easy to use, the only thing I haven't been able to do is scan from a recipe directly in to One Note and have the recipe been seen as text for that I have to scan into word and then copy and paste over to One Note, still it's not a big deal and you can insert pics. 

Best part of it was that it came with office so I didnt have to buy anythning else. oh and you can password protect the whole book, tabs or even subtabs individually so you can protect that secret rub recipe :)

 

[etcher1]

Here's a link to some freeware cookbooks.  I don't know if you can scan.   http://www.all-freeware.com/results/recipe/organizer

 

[lintonkennels]

There is a scanner out there that will scan thing and put them into folders for you.  To my understanding u just scan the paper and you tell it what it is and you can make a book out of it that way.  I have seen it on tv alot. Dont know anything other than that.  Hope this helps

 

[scarbelly]

Thanks to all - I have been looking into this for several months and have yet to find a good solution but maybe someone who is more computer savy can answer this question for me -

I know that I can scan to a PDF file with my scanner. I also know that a with a full version of Acrobat ( I have on my work PC ) I can do a select all and copy into a Word doc. The font usually comes up with something like times +something else that I dont remember what it is - I have done a select all and changed the font to a regular font and am suddenly able to edit as needed. 

Is this just a picture of the PDF or is it now a word doc

Thanks

 

[bpopovitz]

Depending on which scanner you have and which software you are using you should be able to scan right into a wrord doc.  I have an HP mutil function scanner / printer / copier and I just use whatever was bundled with it (HP proprietary software) and I can scann to word, or make a PDF.  Works great, however like you said it does have some problems with the fonts which does result into some odd charachters depending on what the source had on it, it has a hard time extracting text if there are pictures that the text wraps around...

 

[wiredbob]

I do this kind of job at work at work.  I have use OCR ( optical character recconition) software for many years and it works very well if the copy is fairly clean.  The first generations of this techinology were very frustrating but later versions  may amaze   The software that came with my scanner is ABBYY.  To get good results load the copy into scanner straight.  Scan at least 300lpi.  If you need to save the document before the image is read, save as a .tif or .jpg with a high quality setting.

 

[nwdave]

This is a tough one.  First, you're going to do try it with freeware and as you know, sometimes you get what you pay for.

I've been collecting recipes for far too long (and this site certainly doesn't help

) and I can just about make it around a computer keyboard without blowing something up, if you know what I mean.  That being said, I have the Canon 8800 scan system if I remember right  (I'm about 1415 miles away from it right now).  I've used Mastercook quite extensively but found it to be awkward to use at times.  I can't scan directly but have to scan to a word document then cut and paste, sort of, into Mastercook.  AND you can only post one picture, generally, a this is how it's suppose to look type of picture you see on receipes.

Fast forward to now.  Since joining SMF, I've found Mastercook to be totally unsuitable because as you know, there's generally more than one picture (QView) in the submissions.  A member on this site turned me on to TreeDB which is a data base program, which I find rather learning intensive but once conquered fills the bill perfectly.  I scan to the word doc, then cut and paste to TreeDB.  If it were just text, it would be directly, but for some unknown reason, the pic's don't post.  I'm sure the computer whiz's amongst us are nodding heads with a smirk on their mugs, saying, OH, I know why.......   I can post all the pictures I desire.  Resize photos to fit neatly and so forth, however, you can't use it to reportion your menu's servings.  Mastercook can do that, which I find very useful since it's just SWMBO and myself for the most part, or as you say, when the grown children come a-callin'.

It's perhaps an awkward system, but it works for me.  Right now I have over 1300 recipes in the TreeDB program and well over five times that in Mastercook.  Am I going to use them all?  Heck no, but I got them, just in case. 

 I forgot to mention, Mastercook will allow you to post several recipes at once, which is handy if you found a cookbook on the internet you wanted to cut and paste.

I know this isn't the total answer you're looking for but it's more of a reflection on my struggles to get where you want to go.  Fortunately, being retired now, I have the time to play (I mean, work) with these things trying to find the gold nugget amongst all the gravel.

Interesting note about Office 2007 and MS One Note.  I have Office so I'm going to have to check it out.

 

[shooterrick]

I have spent  hrs looking into this subject and have come to the conclusion that NO freeware for bit systems worth having is available.  I did find some inexpensive 64 bit recipe programs available but I am not sure the effort beyond using One Note is worth the time.  I currently have a program trial version of one interesting developer on my machine and one I cannot seem to install in 64 bit because net.1.1 is not compatible and is required.  Maybe someone else knows how to get around this that is more savy than I.

 

[shooterrick]

I have found a very cool program that does cost a few bucks.  Look for a free trial download of Living Cookbook software.  This package is full featured.  Easy to use in the trial version and contains many free recipes and some BBQ and Diabetic recipes from various resturants around the country.  It calculates the nutritional values per serving or totals if you do not specify a serving for the recipes also and prints them on the recipes.

 

[meateater]

Gary I found this. It's free. http://download.cnet.com/Living-Cookbook-2011/3000-2126_4-10067801.html?tag=mncol;3

 

[scarbelly]

Thanks Mike

I just downloaded it and will try it after the Charger game

 

Gary I found this. It's free. http://download.cnet.com/Living-Cookbook-2011/3000-2126_4-10067801.html?tag=mncol;3

 

[meateater]

Thanks Mike

I just downloaded it and will try it after the Charger game

 

 

Hope they do better than my Cowboys, did I just say that out loud?

 

 

[shooterrick]

Gary I found this. It's free. http://download.cnet.com/Living-Cookbook-2011/3000-2126_4-10067801.html?tag=mncol;3

It is free for 30 days.  Is a trial version but pretty cool.

 

[meateater]

It is free for 30 days.  Is a trial version but pretty cool.

 Rick, how much to buy it? I'm just a surf hound.

 

[shooterrick]

 Rick, how much to buy it? I'm just a surf hound.

I believe it is 36.95 for full liscense.  The more I play with this software the more impressed I am with it.  Do I need it?  Nope!  Will I buy it?  Maybe since it will figure diatary info and allow you to add ingrediants if you dont mind adding the info off the package the first time.  Most ingrediants are already it its database.  Being non insulin dependent allows me some room to play but at least I would know for sure what I am doing to myself.  LOL

 

[scarbelly]

The cookbook is $34 and looks like it will do the trick. I have been playing with it for a bit and I think some of the features are not enabled on the trial version so I am going to call them tomorrow to see how to scan in a recipe and if it works I am all over it. The other features are really nice and will work well for me.

 

[meateater]

Cool, glad I could help out.

 

[shooterrick]

The format below is better inside the program but this is what it will figure and do with ease.

ShooterRicks Beef Jerky

This is a recipe utilizing a depredator

5  lbs beef strips, sliced
1 Tbsp Cajun spice
2 Tbsp seasoned salt
1 Tbsp black pepper freshly ground
1 tsp hot sauce
3 Tbsp liquid smoke
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1/2  cup BBQ sauce

1. Combine all but beef well.  Place in a large zip lock bag or covered bowl and add beef strips trimmed of fat and cut across the grain.

2. Marinate for at least 12 hrs or overnight.

3. Place in depredator set at 150F for 6 hours or until desired consistency is reached.

Servings: 50
Yield: 2 lbs more or less

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 12 hours
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Inactive Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 18 hours and 17 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/50 of a recipe (2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 84.17
Calories From Fat (41%) 34.51
% Daily Value
Total Fat 3.84g 6%
Saturated Fat 1.58g 8%
Cholesterol 30.84mg 10%
Sodium 484.25mg 20%
Potassium 160.58mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 1.91g <1%
Fiber 0.16g <1%
Sugar 1.23g
Protein 9.86g 20%

Recipe Type: Snack