WFMW: Cooking Software

A couple years ago I decided to organize my recipe collection, which consisted of a box of 3x5 notecards, a 3 ring binder with recipes in sheet protectors and like 20 stuck in the front, and a shelf-full of cookbooks. I had tried the 3 ring binder idea but it wasn't working for me. Then I heard or read about software that can organize your recipes and help you with other responsibilities related to cooking. When I searched online I was suprised to find so many different software programs out there. After some research and for me, serious budget restrictions, I bought myself Home Cookin for my birthday.

This program has all the features I was looking for: recipes, menu planning calendar, grocery list, and adequate search features throughout. Other programs were much fancier but were double or triple the $30 pricetag of Home Cookin. You can even download a trial version.

I love the grocery list, which came pre-programmed with like 850 items but is still easily edited for your personal needs. My computer is in my kitchen and is always on, so it's easy to step over and add something to the list whenever I'm out. And I have organized it to print out in the order I shope the aisles of my supermarket. Pretty slick.

The menu planning calendar is okay - I use it but could probably just write everything down on our white board like Aaron wants me to everyweek. (Check out my last post about adding our menu to this blog.) The good thing about the calendar is being able to see the things I've made in the past and how long it's been since I made a certain dish.

The recipe interface is fine - holds all my recipes and even pictures of the dishes. You can create different chapters in your "cookbook" and search by title or ingredient. The only downside is you have to put all the recipes in, which makes for a lot of data entry, or if you're lucky - cutting and pasting. I try to put a recipe in when I make it for the first time (since getting the software). And have spent a little time putting in random recipes from my crazy collection. It's nice having them all in one place and I even bring the laptop to the kitchen counter with me sometimes and cook right from there.

And the customer service is great. I recently got a new computer and moved the software over without any problems. But the first time I tried to print my grocery list it wouldn't work and I e-mailed the guy/creator/troubleshooter. It's a one man show I think. And he e-mailed me back only a few hours later to fix the problem. Now that's rare.

So, although there are fancier versions, Home Cookin works for me! For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, visit Shannon's blog at Rocks in My Dryer.