Why Use Cookbook and Recipe Software?

If you cook and use a computer, cookbook and recipe software can expand your repertoire, save you time and help you create a lasting archive of healthy recipes from a variety of sources. This software helps plan elaborate meals, choose recipes based on nutrition and special dietary needs, estimate your food bill, download grocery lists to a smart phone or iPad for interactive access at the supermarket, and even publish a cookbook. Cookbook and recipe software available today is designed for the modern kitchen.

Cookbook and recipe software is for many different kinds of cooks. Some software may meet the needs of some cooks more than others. We considered this factor in our review process. The following is a list of cooking types we have identified; some cooks may fit more than one type.

The Newlyweds: Novices in the kitchen, this team will need a collection of easy recipes and video tutorials. A couple can take advantage of their new start by adding recipes as friends and family entertain them, remembering childhood favorites, and trying new restaurants. The result: a working collection of recipes by their first anniversary.

Can't Cook: Want to impress a date with your culinary prowess, but can't cook? Look for a program that has video tutorials and recipes rated by level of difficulty. An online forum would be helpful, too. There you'll get advice from others in the same predicament.

Family Cook: With hungry mouths to feed night after night, this busy cook should look for a product offering a wide variety of recipes, automatic grocery lists, and customizable keywords to flag recipe favorites and rejects by family member.

Special Diet: Whether this cook or a family member is diabetic, has high blood pressure, or has food allergies such as to nuts, shellfish or gluten, he must meet special dietary needs. He is looking for new recipes that will provide options and make it easier to keep a balanced diet.

Professional Cook: Whether it's the annual fundraiser or a full-time catering business, cookbook and recipe organizing software can manage the budget and the inventory of a larger food-preparing operation. Look for cost analysis by recipe and by meal, inventory tracking, and drag-and-drop menu scheduling by the month.

Cook Historian: Recipe cards passed down from generation to generation, annotated cookbooks, slips of paper, and magazine clippings: an unwieldy and fragile collection that deserves a home. Look for software with an auto-fill function to speed recipe entry. Once compiled, create an online version or print traditional cookbooks. Look for website and paper templates, the ability to add photos, and the flexibility to change the layout for best results.

If you are looking for cookbook software that will work with you iPhone check out BigOven and Mastercook, for the best organized recipe database we have seen, see Living Cookbook. 

Cookbook and Recipe Software: What to Look For

The following are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate cookbook and recipe software.

Ease of Use
Practical software is easy to use, so anyone with a computer can feel comfortable performing basic tasks regardless of computer knowledge.

Recipe Manager
The recipe manager should have good search capabilities, have the ability to bookmark or collect favorite recipes in folders for quick access, and provide detailed recipe information.

Menu Planner
The best menu planners plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for days, weeks and even months. They are customizable to meet the needs of different diets, track your food inventory, and even suggest recipes based on inventoried ingredients.

Feature Set
In addition to providing a recipe manager and a menu planner, cooking and recipe software should include features such as shopping lists, nutrition information, additional recipes online, the ability to make online or printed cookbooks, and the ability to upload a grocery list to an iPad or smart phone for mobile access.

Ease of Installation and Setup
The program should be easy to set up and install, offer detailed instructions and not cause errors.

Help/Documentation
Software manufacturers should provide sufficient help and support including tutorials, FAQs, online technical support and an email address and/or a phone number to contact customer service.

In addition to reviews of the top ten cookbook and recipe organizing software, this site provides articles related to cookbooks including Top Ten Cooking Movies: From Sweet to Spicy, The Best Websites to Find Free Recipes, Eat Healthy Recipes to Lose Weight and The Best Websites Offering Gluten-Free Recipes. The software reviews are presented in side-by-side comparison format to help you make an informed decision on which cookbook and recipe software is right for you. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™