Make your own digital cookbook

Having made some delicious muffins last night, I only went and ‘forgot’ to bring some into the office for everyone, much to the anger of the rest of the insideTonic team. Following my tasty (and I do mean REALLY tasty, guys) creation I decided I would start compiling my own cookbook. However, I’m no TV chef and don’t have the time nor the money to invest in sitting down and writing one from scratch.

So I decided to investigate the world of cookery software and was surprised by exactly how useful these programs can be. I started out by using My Favorite Recipes to document my ingenious muffin formula as well as some other top secret recipes that had been passed down through my family (my Mum does a great jam sandwich). I liked the way the app let me enter very precise instructions before allowing me to search through my new database by names, titles or ingredients.

After exhausting all my own recipe ideas I decided to start pinching other people’s. So I installed Recipe4Win, which provided me with thousands of ideas through an easy-to-browse interface. One of the great things about this one is that you can browse recipes by geography – great for hosting themed dinner parties, I thought. In terms of an all-in-one cookery solution, however, I reckon Living Cookbook really takes the biscuit. Besides being able to search recipes and add your own, the software lets you create shopping lists, check nutritional information, and even publish cookbooks. Yum.