Recipe Software for Self-Publishing (348 views)
jhk49
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Post by jhk49 on Sept 9, 2023 18:51:09 GMT -5
I am sure that many of you have had this question asked before. And for that, I am sorry if this is just a repeat for many of you. It is just that I need some help and I don't want to spend money on something that is not what I want. My plan is to make a family recipe book and then provide it to my children and siblings. The recipe book won't be a fancy cookbook that one looks at but never uses it to make a meal. Most likely, each recipe will be in a plastic sleeve and then placed in a 3-ring binder. What I am asking from this forum are suggestion on what software should I purchase that will provide the following for each recipe:
Recipe Title, a short introduction as to the history of the recipe or where it came from, a photo of the end result or maybe a picture of the relative who cooked it, a list of the ingredients / amounts, step-by-step instructions and 4 or 5 notes on the cooking process / substitutions / etc.
At present, I have a desktop Mac and my recipes are stored in MacGourmet. It would be great if I could import MacGourmet data directly into this new software. I would use MacGourmet but I don't like how they place the picture into the recipe and MacGourmet is no longer supported.
Anyway, please accept my thankfulness for any suggestions you might have. I have looked at several recipe softwares but none seem to want to provide an example of their output.
JHK49
Leesburg, Ga
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Post by Catbatty on Sept 9, 2023 20:32:38 GMT -5
What an interesting subject!  And WELCOME to Great Food!!!! In the various Mastercook software recipe groups I've belonged to over the years folks have chatted about using MC's cookbook making options to make cookbooks to share with family. However, Mastercook is a PC program only. Also, I've met up with some Mac owners who use some kind of MAC TO WINDOWS software that lets them use Windows programs, but I've no clue about that. (It was a few years back...I think they could use MC that way. Not sure. Person to talk to would be Pam...at Mastercook Support. About how many recipes are you thinking in one book? I can ask around...get opinions from techie folks I know. One friend of mine made a software that can convert what YOU might have done u in your current software and churn it around and import it into Mastercook (or other formats)...and we could send it back to you. You'd then, I guess, copy each page and make a hardcopy book (like you mentioned...in sleeves). CopyMeThat online program USED to let folks make books. They recently stopped doing that. But, if your recipes are somewhere online, you can use that program to copy the recipes and it puts them in text form that you would then download and print. (I use that program to grab recipes I find online, then I download, and place in my Mastercook software... but I can also just save them to my computer only to plain text format.) I've zero experience with those services that you can send your recipes to and they, in turn, convert to a pretty cookbook w/cover. (For a price.) Perhaps somebody else here has and can tell you about their experience. (My niece hired publishing service like that to put together 'books' of photos and text about her grandmother's life. Niece gave a copy to each family that came to the funeral service get-together. That was several years back.) If you can get your hands on a PC, Mastercook has been giving away (FOR FREE) an older model of their software. And their newest version, v22, is currently (I think) on sale at big discount. I'm trying to think... what other way??? If I think of anything or friends tell me about anything, I'll let you know soon as I do. GOOD LUCK. (Folks, can you help our new friend find a great way to make her recipe legacy (with photos) to her loved ones?) I can only think: Print one page for recipe, print one page for photo...and compile (put into sleeves inside binders...perhaps ones that have cover sleeve so they would have beauteous covers. |
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jhk49
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Post by jhk49 on Sept 11, 2023 9:44:15 GMT -5
Just to let you all know (I am sure you were concerned), I finally figured out how to included a picture on MacGourmet and have it printout correctly. With that epiphany, I will be able to use MacGourmet for my cookbook. I plan on having about 50 recipes or so. Some from family favorites and some that just seem to turn out extremely well every time I make them. Again, thanks to all that considered my question and special thanks to Catbatty for the reply.
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Post by Catbatty on Sept 11, 2023 10:05:39 GMT -5
JHK, That's great! I hope you will share some of those favorites with US!  |
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jhk49
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Post by jhk49 on Sept 11, 2023 13:18:05 GMT -5
How do I share a recipe?
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caterers33
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Post by caterers33 on Oct 7, 2023 6:44:39 GMT -5
If you're looking to self-publish your own cookbook or recipe collection, using specialized recipe software can be a game-changer. These software tools are designed to help you create, format, and organize your recipes for publication. They often come with features such as ingredient scaling, nutritional analysis, and customizable layouts, making it easier to create a professional-looking cookbook. Popular options include Cook'n, Paprika Recipe Manager, and Living Cookbook, which can streamline the process of bringing your culinary creations to print or digital platforms.
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Post by Catbatty on Oct 11, 2023 0:23:56 GMT -5
Living Cookbook is gone. Owner hasn't responded to any of us who have tried to contact him...for a few years. ;( It was a nice program. Had limitations that couldn't be fixed. But owner just cut out, let no info to buyers. Also, there was a problem (in addition to the major problem) in that users had to buy again for each computer. CopyMeThat has recently stated that they have stopped the part of their online program that let folks create books (for a price, I believe). They are not going to offer that service anymore. It is hugely expensive to create and maintain recipe software programs. I believe that is why Mastercook is raising money by offering a free older version plus a major discount on their newest. I don't really know how long even it will continue to be. They have been asking us users what new features we would like to see made for a future version, but we are told that we can't expect a huge amount of things because the costs to produce are so huge. We longtime users of recipe programs have watched many come and go or go hugely expensive...and even charge yearly fees to keep using. (I love that Mastercook...once you own it...it's yours...and you can even put it on other computers for free. PROBLEM IS FOR MAC USERS...there just aren't enuf sales demands to make a version for Macs. Been that way for decades. HOWEVER, as I mentioned before, some folks got around that by installing some PC program onto their Macs. I haven't heard mention of that for several years. Perhaps MacGourmet solved that problem for users? I hope so. I use Mastercook for everything, even my ART info links and notes, and I do purchase their extra online service feature (one part of that is a recipe grabber)...plus I really like CopyMeThat online program for its recipe grab feature. (Both online grabbers also grab the photo and the URL, besides just the recipe. Then I download and add to my Mastercook...but users can just leave the recipes in the respective online programs.) More than you wanted to know... I love recipe software!! You can revise, keep notes, write down all info needed, like who author is, mag is, ISBN, date published, page numbers,,,photos...even STEPS like photos of stages of making...plus it's so easy to just COPY RECIPE and PASTE it into websites or emails (to friends and family). Yeah. I'm crazy about this stuff. |
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Post by Catbatty on Oct 11, 2023 0:55:54 GMT -5
I think we should probably ask other MAC users to explain how to post a recipe here. Might be different somehow from how I would do it using my PC. Generally, I think all you have to do is copy a plain text of the recipe and then paste it in. (We have a section for recipes...the section at top of home page.) If it messes up. don't worry. We will forgive you. (And, as Admin, I can always make edits if that will help fix anything that might be helped by edits.) This should be/will be fun!! |
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And WELCOME to Great Food!!!!