MacGourmet - Ooh La La!

In July, Apple rolled out their Lion OS X update and with it I discovered many features for my MacBook Pro that I didn't know existed.  One was the recipe software for Mac OS X - MacGourmet!

Being a woman that loves to cook and bake, I wanted a find a home for all my recipes, plus the ones I want to save & try from sites such as Betty Crocker.com.  I discovered MacGourmet in the App Store and after reading some reviews and visiting the website, I decided to give the free MacGourmet demo a try.


Before I tell you how fascinated I am with this recipe saver, let me give you a quick screenshot of what my own online recipe box looks like.

It is basically iTunes for you recipes!  The format is simple, classy and easily readable.  My color scheme is pinks, but there are bunch of available colors to choose from to make it your own.  I especially love how they use different shades of the color schemes to highlight certain portion of the recipe page.  All your recipes sit in the second column with a picture and can be scrolled back and forth. 

The recipe importer on MacGourmet is, by far, the easiest one have I used.  It has at least 50 different cooking and baking websites that it imports directly from, i.e.. Betty Crocker, Kraft, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, The Food Network, Rachael Ray - just to name a few.  All these websites import quickly and completely to MacGourmet with one click.  And the pictures are excellent - sharp and clear.  Each recipe can have one main picture, then additional pictures to show preparation.  You may think that little picture in the right hand corner looks small, but if you click on it once, it comes center-stage and becomes much larger.  It is fantastic!

The actual recipe when imported is very well organized and easily readable.  I really enjoy how they number each step and not combine all the steps into one messy paragraph.  The Notes section of the recipe is very helpful.  I like to add little tips to myself and also what to what to serve it with - a green salad, egg noodles, rice, etc.  I can also add private notes that are for me only, meaning, if I was to print the recipe for someone else, while my notes would appear, my private notes would not.  Primarily, I use these private notes to remind myself who liked what recipe.

The overall layout is similar to iTunes with a main recipe section that is similar to your music library.  It holds all your recipes.  And although you can add the recipe to different recipe folders (like playlists), the main copy sits in the recipe library.  To delete it from another section does not delete the main recipe - you would have to delete it in the main recipe library to delete it altogether.  

Another fantastic feature is the ability to use many, many categories when filing the recipe.  All I have to do is type in Halloween, and all my recipes that fall under that category appear.  No more fishing through hundreds of recipes.  This makes organizing and finding your recipes a flash.  

On the many occasions when I need to scale down a recipe or double or triple it, the scaling feature allows me do this correctly and accurately.  And, it doesn't change the integrity of the original recipe either.  After you are done using the scaling method, just reset, and the scaling recipe disappears. Simple. 

While I have mastered the recipe section, I am still getting used to taking advantage of the many other fabulous features in the application.  I love using the wine notes to remind myself of the favorite wines we use for family holidays, birthday's, or get togethers.  Not only can you add your own notes, but the wineries notes, and label photo as well.  Classy and sassy!

There are a few plug-ins with MacGourmet that are useful, but cost an additional $9.  These are the Weekly Meal Planner, Cookbook maker, and Nutritional info.  I purchased the Weekly Planner and it is simple, but does what it says.  You can plan all your meals throughout the day for the entire week then print it out to hang on the fridge along with a handy shopping list.  Note:  If you purchase MacGourmet Deluxe (like I should have in the first place - duh.) all the plug-ins previously mentioned come in the package.  This is the better deal.    

Starting on September 6, 2011, and running thru September 11, 2011, MacGourmet can be purchased for $10 by using the Coupon Code: SEVENYEARS.  Try the free demo first, then purchase if you enjoy it. I know you will.  

Also, if you miss out on this generous offer and you have a competitor's recipe software on your Mac (such as YummySoup! - I had this), email the developer, Michael Dupuis, and he will give you a nice discount of $10 off of MacGourmet!  

I am smitten with MacGourmet's recipe software for Mac.  I feel soooo organized. Cooking & baking is enjoyable with Macgourmet's user friendly interface.  Functionality with design and style are big sellers for me, and MacGourmet has it all...and then some.

Try MacGourmet and get Cooking!!