Recipe management software recommendation

[macmesser]

I have read that Paprika app is very good and also that the former champ in this niche, Mac Gourmet, did much more but unfortunately has not kept pace in OS compatibility. Would love to hear from users of either and from anyone who can recommend a some other solid app. Something that appeals to me about Paprika is the ability to keep it on a Mac and use an iPad like a recipe card in the kitchen. I assume Mac Gourmet has similar functionality.

 

[HDFan]

I have used MacGourmet for years and loved it. Unfortunately when Mariner software took it over development pretty much stopped. I had lots of issues synching my IOS devices with Mariner cloud which support logged but never fixed. 6 months or so ago it IOS synch stopped working, only partially updating. Contacted their support and they said it was an Amazon AWS bug and that Amazon was slow to fix it. Instead of developing a workaround they just point their finger at Amazon so there is no idea when, or if, they will fix it.

Very sad as it is really a great program. Set up meal plans, shopping lists from your meal plan, nutritional information, available on MacOS and IOS devices. I'm starting the process of evaluating alternatives, which is painful with over 1000 recipes in the MacGourmet database.

 

[macmesser]

I have used MacGourmet for years and loved it. Unfortunately when Mariner software took it over development pretty much stopped. I had lots of issues synching my IOS devices with Mariner cloud which support logged but never fixed. 6 months or so ago it IOS synch stopped working, only partially updating. Contacted their support and they said it was an Amazon AWS bug and that Amazon was slow to fix it. Instead of developing a workaround they just point their finger at Amazon so there is no idea when, or if, they will fix it.

Very sad as it is really a great program. Set up meal plans, shopping lists from your meal plan, nutritional information, available on MacOS and IOS devices. I'm starting the process of evaluating alternatives, which is painful with over 1000 recipes in the MacGourmet database.

Sorry to hear this because Mac Gourmet seemed great by descriptions. I am looking for something that will deal with the whole nine yards, as you described. Have you looked at Paprika? It's reputed ability to parse and extract web page recipes into a template plus it's iPad compatibility are things I need. I'm wondering if there might be something out there aimed at professional chefs which might work for me, if not too pricey.

 

[Big Bad D]

i am a satisfied Paprika user. And yes the app on both mac and ipad is practical. Imports from many websites is easy. A bit espensive but occasionally there are sales.

 

[macmesser]

i am a satisfied Paprika user. And yes the app on both mac and ipad is practical. Imports from many websites is easy. A bit espensive but occasionally there are sales.

Thanks for sharing experience.

 

[Weaselboy]

Put me down as another satisfied Paprika user. It syncs nicely between macOS and iOS and imports recipes from web sites surprisingly well. Too bad you missed it, they just had a good sale a week or so ago.

 

[NoBoMac]

I stopped using recipe software years ago, as what usually happens is it got abandoned or did not have a counterpart version on different OS.

These days, I'm just using Preview to create PDF "books". Print recipe from website in PDF, or, type in into word processor and generate a PDF from that. Bring up cookbook in Preview, Show Thumbnails, drag new PDF recipe into Thumbnails. I generate table-of-contents via a spreadsheet that gives page numbers, recipe title, generate a PDF from that and tack onto the start of the cookbook.

I keep the cookbooks on Dropbox, so I have access away from home. Can always pull up recipes on iPad when cooking (or what happens when doing big or holiday meals and doing lots of cooking, will create paper print of each recipe, as can have multiples recipes spread-out while working on them).

 

[dangerfish]

I use and love Paprika. Haven’t used anything else but haven’t found a need to. So easy to download recipes from anywhere and add ingredients to a shopping list.

 

[macmesser]

I stopped using recipe software years ago, as what usually happens is it got abandoned or did not have a counterpart version on different OS.

These days, I'm just using Preview to create PDF "books". Print recipe from website in PDF, or, type in into word processor and generate a PDF from that. Bring up cookbook in Preview, Show Thumbnails, drag new PDF recipe into Thumbnails. I generate table-of-contents via a spreadsheet that gives page numbers, recipe title, generate a PDF from that and tack onto the start of the cookbook.

I keep the cookbooks on Dropbox, so I have access away from home. Can always pull up recipes on iPad when cooking (or what happens when doing big or holiday meals and doing lots of cooking, will create paper print of each recipe, as can have multiples recipes spread-out while working on them).

Neat solution. Old school plus the best of digital.
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Put me down as another satisfied Paprika user. It syncs nicely between macOS and iOS and imports recipes from web sites surprisingly well. Too bad you missed it, they just had a good sale a week or so ago.

That's what caught my eye about it.

 

[radamo]

My wife and I both LOVE Paprika. The ability to tag a recipe on a browser and send it to the app is priceless. We have been happy users of this app for years.

 

[mic j]

I have been using Paprika since it was released. It is a nearly perfect recipe database. I use it everyday and have it on my iPhone, iPad and Mac. I use the Mac to do detailed work and most of my importing and editing. I use the iPad next to the stove when cooking. I use the iPhone out by the grill or in the grocery store. So it is a real everyday workhorse in my home. It imports recipes from the web easily and creates the recipe from the site perfectly 99% of the time.

I do have a little problem with the developers right now. Recipes are synced between devices but the scaling of a recipe is not synced. It used to do that but stopped allowing that and try and call it a feature. Sorry, but if I'm on my Mac, scale a recipe for 1/2X, I want to see it on my iPad as 1/2X as well. Several times I have messed up additions to recipe because the Mac was 1/2X and the iPad 1X.

I must say the developers used to be very responsive to suggestions and problems, not so lately.

Paprika could use a few improvements in teaching, e.g. being able do search the database for recipes that do not include an ingredient. There are a few other search refinements that would definitely improve the search function. Also, if you develop a long list of categories with subcategories an sub-sub categories, the list in the sidebar can get very long. You can close the categories you are not interested in to shorten the length of the list but when the program starts up again, all categories will be open again. It would be nice to have the option to keep certain categories open or closed and have them stay that way. I have requested that several times but, no response.

So, yes, in my onion it is the best recipe database that I have run across. Additional improvements would make it an even better app.

Just a note: I have about 3500 recipes in Paprika

 

[macmesser]

Well, I finally went with Paprika and I must say that I'm happy I did. I've just started using it in the last couple days and am impressed with the flawless imports, except for the photos. Apparently it only imports a thumbnail size main image but no extra images, even if there are several more. Maybe this is because my imports were not from its list of known recipe sites. Will have to try it on imports from site on the list. The design, features and solidity of Paprika are impressive!
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I have been using Paprika since it was released. It is a nearly perfect recipe database. I use it everyday and have it on my iPhone, iPad and Mac. I use the Mac to do detailed work and most of my importing and editing. I use the iPad next to the stove when cooking. I use the iPhone out by the grill or in the grocery store. So it is a real everyday workhorse in my home. It imports recipes from the web easily and creates the recipe from the site perfectly 99% of the time.

I do have a little problem with the developers right now. Recipes are synced between devices but the scaling of a recipe is not synced. It used to do that but stopped allowing that and try and call it a feature. Sorry, but if I'm on my Mac, scale a recipe for 1/2X, I want to see it on my iPad as 1/2X as well. Several times I have messed up additions to recipe because the Mac was 1/2X and the iPad 1X.

I must say the developers used to be very responsive to suggestions and problems, not so lately.

Paprika could use a few improvements in teaching, e.g. being able do search the database for recipes that do not include an ingredient. There are a few other search refinements that would definitely improve the search function. Also, if you develop a long list of categories with subcategories an sub-sub categories, the list in the sidebar can get very long. You can close the categories you are not interested in to shorten the length of the list but when the program starts up again, all categories will be open again. It would be nice to have the option to keep certain categories open or closed and have them stay that way. I have requested that several times but, no response.

So, yes, in my onion it is the best recipe database that I have run across. Additional improvements would make it an even better app.

Just a note: I have about 3500 recipes in Paprika

I agree that Paprika rocks! Regarding developer response, the pro workmanship of the program suggests the team would be reputation conscious. Not that I think it will, but let's hope this excellent program won't become a victim of its own success.