What can I say? I love to eat. I love to cook. I love my Mac. Mix them all together and you get a great way to cook using the best of modern technology.
No, my new MacBook Air doesn’t get hot enough to fry eggs on top, but it’s light enough to keep near the kitchen. And it’s smart enough, with the right app, to keep track of what I like to eat, and what I like to cook.
I Breathe, Therefore I Eat
Eating is only part of the equation for a good life. I’m a foodie but I realize that being part chef and part cook needs to be in the mix of ingredients for living.
One of my all time favorite Mac apps is MacGourmet Deluxe.
This app is not a digital index card box stuffed with recipes.
It’s iTunes for recipes. iPhoto for nutrition. Everything you think you need to become a better cook, a chef, a gourmet, or a modern foodie, is contained in MacGourmet.
There’s a nutritional database built in. Details, tips, tricks, tags, photos, shopping lists, and recipe scaling, are all built in, too. And it’s not complicated to use.
This is not your mother’s 3×5 index card. Your entire recipe library is in the left column (which makes it look and work like iPhoto or iTunes). It’s all there. Recipes. Notes. Shopping lists.
Click on a recipe to see the details in the right column. Details? Photos, ingredients, and the step-by-step. Did I forget to mention nutrition?
Meal Plan lets you organize meals based on what you want, and what ingredients you have, as well as consideration for nutrition.
Where oh where do you get all these recipes? Obviously, MacGourmet Deluxe comes with more than enough to make your bathroom scale wince every time you walk in.
The real value is the internet and online collections from over three dozen cooking and recipe sites. Epicurious. All Recipes. Bon Appetit. Cooks Illustrated.
Part of what makes a great chef is a willingness to share and the included Cookbook Builder takes your favorite recipes and builds a real PDF cookbook. Print it up or email it to friends.
Who wants to carry a Mac into the kitchen? The larger screen helps visualize your creation, but the iPad and iPhone are better equipped for handheld use, and MacGourmet is available for each.
101 Ways To Cook Dinner
I didn’t even touch on the wine section, or the competitive upgrade option, or the national cooking contest recipes, or the Nutritional Analysis function. I’m sorry. I’m gushing. I love this app. It’s just not edible.
But if you’re a foodie and a Mac user, you must try it.
I know I said there are 101 ways, but I was being conservative. Once you’ve used this for even a few meals, you’ll see the value. Cook with ingredients you have and save money and time from shopping.
Or, shop for just the ingredients you need for a whole week of cooking. I’m into batch cooking a week in advance. It saves money and time. You’ll see. Not cheap, but try-before-you-buy, and in the Mac App Store for easy updates.
About Bambi Brannan
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