Thread: Computer Cuisine Deluxe 5.0

WE'RE OF THE general opin¬ion that computers and food don't really mix. Anyone '\Tho's had to clean bits of a pizza or Chinese takeaway out of their keyboard will probably agree. Computer Cuisine Deluxe 5.0 tries to convince us otherwise - and partially succeeds.

Primarily, Computer Cui¬sine Deluxe 5.0 is a digital cookbook, packed with 1,001 easy-to-follow recipes, cate¬gorized by style and ingredi¬ents. Essentially a FileMaker database, there are plenty of ways to access this plethora of culinary delights. Search by keyword, list them all or browse by category.

The layout is slick and easy to navigate - but the real attraction is the flexibility of
the digital format. Recipes can be shared by email or printed and you can even add your own recipes to the Com¬puter Cuisine Deluxe 5.0 database, meaning you can throwaway that gravy¬splashed notebook or binder.



The stored recipes have several pages; a main recipe page with ingredients and method, additional notes, photos and nutrition information (so you can track things such as calorie or salt intake). That goes for the bundled database too. Once you get into the habit of entering your favorite recipes, you can also use the application to generate a shopping list of ingredients, or plan your meals for the week. One perennial problem with this and other tools that track food nutrition is that Com¬puter Cuisine Deluxe 5.0 is American - and uses US weights and measures. The makers have thought of this though and built in com¬prehensive conversion tools. It will automatically calculate how many fluid ounces are in a litre, for example. It's a useful little software to have around.