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Recipe Manager V 3.0 (PC/Mac)

The Data Manager
Oz Clarke's Wine Guide 2001

Dorling Kindersley Ltd

When it comes to wine, many of us know what we like and what we don't like, but this knowledge is often based on experience rather than on a real understanding of wine. When choosing a new wine, a snoop around the supermarket with half an eye on price is often the main technique used. Instead of that, why not dip into Oz Clarke's Wine Guide 2001. You may recognise the man from his various TV appearances, but in case you don't it is worth noting that he is a wine expert with a friendly and humorous way of presenting his subject--and you get to see plenty of videos of him doing just that on this CD.
The CD divides its contents into separate sections. You can learn about how to taste wine: everything from what kind of glass to use--red really does benefit from a large bowl shaped glass--to how to sniff it, and example videos using real wines show Oz Clarke actually performing tastings. A world atlas of wine tells you about how wine is classified, while an encyclopaedia is there for you to look up your favourite tipple. It has over 2000 entries. A section on matching food and wine helps you decide what goes well with what, while if you would like to know more about generalia, from wine labels to grape varieties, there is an "all about wine" section for browsing. Finally, a wine selector allows you to enter variables such as what food you want to eat with your wine, where in the world you want it to come from, and what grape variety you prefer. It will make suitable suggestions.
This is a superbly well-constructed CD ROM: fun to browse and easy to search for specifics, the on-screen design is delightful, and the information content plentiful. --Sandra Vogel
MarketSoft Chinese Cookery Secrets

MarketSoft

Extremely easy to use software book with over 200 Secretly guarded Chinese restaurant recipes. Now you can cook all your favourite Chinese Restaurant meals at home. Save money and impress your friends! Crispy aromatic duck, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Chow Mein and many many more. Supplied as OEM CD.
Instant Recipes : Your Own Electronic Cookbook

Avanquest Software
Cocktail Classics

Softkey
Compton's Complete Interactive Cookbook

Mindscape

We have all been in the situation of wanting to cook a nice new recipe but not knowing where to start. The Complete Interactive Cookbook brings together over 2,500 recipes on one CD, ready to tempt the taste buds. So what? you ask. Aren't there hundreds of books that list recipes? There are, but can you search a book to find just those recipes that contain the combination of ingredients you have to hand? Or to find those that take a particular length of time to cook (handy if you're short on time), or those that are high or low in particular nutritional elements? The Complete Interactive Cookbook can combine all these search criteria to find recipes that meet your precise needs.
A good CD-ROM-based cookbook has room for your own recipes, and here you can add your favourites to those on board. There are other extras like the automatic creation of shopping lists, the ability to edit the on-board recipes if you have a preferred method, and a library of "chefs tips" covering everything from a video on filleting fish to explanations of what all those vitamins actually do. Strong on design and very flexible, this is a cookbook worth adding to your CD-ROM library. --Sandra Vogel
Schwartz World Cuisine Recipe Book

Avanquest Software
The Interactive Food Guide

Focus Multimedia Ltd
The World of Wine

Mindscape
Mastercook: Two Fat Ladies (DVD Case)

Focus Multimedia Ltd
Ultimate Wine Encyclopaedia

Avanquest Software
Oz Clarke¿s Wine Guide 2001

Focus Multimedia Ltd

When it comes to wine, many of us know what we like and what we don't like, but this knowledge is often based on experience rather than on a real understanding of wine. When choosing a new wine, a snoop around the supermarket with half an eye on price is often the main technique used. Instead of that, why not dip into Oz Clarke's Wine Guide 2001. You may recognise the man from his various TV appearances, but in case you don't it is worth noting that he is a wine expert with a friendly and humorous way of presenting his subject--and you get to see plenty of videos of him doing just that on this CD.
The CD divides its contents into separate sections. You can learn about how to taste wine: everything from what kind of glass to use--red really does benefit from a large bowl shaped glass--to how to sniff it, and example videos using real wines show Oz Clarke actually performing tastings. A world atlas of wine tells you about how wine is classified, while an encyclopaedia is there for you to look up your favourite tipple. It has over 2000 entries. A section on matching food and wine helps you decide what goes well with what, while if you would like to know more about generalia, from wine labels to grape varieties, there is an "all about wine" section for browsing. Finally, a wine selector allows you to enter variables such as what food you want to eat with your wine, where in the world you want it to come from, and what grape variety you prefer. It will make suitable suggestions.
This is a superbly well-constructed CD ROM: fun to browse and easy to search for specifics, the on-screen design is delightful, and the information content plentiful. --Sandra Vogel
Eastern Delights

Q/Europress
20000 Recipes

Cosmi Europe Ltd
Interactive Wine Cellar

Wiz Technology
10,000 Recipes

Cosmi Europe Ltd

The biggest advantage of Cosmi's 10,000 Recipes is revealed in its sheer volume. Unlike a traditional cookbook, however, recipes aren't arranged by theme, so it makes browsing a long and arduous task, starting with "A boiled dinner" and finishing, 9,999-odd recipes later with Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie). If one is to get any satisfaction out of this CD-ROM, brushing up on your keyword search skills is advisable.
Search methods here are by keyword, ingredients (perhaps the most useful methods), recipe name, and preparation time. The disadvantage of the voluminous catalogue here is that, for example, a simple keyword search under chicken delivers thousands of recipes, some of which might contain a mere teaspoon of chicken broth. Yet keyword searching is also the beauty of a CD-ROM cookbook: entering the terms "kiwi" and "dessert" yielded 25 results, from Ben and Jerry's Kiwi Ice Cream to Aloha Cheesecake.
The database is internationally well-represented. A keyword search using the word Thai resulted in spicy dishes ranging from Lemon Grass Seafood Combination to Fiery Shrimp Curry. While instructions are generally clear, a search under the keyword Japanese promised Salmon Sushi, and delivered a recipe consisting of vinegar and salt, with no mention of the fish.
Handiest trick: a yield-conversion tool converts ingredient measurements if you'd like to adjust a recipe for six people into a meal for two, saving you headaches with a calculator. It also prints out recipes in index card size. Searches for recipes with obscure ingredients like millet resulted in a healthy, interesting array of options, as did searches under the terms "diabetic" (24 recipes) and "low fat". A few recipes even featured nutritional breakdown--fat, calories, protein, carbohydrates etc--though this only featured on worthily named recipes such as "Banana Health Loaf". Presumably, if you're making the Black Forest Cheesecake Delight, you'd rather not know about fat content. --Hugh Graham
Key Gourmet

Softkey
Interactive Wine Cellar

Wiz Technology
MasterCook: Two Fat Ladies

Sierra

There are only 200 recipes on MasterCook Two Fat Ladies, but what recipes they are. Anyone familiar with the antics of the Two Fat Ladies on TV or with their printed cookbooks (including Two Fat Ladies and Two Fat Ladies: Full Throttle may recognise some of the fare. For those not familiar with the TV series, it is safe to say that the recipes have a tendency towards the rich side, suitable for those of large appetites, and not really ideal for vegetarians. While there are some veggie dishes included, the dinner time cry is more likely to be "pheasant and pickled walnut terrine, anyone?", than "gratin of beetroot tonight, dear?"
There are some nice features here that can't be found in a cookbook: quantities can be automatically adjusted to suit the number of people you want to feed; the software can suggest alternatives if a recipe involves ingredients you don't have or don't like; and you can assess the nutritional information about each recipe at an almost frightening level of detail. You can also add your own recipes to the database and create shopping lists automatically.
Despite the death of one of the Ladies, their reputation as cooks endures, and with this CD-ROM you can have a go at recreating some of their great meals--and watch your nutritional intake as well. --Sandra Vogel
Mastercook: Two Fat Ladies (CD Case)

Focus Multimedia Ltd