The Great Recipe Wrangle

By Jennifer Chappell Smith

I long to gather all my go-to recipes in one place. The personal faves in the type-written cookbook my mom compiled. The cake batter-splattered index cards from friends. And the chocolate chip-pumpkin muffin recipe that I have to Google every time I want to make it for my kids. (It’s a Nestlé recipe; Google “Kids Favorite Chocolate Chip Muffins,” and bam, you’ll find it!)

But surely there’s a smarter way for both you and me to corral our favorite recipes. With the holidays coming, these top tech-friendly apps and more traditional ideas may help:

MyRecipes.com

A searchable database of recipes from Southern Living, Cooking Light, and other magazines, this site allows you to create a profile and store your favorite recipes in one spot. Its personalized recipe box section, which can be accessed with the Cozi app, allows you to store recipes from the site and from around the web. (Free)

MyRecipes Daily Indulgence app for iPad

Did you sign up to bring the dessert? Access more than 400 dessert recipes and drool over the “dessert of the day” when you open this app. (Free)

SousChef for iPad or iPhone

Billing itself as “your digital cooking assistant,” this app allows you to search over 200,000 recipes and links to Dropbox so you can save the ones you want to try later. ($9.99)

BigOven Pro

Search the recipes on BigOven.com for free and see if it lives up to its motto: “the best recipe organizer, grocery list, and menu app for home cooks.” If you purchase a subscription, the BigOven Pro app for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows phones offers unlimited recipe storage; personal notes on recipes; ad-free pages; nutritional data; and 25 free recipe scans — just snap a photo of a recipe and upload it to the app. (Free; $1.99 per month)

Epicurious

The Epicurious app offers more than 30,000 recipes from Bon Appétite, Gourmet, and more, and it includes a shopping list for each dish. (Free)

Food Network In the Kitchen app

The go-to TV channel about food has a go-to site and app for Apple and Android users. Use it to collect recipes from your favorite celebrity chefs and TV cooks. (Free)

Before the holiday season kicks into high gear, spend some time whipping your recipe box into shape, and then get cooking! You’ll be glad you did.

SOURCES:

http://www.myrecipes.com/ and https://my.cozi.com/meals/?box (the Cozi-powered app associated with MyRecipes.com)

Daily Indulgence: http://www.myrecipes.com/myrecipes-ipad-app

SousChef: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/souschef-find-cook-great-recipes/id364906619?mt=8

http://www.bigoven.com/pro; bigoven.com

For epicurious and food network:

epicurious.com apps: http://www.epicurious.com/services/mobile

Food Network apps: http://www.foodnetwork.com/site/apps.html