DVO Cook'n Deluxe 6.0 - Ultimate Recipe Organizer

Cook'n Deluxe, a Windows-only program, adeptly performs all of the usual tasks expected of cooking CD-ROMs. Menu planners and recipe managers take the grunt work out of deciding what to cook and adjusting recipe amounts. One excellent, and very thorough, feature is the Grocery Shopping Assistant. Cooks decide on a recipe, open it, click on "list," and a grocery list appears, complete with preferred brand names, package sizes, estimated cost of the shopping trip, and a nutritional workup of the meal. With a couple of clicks, not only do we have a shopping list for Dixie Grits Casserole ($16.95), we also discover that one serving contains 19 grams of fat. Hardcore cybershoppers can send all of this information to their PalmPilot and hit the aisles.

The recipes are broken down into 70 cookbooks: Farmer's Market, Never Say Leftovers, Cooking on the Run, and 50 Pies are some of the titles. Recipes range from Corn Dog Squares to Choucroute Garni (sauerkraut and meat). We would have liked to see more fresh ingredients and a few more basics--there was no plain apple pie among the 50 Pies--but cooks can remedy that by entering their own recipes. An Enter the Ingredients section allows cooks to tally up whatever's sitting in the pantry, and search the entire database for recipes that match. Some recipes have accompanying photos, and a small handful have instructional videos that feel like filler--is it really necessary to demonstrate wrapping rolls in foil?

Cook'n Deluxe is a friendly program that's easy to use. Its strongest features are the amount of recipes it offers, and that "too much information" shopping list feature. The flavorless videos are probably this CD-ROM's weakest area, though the producers redeem themselves by hiding a yummy blooper reel of the cooking experts' goof-ups within the program. --Anne Erickson

Amazon.com Product Description
Cook'n Deluxe offers over 6,000 recipes and a host of features to make entertaining easier. Simply select the number of guests you will be serving and enter it into your favorite recipe. Cook'n calculates the new ingredient amounts for you. And a simple and drag-and-drop selection system allows you to compile weekly and monthly menus.

You can also search thousands of recipes in seconds. Enter the ingredients you have on hand, and the software will produce appropriate recipe choices. Or use the Recipe Browser feature to page through pictures of finished dishes to look for ideas. Download new recipes every week from the DVO Web site and import recipes from other Web sites or other cooking software.

The Recipe Manager allows you to add your own recipes, adjust recipe serving sizes, and print recipes on 3-by-5 cards. Quick-Fill editing does much of the typing for you. Menu planning instructions teach you how to cut preparation time in half by using dovetailing techniques when preparing your menus. The Grocery Shopping Assistant compiles your family's shopping list automatically, organizes shopping list items by aisle, converts to package sizes (i.e., tablespoon tomato paste to 8-ounce cans), and calculates your grocery cost. The PersonalHome Nutritionist analyzes the nutritional elements of recipes and menus, and lets you choose between brands to satisfy dietary needs. Cook'n has nutrition facts from the labels of 10,000 food products so you can plan menus based on dietary needs and tastes.