Cook'n 2000

Amid these tools, the lack of a genuinely powerful search engine is a glaring omission. While it is possible to filter recipes to some extent, it is hard to search for particular ingredients. On the plus side, Cook'n 2000 is compatible with everything from a 486 computer to a PalmPilot, and it comes with an extensive gallery of recipe photographs and helpful videos.

Cook'n 2000's interface is simple and easy to navigate, with a series of clearly labeled buttons at the top, and recipe information compiled in the remaining screen. The database reflects a beginner's approach to cuisine. There are sections both for inexpensive dishes and ones that can be prepared on the run, and many recipes include prepared foods, such as cream of mushroom soup. Instructional videos cover basic cooking techniques and processes already familiar to more experienced cooks. The program allows long-term meal planning--if you want to work out a food schedule a year in advance, Cook'n 2000 will happily do so for you. This advance planning allows the program--and the user--to save time and energy with canny strategies called "dovetailing techniques." These entail tactics such as cooking twice as much macaroni as is needed for Monday's dinner so that users avoid repeating the same effort when Thursday's scheduled pasta dish rolls around.

These features make Cook'n 2000 the perfect cooking database for college students, new computer users, or anyone just learning how to plan and prepare meals. --Alyx Dellamonica

Amazon.com Product Description
Cook'n 2000 helps you prepare meals with speed and ease. With over 6,500 recipes from 70 cookbooks, you can create daily, weekly, and monthly menus, as well as reduce your preparation time. The software assists in creating shopping lists from your menus, and your lists are downloadable to your PalmPilot. Nutritional information from over 10,000 food labels ensures that you are satisfying your family's dietary needs.