"Chef View" hears, speaks for use in kitchen

Mariner Software have updated their recipe, nutrition and wine management program MacGourmet Deluxe to version 3.0, offering a new Shopping List feature, recipe importing, and allowing users more customization of their existing recipes. The program sports an overhauled interface, lets users print a professional-looking cookbook and has a new "Chef View" that makes it easier to use the program while actually in the kitchen.

"Chef View" will speak recipes out loud, accept voice commands and supports the Apple Remote, letting users bring the program into the kitchen and use it even when their hands are busy. Recipes found on the web can be easily imported and formatted with the Import Assistant, and collections can now be printed using a beautiful cookbook template.

Further improvements include the ability to scale recipes down or up depending on the number of desired servings, and a Shopping List which can save stock items and provides a checkbox if users have a coupon for an item. They can also now customize their recipe or wine collections by highlighting, adding images or labelling items throughout the program.

The user interface has been spiffed up and a new "Feedback" option encourages users to communicate requests and issues to the company. It also sports new themes and visual improvements and 150 hand-picked recipes included.

Mariner's development partner Advenio has also updated its MacGourmet standard program to 3.0 in line with Mariner. The Advenio version does not include the Mealplan, Nutritional Analysis and Cookbook features of the Deluxe edition, instead selling them as optional plug-ins.

MacGourmet Deluxe v3 is available now for $50, with upgrades for existing users priced at $25. Advenio's MacGourmet edition v3 is priced at $29, and users can upgrade for $10.

by MacNN Staff