The current situation

• I own a few cookbooks, either I bought them or they were gifts. They all have different formats.
• When I want to cook something special that isn’t in the cookbooks, I search the internet for a recipe. Then I tend to print it for later use.
• If I happen to find an interesting recipe in a magazine, I cut it out or copy it.
• I try to keep those sheets within a folder, ordered alphabetically.

The problem

• Apparently I’m not fast enough to process the papers waiting to be copied and/or sorted.
• The drawer where the cookbooks and the papers are stored is crowded.
• To find a recipe involving potatoes and mushrooms, which can be cooked in less than 45 min, I have to rely on my memory, indices in books, an arbitrary alphabetical categorization, as well as going throught loose sheets.
• The experience can be frustrating, especially if I have no time to recall and ponder.

The solutions

Solution 1: Optimize the system in use

It should be possible to optimized the current process to get more satisfaction out of it.

How

• Order the sheets in the folder in categories like appetizer, main dish, dessert, etc., to better target the appropriate direction at first.
• Convert every recipe found in a book, a magazine or online into a page in the cookbook folder. Rather quickly and methodically.
• Store the unprocessed stuff somewhere else than in the drawer, where there would be only “finished” recipes – those which are already cut out, pasted, copied, ordered.

Disadvantages

• Searching
  • If I only have some potatoes and mushrooms left at home, I still have to go through the whole “Main dish” part of the folder to find a recipe.
  • If I just desperately want to eat goat cheese, regardless of the combination, I’ll have to go through the whole cookbook folder.
• Handling
  • I will have a bunch of unproccessed recipes waiting for me to manage them before I can use them. I probably will postpone the work until the next Christmas holiday. (And then I’ll have something better to do.)
  • The paper formats are all different, and some won’t fit nicely in my folder.
• Scalability
  • If I’m given 3 more cookbooks as presents within the next 6 years, I’ll have to get a second folder.
  • I could scale to the “Desserts folder”, while the “Main dish folder” will grow and the contents soon will need even more folders. After 10 years, I’ll have an entire shelf filled with cookbook folders. In the kitchen.

Solution 2: Go digital

While the current system still can be digitalized without having to request a 3 months leave from work, it is important to take a look at the possibilities.

How

• Digitalize all the recipes that are on paper.
• Have a system to store them.
• Enter new recipes directly into the system.

Possible implementations

• Use a native system, e.g. a cooking recipes management software to install on a computer.
• Use a script that already covers most of the functions I need, e.g. Maian Recipe.
• Use a Wiki or Wiki-like CMS.
• Design and create an own system. (With 2 techies in the house, this is an option I can consider without flinching.)

Disadvantages

• Entering data into a digital system is not neccessarily as easy as placing a sheet of paper into a folder. It may be formatted correctly for the program to accept it.
• There are many programs on the market and there are nice ones, but a native system is very binding. I’d like to separate my data pool from any interface, to be able to use it as I see fit. (I may want to publish an eBook about cooking some day, right?)
• Enhancing an existing script which I haven’t coded myself can be a pain. The cookbook project should keep a fun factor.
• While I love to design a database’s architecture, I don’t like parsers. Sentences like “Honey, if you don’t get the parser to work I won’t be able to cook dinner today!” are definitely not in the scope of my relationship.

The choice

I decided to give MediaWiki a chance.

Advantages

• Entering a recipe, either typing it or pasting it from another source, is pretty easy when you’re familiar with Wikis (I am).
• A library takes care of image handling. (Yes, I’m getting lazy!)
• The search function fits my needs.
• The system is scalable.
• It’s free and it’s open source.

Now, how do you manage your cooking recipes at home?

1. Morning Coffee
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2677
   Maybe a Firefox startpage is not enough for you. Do you want to know what’s going on in your company’s wiki on a daily basis? Have a look at your JIRA assigned issues in the morning? Want to login in your ticketing system every second day? Morning Coffee is the answer.
   You can configure the add-on to load many websites when you click on a single button in the Firefox toolbar, and even tell it to open a few only on Mondays and Wednesdays. That’s a really good start in the working day!
2. Sage
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/77
   Sage is a light-weight RSS feed reader. Its interface is seamless but it works streamlined. A must to stay tuned about what’s going on in your particular expertise domain.
3. Read it later
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7661
   Did you forgot where you saved this website you were looking at last week in the infinite realm of your bookmarks? Read it later is for you. With this add-on you just click on a button to remember an interesting page you see on the web. It provides synching so you have access to your reading list from everywhere. You’ll never loose any hot link again!
4. Web Developer
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60
   A must for IT professionals. Web Developer provides a lot of – you guessed – web development tools like screen resize, table outline and image hiding, to name a few.
5. MeasureIt
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/539
   Tidy, placed in the browser’s status bar, this add-on allows you to measure on screen. Ideal for getting a quick idea of an image’s dimensions or a form field’s width.
6. ColorZilla
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/271
   Also in the status bar, ColorZilla picks colors on the screen and gives you the color’s code in hex and RGB.
7. Firebug
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843
   Another typical web developer’s add-on, Firebug has become the practical alternative to “View source”. It is full-blown with lots of features which will convince you.
8. TwitterBar
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4664
   Allows you to tweet a site you’re just visiting on click. You can automatically add a prefix to your tweet (like “Currently browsing:”) and set it up to ask you for confirmation every time before posting.
9. SearchPreview
   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/189
   Formerly know as GooglePreview. Shows a screen preview for each search result in your favorite search engine.
10. Personas Plus
    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10900
    This one is for the wellness of your eyes. Make your browser look like an irish pub during St. Patrick’s day’s party or ornate it with your newest favorite movie’s cover.

Enjoy your enhanced Firefox experience and tell us what your top add-ons are!