Shop’NCook Blog

Shop’NCook software comes with about 2000 grocery items, most of them with nutritional data. It is sufficient for many purposes, but does not cover everything. Occasionally, you will encounter ingredients not in the database. This post shows step by step how easy it is to add an ingredient to the database and include it in the nutritional analysis of your recipes.

1. Adding an ingredient to the database

Display the Shopping List manager tab, click on the Edit button to open the database editor. Select “Extended List” in the Tools menu to display all the categories and items of the database. Choose the appropriate category. Click on the NewItem button and type the new item name. In the Pro edition, you can also input the cost information to include the ingredient in your cost calculations.

Click on OK to save the change to the database.

2. Accessing the nutritional information

Locate the new item in the Shopping List panel and click on the question mark next to it.

This will open the nutritional information window (still empty). Click on the Edit button to reach the nutritional information editor.

In the Nutritional information editor, you can add the nutritional data and the unit conversion data.

3. Adding nutritional data

You input the nutritional data in the bottom area of the Nutritional information editor window. The default quantity of the ingredient is 100 g. If you want to input the nutrient values for another quantity, make sure  to first set the correct ingredient quantity and click on Apply. Input then the nutritional values corresponding to the quantity selected.

When you don’t know the value of a nutrient, leave it just empty. A good place to find the nutritional values of your ingredients is the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

4. Adding unit conversion data

Unit conversion data allows Shop’NCook to compute the nutritional information of ingredients for a vast number of quantities and units of measure.

For example: Ginger snaps in recipes is often specified in number of pieces, like: 3 ginger snaps. In order to compute the nutritional facts, Shop’NCook needs to know the weight of the cookies. This information is input in the top part of the nutritional editor window. Click the Add button in the Unit information area to add Unit conversion information. Type the name of the unit and the corresponding weight. For no unit, type “each” or leave empty. Click then OK to save the unit.

In the same way, you can input the weight of one cup of crumbs. Note that it is enough to add the weight of one volume unit (like cup). Shop’NCook will deduct from it the weight of all the other volume units.

Here is below the completed nutrition editor window:

Click then on Save to save the nutritional information.

The new ingredient can now be correctly included in the nutritional analysis and costing of the recipes. Here is a recipe as example to conclude this post:

GINGER SNAP PIE CRUST

Yield: 8  servings  of 1/8 of 9 inch pie crust
Total food cost: USD2.24
Food cost per portion: USD0.28

1 1/2 c.    ginger snaps crumbs
2 tbsp.    sugar
1/4 c.    butter, melted

Combine ginger snaps and sugar in a small bowl. Add butter, mix well. Press mixture into bottom and sides of a lightly greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. Yield: one 9 inch pie crust.

Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 163kcal; Protein 1g (3%); Total Fat 8g (12%)(Sat. 4g (18%)); Chol. 15mg (5%); Carb. 22g (7%); Fiber 1g (2%); Sugars 8g; Calcium 20mg (2%); Iron 2mg (9%); Folate 21µg; Vit. B12 0µg (0%); Trans fat 0g
———-

Exported from Shop’NCook Pro 3.4.3

I have added support for the optional vitamins and minerals in the free nutritional facts labeling tool. In order to add an optional vitamin or mineral, select first the checkbox “Include optional vitamins or minerals” to display the list of optional vitamins and minerals, then select the checkboxes next to the nutrients you want to add to the nutrition fact label.

The optional vitamins and minerals that are supported now are:

• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
•  Vitamin K
• Thiamin
• Riboflavin
• Niacin
• Vitamin B6
• Folate
• Vitamin B12
• Biotin
• Pantothenic acid
• Phophorus
• Iodine
• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Copper
• Manganese
• Chromium
• Molybdenum
• Chloride

I went yesterday to a barbecue organized by the parents of my eldest daughter’s class and brought a plum tart to share - a traditional Swiss summer pie. About half of it had been eaten when my husband sprayed generously the remaining slices with unsweetened whipped cream. The whipped cream matches well the bitterness of the plums and is also a traditional topping.

This action created a commotion among the moms and nobody took another slice. The consensus among the parents was: whipped cream is too fattening.

Here is the picture of the pie below. What do you think?

Would YOU eat it?

Consider well: the thick layer of whipped cream, the healthy fruits, the custard and the crust. Then, stack it up against your dietary goals. Then decide. Would you eat it with the whipped cream? And how about without? (Write your answer in the comments before reading on!)
Read the rest of this entry →

Combining recipes is a powerful feature of Shop’NCook software that makes it easy to reuse recipes by combining them with other recipes, like recipes for sauce or dough that may be common to several preparations. Combining recipes makes it easier to manage your collection, as you only have to make changes in one place to update all the recipes using this preparation.

A recipe that includes other recipes looks as follows:

The ingredient “hollandaise sauce” is underlined to show that it links to a recipe.

If you click on Hollandaise sauce, the following recipe opens, correctly scaled to the required quantity:

Also, the nutritional analysis of the Brussels sprouts recipe, the list of ingredients to add to the shopping list, as well as the cost estimate include the ingredients of Hollandaise sauce.

Read the rest of this entry →

Shop’NCook Pro lets you estimate the cost of your recipes in a mostly automatic way, but you may need to some adjustments to get an accurate costing. I will show you how in this post.

Adding cost data

To cost out recipes, you have to make sure first to input cost data for the ingredients in the database. The first time you start Shop’NCook Pro, you have the possibility to import a cost database. If you skipped this step, don’t panic! You can still import it by selecting “Import cost data” in the Costing menu of the Shopping List manager tab. The cost database is there to help you get a quick start with the costing functions. For accurate costing, you will have to input your own cost data from your suppliers. Staple prices greatly vary depending on the region and the season!

Inputting your own cost data

To add your own data, click on the Edit button of the Shopping List manager tab. This will open the database editor. Select “Extended list” in the Tools menu to display all the 2000 items of the database. The cost data is input in the three columns on the right: quantity, cost unit and cost.

For example: quantity: 1, cost unit: quart, cost: 2.59, i.e. the cost of one quart of the ingredient.

Tip: you are not limited to the choice displayed in the pull down menu of the cost unit, but can type any unit of your choice in the field.

Automatic cost estimate

Once the software knows the cost data, it is able to compute automatically the cost of your recipes. Here is how the costing window may look initially:

Read the rest of this entry →

Trans fat has been added to the free online nutrition facts panel tool, to comply to FDA amendment to section 101.9(c), requiring that trans fat content is added to the nutrition facts panel below the saturated fat. More info…

This is last minute, but… If you haven’t yet planned your Christmas day menu, are expecting visitors, don’t know what to make and how… This could be a life saver.

There is a hidden Christmas menu in Shop’NCook Menu and Pro.

Click on the Library tab of the Calendar, select “Example of complete menu” and display the Menu manager. Just set the number of servings, add the ingredients to the shopping list, print the menu and the recipes… and you are good to go!

Merry Christmas to all!

Have you noticed the new software boxes on Shop’NCook website for a few days? Aren’t they pretty? A very talented designer made them for me. I had done the previous ones myself. Here they are:

Before:

After:

It is easy to see why it is not my artistic talents that make Shop’NCook such a great software…

Anyway, here is the holiday special:

Order before December 20 Shop’NCook Home, Menu or Pro with a back-up CD in a sleeve (it costs just $10 more than the version for download), and receive instead the CD in a DVD box with the pretty new covers. Plus, the shipping is on me! Wouldn’t Shop’NCook make a great gift for Christmas?

Note: according to USPS holiday guidelines, packages shipped in the US by priority mail before or on December 20 should reach you by December 25.

This video explains why ingredients are sometimes converted to shopping units when adding from recipes - and sometimes not. It also shows how to change the preferred shopping units to any units of your choice.

You can watch below three new features of the recipe editor in action. They are small improvements which should improve the usability and user experience of the editor. Do not miss the previous post on how to import a recipe in less than 20 seconds.