I really like MacGourmet for my laptop. But the linking between my phone and lap top is terrible. I have sent an email to no response. I truly wish they could fix the problem to make it a complete. People plan menus when they are out and need to buy ingredients.
This was an outstanding program for years. But the program has not worked now for more than 1 (2?) years - with the sync problems and duplicate library entry problems described below. Mariner has been promising fixes forever, but there have been NO fixes. Really, really, really disappointing customer care. I have had to move on. (I ended up moving to Paprika, not as elegant - but it actually works)
Waste of money and time. Sync isn't working, and hasn't for over a year with no expected time for resolution. Duplicated database doubling all recipes, and with no means of comparing and de-duping them. Support has indicated that they aren't abandoning the product, likely as they are still trying to sell it to squeeze whatever revenue they can from it, but it doesn't even deliver on its basic feature set. MacGourmet Deluxe and the iOS App Store MacGourmet have been major disappointments and I've wasted enough time and money on them. Mariner Software seems to be more interested in flogging discounted software to drive revenue than producing and maintaining the products they have produced and sold.
If I could give this less than one star I would. It fails to open all the time. Support is basically non existent. You have to wait days to get a response and then the solution never works so you have to wait days to get another response. I have had this software for 9 months and have only been able to use it intermittently. Awful. $49.95 that I will never get back.
I really like MacGourmet for my laptop. But the linking between my phone and lap top is terrible. I have sent an email to no response. I truly wish they could fix the problem to make it a complete. People plan menus when they are out and need to buy ingredients.
Synch hasn’t worked in months. They refuse to give updates or tell users when the software will work as advertised. Apparently, they continue to sell the product without disclosing the fact that it is not working.
Have had macgourmet for a year or so. Best recipe app out there. I have about 500 recipes that I can keep at my fingertips. Gives me nutritional info on whatever I am making among quite a few other things. Excellent app..
The latest update is absolute garbage. I lost my database or it fails to function because their cloud server database has been down for over a month!!!!! All my hard earned family recipes are not exportable or accessible.
Support is atrocious. I'm waiting over 2 weeks for a reply. I think the company is going to go out of business. DON"T BUY. I have used this program for over 5 years and it was great up until it wasn't. This is a disaster to lose your information.
Nice while you have it but wait till you change your computer or upgrade your system. No support and the darn program won't work. I have lost my massive collection of recipes that are sitting in a database but cannot be imported! Will the company help?.....nope. Would avoid this trash unless you are planning to have the same computer for the rest of your life.
Great app that keeps everything organized - integrates well with the iOS app through a cloud account. Could use some more website importers but even unsupported sites import pretty easily.
For Web_8 below, who queries why Mariner Software (since being sold) now requires users to sync through their servers, I strongly suspect the answer lies in my review below.
YOU are now the product.
Data-mined by four score or more advertising monetisers, partnered with Mariner Software, tracking and profiling you for onsale.
For Web_8 below, who queries why Mariner Software (since being sold) now requires users to sync through their servers, I strongly suspect the answer lies in my review below.
YOU are now the product.
Data-mined by four score or more advertising monetisers, partnered with Mariner Software, tracking and profiling you for onsale.
Functional for its purpose, but Adware which verges on Malware.
Check your firewall. Simply launching the program when connected to the internet will immediately connect the user to close on 100 (yes ONE HUNDRED) monetising advertising, tagging and tracking servers.
A sample of the first 15:
exelator.com
scanscout.com
dynamicyield.com
mathtag.com
infolinks.com
mediavoice.com
viglink.com
saymedia.com
hotjar.com
content.ad
crwdcntrl.net
supert.ag
kargo.com
eyeviewads.com
gwallet.com
I suggest anyone considering using this software install LittleSnitch, HandsOff, or something similar (or have some who knows what they are doing do it for you), and block those puppies.
I paid for a product. To database my recipes. I did not pay for Mariner Software to be renting me out as a live product to four score and more advertisers, taggers and trackers every time I go online.
Simply disgusting Mariner Software.
I'm sorry others are having such difficultly with the program and with Mariner Software. I can't comment on those. The program works very well for me and I see them continually working to keep the import function working for website that change their format/implementation. I find it easy to use and a great way to keep and rework recipes. I find most recipes are poorly written (even if the dish is excellent), and I like being able to import and then fix recipes I like.
I've been using MacGourmet for years on both iOS and Mac. On the plus side, it works. It's where I put all recipes,whether they's my own or from magazines or online. It's a good, very usable repository.
But on the negative side, it's been very buggy in the past and the company often rarely responds to bug reports. Still, I am able workaround most issues, so the program remains useful enough that I don't consider switching.
Latest version has made recipe import for sites work again, which was my main grumble.
So overall, it gets a B+ for utility, a D for support.
I don't like having to post bad reviews. However, I've sent multiple support requests, including crash logs, to have app crashing resolved. Nobody has contacted me back with any fixes. The lower tech support person said they will be passing it along to the developer. I was under the impression that I was contacting the developer when placing a support ticket, so that was weird. Now I have given them quite a long time to look into the problem without fixes. If you need support, I think you need to find software from a different company. Absolutely make full use of the demo before you hit the purchase button. I'm glad I found this one on special for $5. I'd be contacting my credit card company if I paid full price. But still I'm out $5 for a program that takes on average 5 tries to get it to open. This problem happens on my computer and my wife's computer so I know that I'm not the only person. If this were QuickBooks I'd be running the database rebuild tool. This program doesn't have one. Today I went to the Mariner website to check for an update and found that is was either crashed or hacked.
I truly hate it when a software application that you really like gets bought by a company that absolutely destroys its functionality. I've used a software package called MacGourmet, originally marketed by Advenio, to store recipes and catalog wines for years. It was an application that allowed me to sync all that information from my laptop to both my phone and iPad. The syncing was a bit clunky, but it worked. Then came Mariner Software, who bought up MacGourmet a couple years ago. They changed the syncing mechanism so that all data has to go through their cloud server (don't mind using a cloud server, but why they did not use dropbox or have an iCloud option is a mystery to me). Well, it doesn't work. Every time I edit a record their cloud server creates a new record so that I have two versions on my mobile device. The only way to fix this, because the error is in the cloud database, is for me to totally delete my Mariner cloud account and recreate using the clean database on my laptop. Then, I have to delete the app off my mobile devices and reinstall them with a new sync. Yuk!!!
I first reported this issue to Mariner last August. There is no evidence that their support team has made any effort whatsoever to address the issue. Frankly, based on my few email responses, which I no longer get, the issue is beyond their ability to fix. Further, they have now taken down their community discussion board (a hold over from Advenio) which was the only avenue uses had to vent their concerns. They also do not offer anything by email contact so you cannot even call and talk to a real person.
This used to be a great product. Now it is not worth the worries.
terrible- would give it zero stars if I could. The company I would also give zero stars. I have been raving about the old version of this product for years until I was forced to "upgrade" due to the old version no longer being supported. Now my shopping lists no longer sync. Customer service is absolutely non existent and tech support no longer responds to calls or emails since they can't figure out the problem. As far as I'm concerned it is theft for them to take money for something that doesn't work. Of course you can't reach anyone at the company to even try to get your money back. I'm so disappointed as this program was like my right hand to me. I was constantly using it and have spent thousands of hours creating the database. I have been promoting this product for years and this is the treatment I get.
The joke on MacGourmet continues...
Both MacGourmet 3 (Advenio) and MacGourmet Deluxe 3 (Mariner) are still sold in the MAS. @mariner, at least keep the old iOS apps for free in the iTunes Store and give users sync.
But here us my secret tip: Both Paprika iOS and OS X are on sale for the rest of the month
MAS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paprika-recipe-manager/id451907568?l=en&mt=12
iTunes App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/nl/app/paprika-recipe-manager-for/id406732590?l=en&mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/nl/app/paprika-recipe-manager-get/id392408028?l=en&mt=8
Happy Thanksgiving :)
I have to join the list of users who have owned MacGourmet Deluxe and did not get the offer email. I still have my emails from when I bought it 11/2010, checked my spam folder, but nada. Maybe I did opt out (they used to send a lot of email and I don't get them anymore). I have checked via the website and in App, but didn't see anything. I did get the message from the old owner who announced the sale, and I figured updates would come. However I didn't see anything more and started looking into Paprika.
So today I get the email from Appshopper.com telling me Paprika is on sale. I then stumble on this page to see MG 4 is out and was discounted. Maybe I would update if they offered me the deal, if not then I'll definitely switch to Paprika. MG is $25 right now...but the iOS app seems to be lacking.
Oh well, it was good but rarely used it in the last year or so. Without a real sync option I could use it just wasn't very useful. What it did was good, but just went too long as is and showed its age too much.
Back when MacGourmet Deluxe was one of the few games in town, I actually used this...and I bought it. The problem I always had was communications with the developer was difficult, and there was always the blurred line between MacGourmet and MacGourmet Deluxe being owned (apparently) by two different developers (or at least distributors). Sorry, but after Paprika came out I changed and have never looked back. And and now that Paprika 2.0 came out this week for iPad and iPhone I don't understand how there can even be a realistic comparison between the two apps.
You know how you can tell the people working on this don't actually use their own software? You cannot change the font size in the recipe pane. Seriously. It looks like the default size of some of the themes is 9pt. Good luck reading that!
Looks like everybody who got version 3 through MacHeist or some other promotion didn't receive the limited time upgrade offer in August. Very devious, Mariner!
Apparently, the company that originally developed MacGourmet Deluxe, Advenio, was acquired by Mariner. As part of the transition, they offered discounted upgrade pricing (only $9.95 instead of the normal $24.95) for existing version 3 users to upgrade to version 4:
https://marinersoftware.com/mgdaupgrade/
Unfortunately, I never received any communication from Advenio or Mariner about this, and I suspect others may be in the same boat. If you missed the promotion, I would contact Mariner and ask that they do the right thing and extend the offer to you.
I love this program. I use it constantly. I put any recipe I make (regard of source) into MacGourmet so that I can customize steps (many recipes are poorly written, even from top-flight sources), print the recipe for use in the kitchen so that I don't have to worry about anything getting dirty, there's good support for importing recipes from Cook's Illustrated and other recipes sources and I've found the developer responsive to questions and requests for functionality. I looked at a lot of recipe database programs before deciding which one to invest in (the upfront money is the smallest part of the investment) and this one has been perfect for me.
If you're getting this because you want to use it with the iPad app, you should know that the synchronization doesn't use Dropbox or iCloud (two of the more logical solutions), but uses a very clunky iTunes sync.
I really like this porgram, I have been using it for many years - although I am waiting to download this newest version as I am not sure if I will have to pay again or not. One criticism though: when making a cook book, I find that the index is pretty well useless, as it lists all the ingredients, but NOT the recipes names... If anyone has figured this out, please let me know. That would make ti the perfect program for me.
Mac Gourmet Deluxe is your kitchen's Evernote (without the "access anywhere" capabilities)
Features are good, actually: easy to import a recipe (it does work, actually. worth noting for a Mariner software), cookbook creator, meal planner and nutritional information...
Quite good, actually.
First My review is primarily about the syncing capabilities of this software. And understand I purchased the software based on its ability to sync with my iPad and iPhone. And originally it did sync via wifi, albeit with some issue, it did sync.
But for the last few months, Mariner has dropped the ball big on this software! First of all the desktop version is the best recipe software I've found and I've tried them all. I love the way the nutritional database incorporates and am not so turned off by the aesthetics as some. I do share some of the concerns expressed here about the lack of consistency of web recipe captures but that is not my biggest concern.
The integration with the iPad app is non existent moving as rapidly as possible in the wrong direction. Mariner dose not make the iPad/iPhone software and as usual in these cases you get the big pointed finger from both developers telling you it's the others fault that the only way you can get info form one to the other is cutting and pasting (file transfer via iTunes). The problem is that is not what I bought.
The program, as far as syncing goes, has taken a giant step backward. And comments from a developer about how difficult it is and how much time he spends is unwelcome when referring to a $55.00 set of software that no longer does what it did when you purchased it and now Mariner says talk to the other folks and they don't talk!!! The lack of movement on this has me ready to look else where for a recipe management tool. And if it comes to that I would never purchase another Mariner product.
Mariner, you need to take responsibility and fix this. You allow them to use the "MacGourmet" name leading unsuspecting buyers to purchase believing they are buying a software "set" that should work together. Yes I saw that the software was not made by Mariner, but a quick check of Mariners web site has links pointing you to the mobile software.
Where is the disclaimer that clearly states the mobile software may or may not work with our product and we will not support the mobile software we encourage you to buy by advertising it on our site and allowing it to have the same name. All the links and dialog boxes in the desktop version designed to interact with the mobile version are still there they just don't do anything or are greyed out.
The lack of real mobile support leaves a hole in this product!!! And the failure of Mariner to take some action/responsibility is even worse. This is an expensive product and the developers lack of concern about this gapping hole makes it an expensive product with fewer features than many of it's competitors for those who have a need for the convienent syncing capabilities.
As it stands I have to update the main database, hard quit the iPad version / or reset my iPad, locate my database, copy it to iTunes and then sync my entire iPad to update a single recipe for a set of Apps I paid $55.00 for??? Or I guess I could just print off the recipe and take the paper to the kitchen, but wait isn't that what I paid the $55.00 to not have to do??
Is this what you had in mind Mariner??? The low rating is primarily because no matter how good it is I should not be tethered to my desktop when trying to use a cookbook with an iPad / iPhone app. I know some will say just take a laptop to the kitchen but then I should not have had to pay for the mobile version if that is the solution.
The one that shipped with the bundle - which wasn't THAT long ago was version 1.0.5 - now it's 3.1.1.
It's a paid upgrade for $25 - which means to me they threw it in the bundle just before they updated the version..
Anyway, with programs like souschef not costing an arm and a leg, and standing by their bundle buyers - I can't see giving Mariner any more money.. plus they spam like there's no tomorrow. I think I have clicked unsubscribe to their emails 100 times now.
I can only base a review on the old version, which wasn't very good.. maybe this one is better - but at this price - I'll never know.
That said, it may well be worth it, and people deserve to get paid.. but printing some out and binding them is virtually free.. I make my own grocery lists anyway, and don't make foods that are high in calories and fat.. so I guess I'm not the target audience as this seems to be more work than benefit.
The best there is! Easy to import recipe files from the internet. Smart folders are great. Searches are easy. MGD even compiles a shopping list for you based on the recipes you have planned! A real time saver. Especially I like the ability for full screen viewing so that I can read the recipe from halfway across the room.
I like this application quite a bit, however, I don't think the upgrade is worth $25. Last month I could buy it for 30% off (full version) and before that they had a few 40%-off coupons. If they come up with one of their coupons for an upgrade I will consider it, otherwise I will wait to see it in a bundle. Meanwhile I'll stay with the previous version, which is very good. As much as I like it, to me it's not worth the upgrade fee.
I enjoy this application. It is easy to use and very efficient with all the plugins in one deluxe edition. This along with the iphone app make culinary life virtually effortless. My one suggestion is to allow some slight customization with the list and wizards. For example, I don't care so much about wine; however, I do use a beer journal. In fact, i'm currently using "My Wine Notes" as my beer journal. My only complaint is the simple fact that it looks weird when it's labeled "Winery" instead of brewery" or "Wine Notes" instead of Beer Notes. If there is any way that you will allow optional customization of this section in a future release, I would be very grateful. Congratulations on a very useful app.
I am so glad to have this app. I had 100's of recipes in my files, some plain text, some saved web pages. The problem as overwhelming to re-type them into a new database or other program. MacGourmet's method of importing as a text clipping makes it very easy to get everything in the right place by highlighting and clicking. And now there's an Ipod/Iphone app - I have exported all the recips and I can actually view a recipe in the store if I've forgotten something.
Thanks for the update! I noticed a folder of "Extras" with a bunch of zip files for recipe importers. Do these install automatically, or do I need to unzip them? If so, where should I put them so they are used by MacGourmet?
Thanks for the website updates....that most be a constantly changing and moving target!
I love this program....it so cool the way it can grab entire recipes from a website and parse out all the elements for you automatically. And even if you want to grab a recipe at a non-supported site, the program can still grab all the images and text via a hot key or Services menu, and then help you quickly slice and dice via the smart interface. Good stuff..although now I probably have more cool recipes than I can possibly do in a lifetime! But, I have choices! :)
When I first purchased MacGourmet, a couple of years ago, it was a great program. Then you could get replies to email and even better, you rarely needed to email them because it just worked.
Over time they've tried to keep up with the very good web import functions YummySoup! has for working with all the primary food sites (FoodNetwork.com, etc.) and now the imports hardly ever work. People complain about this in their forum all the time and all they say is "it's the site's fault...we'll fix it in the next update..." but the next update seems to never come, or is so far away that it does no good.
I like the feature set of MacGourmet more than anything out there right now, but I'm tired of their web recipe imports not working as advertised. The next best choice is YummySoup! which does an unbelievably great job in importing recipes from the online cooking sites, but the current version is still not up to par with all the other features of MacGourmet.
Bottom line is if you want the best imports from recipe sites you need to use YummySoup! (which will supposedly be upgraded soon to version 2.0) or if you need all the extra features like cooking tools needed, word region categories for recipes, and many other extraneous info, then MacGourmet would be your best bet...at least for now.
Why can't this program import simple RTF text. Why do you have to copy/paste text. Most of my recipes are in RTF format. Why invest in a product that is so limited.
If you are entering recipes from scratch (not importing them from another recipe program), this program is the first Mac-based cooking software program that is worth paying for. While there are some minor irritations (what program does not have those?!), after considerable use, I can enthusiastically recommend this software.
I do have one significant complaint about this software that pertains to the importing of recipes from other recipe software. While the software says it can import from other programs (I previously was using Cook'n), it does a very poor job of actually importing each recipe. I have an extensive recipe collection in Cook'n. After importing recipes into MacGourmet Deluxe, I found I had to manually go into EVERY recipe and make corrections. In many instances, the import would actually take a portion of one recipe and add it to an adjacent recipe. On other instances entire recipes would be omitted from the import. It would also place items in the wrong place within a recipe. This, of course, is totally unacceptable. My recommendation is that, if you have a large electronic recipe collection and unless you plan on manually editing virtually every imported recipe, this software may not be for you.
Aside from that importation issue, this really is a great software program.
This app rocks! It just keeps getting better and better. Its definitely my favorite recipe manager, by a long shot. I feel guilty calling it a "recipe manager", it does soooooooooo much more. Shopping lists, portion conversion, access to nutritional information, etc. etc. One thing I can say about MacGourmet Deluxe that I can rarely say about any other application (regardless of genre) is that everything I've wanted to do, it does. This application is super intuitive. I can honestly say that I cook more now than ever before because of MacGourmet Deluxe. The developers have seriously thought of everything. Thanks a bunch Mariner, keep up the great work!
Is there any disadvantage to buying this "bundle" over the standard version direct from Advenio.com?
For example, if the distribution deal with Mariner Software ends, will I be able to continue to get free updates of MacGourmet and the three plugins from Advenio? I'm a little leery of buying the bundle because of this...
I originally received this as part of a MU Promo bundle. I sent it my wife's way and she loves it. I've even taken to d/l recipes from some of the online resources. It's quite simple to use and the layout (gui) is exceptional. Nice program for a very reasonable price.
Plus, it has a good beat and you can dance to it.
I find the possibilities of this program to be really exciting for anyone who likes to have things they care about, in this case cooking and wine, organized and accessible. It gives you one place to plan meals, access recipes & wines, rate them, create them and you can also make a cook book.
I gave it a 4 because there are a few things that I think could improve.
1. When adding a meal or what you actually going to prepare you have to go down to the wheel for each step and that made me frustrated. I just wanted to be able to click on Breakfast and fill in what we will be having. Am I getting lazy or what!
2. I also wish was that they had an icon on the main work page where I could just click on for the meal plan. It would just be nice to have a visual of it. There is a short-cut to meal planning which almost makes up it.
3. The shopping list is a little difficult to figure out from the meal planning section. However they do have a user guide that can be very helpful.
I had plans on creating such a system but to be honest I would rather cook. Now I just need to find one of those covers for my key board so I can go create some new secret family recipes! You can also take pictures of your master piece and add it to your recipe.
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How would you rate MacGourmet Deluxe app?
Read 52 MacGourmet Deluxe User Reviews
But on the negative side, it's been very buggy in the past and the company often rarely responds to bug reports. Still, I am able workaround most issues, so the program remains useful enough that I don't consider switching.
Latest version has made recipe import for sites work again, which was my main grumble.
So overall, it gets a B+ for utility, a D for support.