When comparing Mastercook vs BigOven, the Slant community recommends BigOven for most people. In the question“What are the best personal recipe databases for PC? ” BigOven is ranked 5th while Mastercook is ranked 6th. The most important reason people chose BigOven is:
Use a single grocery list and menu plan with multiple accounts.
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Pros
Pro Helpful menu planning capabilities
This software can help you in planning meals. You can plan your breakfast, lunch and dinner for a day, the week or even an entire month.
Pro Makes shopping for groceries easier
When you already made your meal plan, it can make a shopping list and group the food per area in the grocery. This makes it easier for you to shop and saves you time. It can also estimate your food bill, though you have to input the price when you use it the first time.
Pro Huge number of preprogrammed recipes
Mastercook contains more than 8,000 recipes in its database.
Pro Helpful food tracking capability
This can track what's still available in your pantry. When you don't want to go out and shop, it will give you a number of recipe suggestions with the ingredients you have in your house.
Pro Household grocery list and menu planning sharing
Use a single grocery list and menu plan with multiple accounts.
Pro Can scan in handwritten and printed recipes
Can convert images to text.
Pro Allows ad-free use
With optional membership, lets you get rid of all ads and add unlimited recipes; great free trial model.
Pro Breaks down ingredients into nutritional info
Users can see the nutritional information of any meal based on the contents of the ingredients.
Pro Good grocery list creator
Pro Great organizational options
Great use of Folders -- can set them up for occasions, people you cook for, and more. Also the separate "Favorite" and "Try" list let you keep track of things that you'd like to try apart from those that are truly your favorite.
Pro Can upload your own photos of your typed-in recipes
Pro Offers a big list of recipes to search through and an advanced search
Has over 350.000 recipes to search through and an advanced search that allows setting dietary restrictions, ingredients to be added or excluded and what categories to search through.
Pro Everything syncs with web and other devices
Pro Offers a free trial
Pro Good menu planner
Pro Reasonable site-clipping
Cons
Con Charges for image scanning
BigOven lets users take pictures of handwritten or typed recipes and have them transcribed. The first 3 are free, and then it costs $20.00 per year for up to 25 additional scans.
Con You can't do very much with the FREE option - you pretty much have to pay the $20/year
Con Limited organizational options
Recipes can be saved to "Try", "Favorites" and "Folder" (creating folders requires a subscription). Additionally there are categories for recipes added and made.