A novel way to use Calibre

svenlind · 08-12-2017, 09:23 AM

I used to have 3, now I have four libraries in Calibre.

One is a usual library with almost all my books, two is library that I use to books/collection from Delphi classics.

The third I use to all kinds of manuals and user guides to the myriad of devices in the home.

Now Calibre can be used to organise all kind of files.

Over the years I have collected several recipes from the net, often screenshots that I save in a Word document and then save the file in a directory using a suitable name. This directory is now a mess where it is a difficult to find a recipe that I know should be present.

Now, why not use Calibre? This is my fourth Calibre Library.
You can import the document typically a DOC or PDF file, and edit metadata to give it a suitable title.
The tags could be something like Chicken, Chorizo, Bacon and so on.
The comments field can contain, well comments, but also the list of ingredients.

You can copy/paste contents from the recipe and use as a cover.

I am now transferring all my recipes to Calibre, a quite and satisfying occupation on a rainy day.

Deskisamess · 08-12-2017, 10:25 AM

I use Evernote to organize my recipes. That way, I always have access to them, on all my iDevices.

fidvo · 08-14-2017, 12:22 PM

I've been using Calibre for recipes for years. It may not have been designed as a recipe catalog program, but it sure seems that way. A recipe has certain qualities that makes Calibre an ideal system for storing it.

Recipes are usually self-contained documents; i.e. everything you need to know is stored in one file. Calibre works well with self-contained documents, not so well with documents spanning more than one file. (HTML is a special case, which Calibre handles great)

Recipes that you store on the computer will usually be in standard formats, such as pdf, docx, or html. Calibre can read most of these with its internal viewer, but it can send the others to the operating system to handle.

A recipe will often be ambiguously categorized if you can only put it in one category. If you're looking for your favorite chicken pasta recipe, do you look under Main Dish, Pasta, or Chicken? Calibre lets you tag it with all three and look it up by any of them.

Calibre lets you define custom columns in its database. You can be as obsessive/compulsive as you want. If you want to track every ingredient in every recipe, you can set up an "ingredients" field. If you want to track calories, go right ahead.

Finally, Calibre lets you send documents to portable devices. Want to put your recipes on your tablet so you can take them into the kitchen with you? Easy enough.

Aside from ebooks, I can't think of another type of file more suited to Calibre's interface.

08-12-2017, 09:23 AM	#1
svenlind Fanatic Posts: 535 Karma: 10491221 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Kobo: Clara BW, Libra 2,Sage. Kindle Oasis 3, Ipad Mini	A novel way to use Calibre I used to have 3, now I have four libraries in Calibre. One is a usual library with almost all my books, two is library that I use to books/collection from Delphi classics. The third I use to all kinds of manuals and user guides to the myriad of devices in the home. Now Calibre can be used to organise all kind of files. Over the years I have collected several recipes from the net, often screenshots that I save in a Word document and then save the file in a directory using a suitable name. This directory is now a mess where it is a difficult to find a recipe that I know should be present. Now, why not use Calibre? This is my fourth Calibre Library. You can import the document typically a DOC or PDF file, and edit metadata to give it a suitable title. The tags could be something like Chicken, Chorizo, Bacon and so on. The comments field can contain, well comments, but also the list of ingredients. You can copy/paste contents from the recipe and use as a cover. I am now transferring all my recipes to Calibre, a quite and satisfying occupation on a rainy day.

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08-12-2017, 10:25 AM	#2
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,752 Karma: 45301087 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8", Scribe 2022	I use Evernote to organize my recipes. That way, I always have access to them, on all my iDevices.

08-14-2017, 12:22 PM	#3
fidvo Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 1645952 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: none	I've been using Calibre for recipes for years. It may not have been designed as a recipe catalog program, but it sure seems that way. A recipe has certain qualities that makes Calibre an ideal system for storing it. Recipes are usually self-contained documents; i.e. everything you need to know is stored in one file. Calibre works well with self-contained documents, not so well with documents spanning more than one file. (HTML is a special case, which Calibre handles great) Recipes that you store on the computer will usually be in standard formats, such as pdf, docx, or html. Calibre can read most of these with its internal viewer, but it can send the others to the operating system to handle. A recipe will often be ambiguously categorized if you can only put it in one category. If you're looking for your favorite chicken pasta recipe, do you look under Main Dish, Pasta, or Chicken? Calibre lets you tag it with all three and look it up by any of them. Calibre lets you define custom columns in its database. You can be as obsessive/compulsive as you want. If you want to track every ingredient in every recipe, you can set up an "ingredients" field. If you want to track calories, go right ahead. Finally, Calibre lets you send documents to portable devices. Want to put your recipes on your tablet so you can take them into the kitchen with you? Easy enough. Aside from ebooks, I can't think of another type of file more suited to Calibre's interface.

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