Is that recipe for dinner in a cookbook, pinned to a Pinterest board, printed out from a website or tucked away somewhere else?

An Alpine-based company has developed a Cook’n Recipe Organizer computer program and recently released a Cook’n Recipe App that organizes and stores recipes, and they are also designed to create menu plans and recipe lists.

"We’re not just about making a product or a buck; we actually want to strengthen families,” said Dan Oaks, the founder and president of DVO Enterprises, the company that developed the organizer and app. He said several studies have been published showing that eating dinner together as a family reaps benefits.

The motto of the company, bringing families together at dinnertime, reflects this belief. Those at Cook’n hopes to achieve this goal by helping families cut down the amount of time it takes to prepare a meal, he said.

Oaks originally developed the software 22 years ago. The development team is working to continuously update both the mobile application and software to reflect modern trends and technology. The team recently created a number of instructional videos demonstrating how to use the Cook’n software and filed eight new technology patents in the last year, Oaks said.

"The industry has changed over the years, and I've had to learn how to establish a Web presence," Oaks said in an interview with the Deseret News. "The most exciting thing is to see how the industry trends have shifted our way."

Features on the app, which is available for Android, iPhone, iPad and Amazon Kindle, and software include the ability to type in on-hand ingredients to find a relevant recipe and create customized menu plans as well as generate a shopping list organized by aisle with repetitive ingredient quantities combined into one total to help plan for family meals.

Other useful features include a live recipe feed and search engine displaying the latest recipes posted anywhere on the Internet and a way to capture recipes with one tap and save them in a virtual cookbook, according to press materials.
Although the mobile application can be used alone, more features are available if it is used in conjunction with the computer software.

The computer software allows users to, among other features, analyze the nutritional value of any recipe, even by ingredient brand; sync Pinterest accounts to an archive with continuous updating; create customized menu plans displayed in an easy-to-read format; scan hard-copy recipes into the program and format them into searchable text; post recipes to social media; automatically adjust serving size; type in ingredients on hand and see applicable meal ideas; and create customized printable cookbooks, which can also be emailed as attachments, according to information from DVO.

When used in conjunction with the mobile device, the “Cook’n Cloud” allows users to access and alter their recipes from both their desktop and mobile devices, syncing any changes or recipe additions automatically between all devices. The idea is that users can view their recipes and shopping lists in the kitchen or grocery store from their mobile device without having to print or repeatedly visit their computer.

Mobile-device users can download the free Cook’n Recipe App directly to their devices. Computer users can download the software, watch instructional videos and find more information about Cook’n at dvo.com.

The Cook’n software is available for both PC and Macintosh computers and costs $79.95. However, Cook’n has partnered with several organizations, including Rhodes, LG, Frigidaire, Aroma and Bosch to offer the Cook’n software for free with the purchase of a specified appliance. When Cook’n is received with such a purchase, the software includes recipes and instructional videos specific to that appliance, Oaks said.

If users are not satisfied with the computer software, Cook’n offers a 200 percent guarantee: They will not only refund your purchase but also buy you the recipe software product of your choice.

Tips
• Instructional videos using live-screen computer shots eliminate the learning curve required to use the Cook’n software. They are available at dvo.com.
• When you initially create a Cook’n account on either your computer or mobile device, give your computer and/or phone time to sync to your cloud. It could take some time to sync initially.
• Give your computer and/or mobile device time to sync to your Pinterest account.
• When using the computer software, recipes can be dragged and dropped to create a custom menu.
• When using the computer software, if you don’t have a scanner to upload paper copies of recipes, you can take a photo with your mobile device and easily parse the recipe into its relevant parts using the “Snip-It” tool.
• You can follow anyone on Pinterest using their Pinterest username and their recipes will show up in your live feed.

Email: alexis.jones@gmail.com