Dedicated cooks are always looking for ways of storing recipe collections, which have a tendency to grow and grow. A computer program is an excellent method, as it allows you to easily sort, categorize and store your recipes, all without taking up folders-worth of space at home.

The Recipe Cookbook is one such program. Its interface is basic but functional, and is characterized by an ample selection of search and sorting functions. It comes pre-programmed with over 2,000 recipes from varying sources, and, of course, you can add your own creations to the database.

The recipes that Recipe Cookbook already stores are a real mix. Some (but not a significant number) are in Norwegian and recipe types range from cocktails and dips to breads and hotpots. Some recipes have notes attached, offering background to the creation or hints for cooking. You can also add your own notes, a function that all cooks will appreciate.

Recipe Cookbook allows you to sort through these recipes by language, country of origin, category and ingredient, and you can always modify existing recipes or delete ones you don't like. The program also provides direct links to a variety of cooking websites and gives you the opportunity to add new sites or modify existing ones. Finally, Recipe Cookbook lets you print and email recipes directly.

Unfortunately, Recipe Cookbook has plenty of faults. The interface is old fashioned, and its search functions, seemingly the most attractive feature of the program, are unpredictable and hard to control. Lots of the configuration settings appear to be modifiable, but unfortunately I couldn't figure out how and there is no help file to provide you with the answers.

Despite this, Recipe Cookbook has a certain charm. It contains lots of recipes that you would be unlikely to find elsewhere and, even if there is no telling how good they will be, it would be fun to test them. Speaking as a keen cook myself, I probably wouldn't rely on Recipe Cookbook as my main recipe database, but I would try it out for some cooking fun!

Recipe Cookbook is an eccentric but interesting program where the recipes alone merit a second look.