Since I've written about the grocery shopping features of the Cook'n software for the past few issues, I was going to move onto another subject. But, I received an interesting question from a customer recently. I thought that while I was on the subject, I'd share my answer with all of you.

Rhonda writes:

When you do weekly meal planning and want to compile a grocery list does it also combine duplicate ingredients to make your shopping easier? For example, for this weeks meal I have chosen two recipes that call for eggs. One needs 3 and the other needs 4. On the grocery list is there one entry for 7 eggs or will it be on the list twice in the order of the recipes selected so that I have to go by the dairy department twice or more?


Hello Ronda,

The software will combine similar ingredients when possible. It will combine the eggs in the example that you gave. However, there are times when the software cannot and should not combine like ingredients. Here are a couple examples:

If you have a menu with a recipe that calls for one 6-ounce can of tomato paste on Monday and one 12-ounce can of tomato paste on Friday, it will not combine these two and tell you to buy one big can (by design) because it would make it a little more difficult to prepare the recipe.

If a recipe calls for 1 pound of sliced peaches and another calls for 2 peaches and another calls for 1 16-ounce can of peaches, the software may not be able to combine them even though they are all calling for the same ingredient.

I hope this helps!

-Dan @ DVO