Both the Quick Recipe Finder and the Full Recipe Finder let you perform the most popular function of recipe software: searching for recipes that use particular ingredients. You can use either Recipe Finder to set down ingredients to match your desires; the Full Finder simply has more options. Here’s the simplest version of the procedure, with variations following.
• Bring up the Quick Finder, by clicking on Match What in either a Recipe File Window or the Recipe Browser.
• In the box labelled Main Ingredient, either type the name of an ingredient or use the accompanying Dictionary Button to select one. Click OK to return to your original window.
•Back in the Recipe File Window or the Recipe Browser, make sure that List Only Matches is checked.
You’ll now see a list of recipes which call for the ingredient you named, narrowed down from the list that was there before (you can get the whole list back by checking List All Recipes). Furthermore, in all the recipes shown, the matching ingredient is marked as a Main Ingredient of the recipe.
Variation 1: You can specify several Main Ingredients to match by either 1) typing several ingredient names separated with commas, or 2) holding down the Shift key when you make your selection from the Dictionary Button’s pop-up menu. The Shift key always adds to the list rather than replacing what’s there.
When you name more than one ingredient your are asking for recipes that use all the ingredients you name (as opposed to recipes which use any of them).
Variation 2: In the Full Recipe Finder, there are two other places you can specify ingredients to match. If you put an ingredient into the Foods to Use box, Mangia! will find recipes that use that ingredient whether it’s used as a Main Ingredient or not. Finally, if you put an ingredient into the Foods to Avoid box, it has the opposite effect: Mangia! will only list recipes that don’t have that ingredient.
One important thing to understand about the ingredient names you provide: you can also specify whole Categories of ingredients, and Mangia! will act as though you had specified everything that comes under that heading. Feel like fish tonight? Simply put “fish” into the Main Ingredient box and Mangia! will find you recipes for shrimp, tuna, sea bass, etc. See the Searching by Categories topic for more information.