ockham
commented
11 years ago Submitted by SourceForge user dimethicone on 2009-01-29 04:11:03 UTC.
Thanks for the comment. In feature request #2544498 about vague measurements, and I really find measurements confusing. Since I would like to be able to display and convert units to metric "on the fly" in this request, converting vague measurements back and forth would change the recipe repeatedly, so I thought I'd have to mention the other request. A temporary "display all as metric" (without saving) feature wouldn't change the recipe permanently as "convert all to metric", but the value given could still be incorrect, so I'll reply on locales in #2544498.
Sorry about the "currently to view a converted unit" thing, I mixed up the order there. I had meant to say that it currently requires the user to change the unit before the quantity changes. That part is fine, and a good feature. My intent was to show that it is slow to do those steps for every ingredient individually, and that the conversion's result has to be saved permanently in order to view it as a part of the recipe. So: Add unit and quantity, change unit, ok conversion, repeat for every ingredient, save changes, close window to view entire recipe. A metric display toggle would be an excellent addition to the recipe viewing window, as would a metric conversion toggle to the edit recipe window.
Converted from SourceForge issue 2544516, submitted by SourceForge user dimethicone on 2009-01-29 03:09:19 UTC.
Unit conversion is already a part of Gourmet, but it is relatively simply done. In a dialog box it converts units. Gourmet features default measurement units when typing in a recipe. My suggestion is to combine the two features, making the recipe management more powerful and dynamic. Gourmet intelligently understands that "1 cup" = "1 c" = "1 cups", that these terms are interchangeable and standard, so that any of them can be typed in, and it can still convert them into other measurements from the "Edit Ingredients" list. This is powerful. This unit conversion method from within the ingredients list is an excellent feature, but it can be extended. Currently, to view a converted ingredient unit in a recipe requires that the user change the quantity before the unit (I didn't even notice this feature at first), OK a vague conversion, and then permanently save that new value which can often be wrong. As my feature request #2544498 mentions, unit conversion can be a lossy conversion, and cooking can be so inherently traditional that it resists any kind of change, especially changes that can reduce authenticity. With these issues in mind, and the context above, I'd like to suggest two directly related features: A button to impermanently "Display Units in Metric", and a button to "Convert Recipe to Metric Units". Both are far faster than the current method as they automate each ingredient conversion. These features in tandem help modernize and simplify cooking for the metric generation by making the recipes more universally accessible, while (optionally) preserving our ancestral recipes verbatim.
I've made three suggestions for Gourmet today. This suggestion of easy conversion to SI and SI-accepted metric units is the most important one to me. I don't know Imperial measurements and there's too many more to know, but family recipes from my Grandmothers and Great Grandmother could be ruined if I don't use the old units. As well, the shopping list feature is made difficult, by listing out for example how much tapioca starch I need in tablespoons (ml would solve this). Otherwise, I must say Gourmet is the most advanced recipe manager I have seen. The support for multiple import/export formats, as well as the regularity of updates, and the fact that the developers are here reading and responding to the community, was crucial for my choosing Gourmet. Most recipe managers are from the mid 90s' multimedia boom, just crummy Windows 3.1 ports and glorified text editors -- unmaintained incompatible unstable expensive garbage. Gourmet is a real recipe manager, and the best available. This feature request, if implemented, would directly improve my cooking. Thanks for Gourmet.