[General Questions and Answers] lannister80:
GOAL1: Yep, I have a TON of recipes on paper (that don't exist online) that I want to be able to enter using my computer, save to a file, and import into an android recipe program for easy reference in the kitchen. It seems the most popular recipe format is RecipeML. I found a nice Java-based recipe creator that can export into RecipeML format, so it seems like an ideal place to create recipes and save them in a format than can be read by other apps.

http://www.recipewebservice.com/largorecipes/

Here's an example recipe in RecipeML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE recipeml PUBLIC "-//FormatData//DTD RecipeML 0.5//EN"
"http://www.formatdata.com/recipeml/recipeml.dtd">
<?xml-stylesheet href="dessert1.css" type="text/css"?>
<recipeml version="0.5">
<recipe>
<head>
<title>The Needless-Markman Hoax Chocolate-Chip Cookie</title>
</head>
<ingredients>
<ing>
<amt><qty>2</qty><unit>cups</unit></amt>
<item>butter</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>4</qty><unit>cups</unit></amt>
<item>flour</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>2</qty><unit>tsp.</unit></amt>
<item>soda</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>2</qty><unit>cups</unit></amt>
<item>sugar</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>5</qty><unit>cups</unit></amt>
<item>blended oatmeal</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>24</qty><unit>oz.</unit></amt>
<item>chocolate chips</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>2</qty><unit>cups</unit></amt>
<item>brown sugar</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>1</qty><unit>tsp.</unit></amt>
<item>salt</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>1</qty></amt>
<item>Hershey Bar, grated</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>4</qty></amt>
<item>eggs</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>2</qty><unit>tsp.</unit></amt>
<item>baking powder</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>3</qty><unit>cups</unit></amt>
<item>chopped nuts (your choice)</item>
</ing>
<ing>
<amt><qty>2</qty><unit>tsp.</unit></amt>
<item>vanilla</item>
</ing>
</ingredients>
<directions>
<step>Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine
powder</step>
<step>Cream the butter and both sugars</step>
<step>Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with
flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda</step>
<step>Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts</step>
<step>Roll into balls and place two inches apart
on a cookie sheet</step>
<step>Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees</step>
</directions>
</recipe>
</recipeml>

The main reason I'd like support for a common format is so I don't have to enter these hundreds of recipes into a computer more than once, since any recipe app should be able to parse the RecipeML into its own format for internal use/database storage/display/whatever.

GOAL #2: Yep, it would be nice to enter the ingredients I have on hand/in the fridge and be able to see what recipes I can make using those ingredients. This is NO WHERE NEAR as important as goal #1.

It's great to be able to grab recipes from foodtv.com or whatever and import them into a database, but really, I have internet access all the time...I can just go to foodtv.com and look up the recipe. It's Grandma's Cookie Recipe (which exists on a scrap of paper in a binder in my house, and nowhere else) that I want to be able to easily look up. Although I suppose I could enter my personal recipes into a website that your app supports, and then import them THAT way...but again, then my recipes are locked into some external website I have no control over...and are not in a common format, meaning I have to enter them AGAIN some day to support some new app.

Take a look at My Cookbook's recipe storage format. It's awful, and there's no way in hell I'd go through the trouble of entering all my recipes in that format as no other app in the universe will support that format...

Example recipe in My CookBook's format:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<cookbook version="26">
<recipe>
<title>Ken's Test Recipe</title>
<preptime>15 mins</preptime>
<cooktime>2 hrs</cooktime>
<ingredient>1 1/3 lbs XXXX%0A2 tablespoons YYYY%0A1 1/2 tablespoons ZZZZ%0A</ingredient>
<recipetext>In a medium bowl, ZZZZ.%0AIn a large nonstick frying pan or a wok, AAAA.%0A Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.%0A Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the basil.%0A Serve topped with the remaining 1/2 cup basil.</recipetext>
<url></url>
<imagepath>/mnt/sdcard/Mes_Recettes/images/Thai_Chicken_With_Basil.png</imagepath>
<quantity>Servings: 4</quantity>
<category>Other</category>
</recipe>
</cookbook>

Ignore all the XXX YYY and ZZZ, I was just making the text shorter for testing purposes and to see where lines ended.

BLEH! It doesn't separate out the ingredients or steps, instead making a new line with "%0A" for crying out loud! Makes a programmer weep, it does...