Keeping track of your cheese tasks - software

[bbracken677]

I list a targets section, but then include them in the steps...when I am researching a new recipe it is easier (for me) to first list the targets and target points, and then to include them in the process. If I am using a recipe that already includes the pH targets then it becomes just a redundancy.
When I first started making cheese, most recipes I found were time dependent as opposed to pH dependent....I use Word to record my recipes as well as make notes.
I may wind up with 3 or 4 different recipes, and only one will have pH targets. It is easy to copy/paste a short section of pH targets from one recipe to the other if I decide to use a slightly different recipe for a make.

Since I tend to be process oriented from my career, I am seeking a standardized way of recording recipes etc...to date my favorite is to have 4 sections to a recipe: 1. Ingredients 2. Targets 3. Process and 4. Affinage (aging).

I have not yet converted all my recipes to that format tho...or occasionally I will try to emulate a recipe posted here in the forum and the first time or 2 I will simply use their format until I have converted to what is currently my own format.

[Mighty Mouse]

Cool thanks.

[mjr522]

Since your gathering "customer needs". 

I'd be thrilled to be able to enter a recipe and have it plot my pH targets vs. time.  Then, I'd want to "start" the recipe and enter my pH readings as I make the cheese.  The program would plot my points on the same chart as the recipe's plot and I'd be able to see how I was doing relative to the recipe.  Like what I'm manually doing now--I've attached a blank cheddar chart with pH targets from Mastering Artisan Cheeesemaking and American Farmstead Cheese.  Below that, I've attached the same chart with my own pH values plotted from yesterday's make.  It helped me see, as I was working, how the acidity was developing and what changes I needed to make.

[Boofer]

Cool thanks.

You realize your avatar is toast, right?

-Boofer-

[Mighty Mouse]

Cool thanks.

You realize your avatar is toast, right?

-Boofer-

lol, yes I do, I was too lazy to fix it.

[Mighty Mouse]

Since your gathering "customer needs". 

I'd be thrilled to be able to enter a recipe and have it plot my pH targets vs. time.  Then, I'd want to "start" the recipe and enter my pH readings as I make the cheese.  The program would plot my points on the same chart as the recipe's plot and I'd be able to see how I was doing relative to the recipe.  Like what I'm manually doing now--I've attached a blank cheddar chart with pH targets from Mastering Artisan Cheeesemaking and American Farmstead Cheese.  Below that, I've attached the same chart with my own pH values plotted from yesterday's make.  It helped me see, as I was working, how the acidity was developing and what changes I needed to make.

Hmmm... had not thought of a graph! I did code in pH value recording. I'll look around and see if I can find a good library for that.

[Mighty Mouse]

Greetings again ladies and gents,
Quick question(s):

Assuming you had the ideal program for organizing your recipes and cheesemakes, how would you prefer to organize your recipes/makes? This is what I have coded up right now. In the recipe window is a tree style selector:

Source (IE book, Website, self, etc...)
   -> Cheese Type (IE: washed curd, washed rind, mold ripened, etc...)
          ->Cheese General Name (IE: brie, blue cheese, cheddar, etc...)->
             -> Recipe- or Cheese specific name  (IE: Caraway Gouda, Regular Gouda, Double Cream Gouda, etc.. variants of one of these: Gouda #1 Gouda #2, etc...)
                ->Specific makes (self explanatory)

Am I missing anything?

I do intend to code in support for organizing recipes and makes by source, cheese type, specific cheese (IE gouda), as well a couple more that you will have to wait and see

Thoughts?

BTW, do you guys prefer a web-based application (IE logging into a website and storing your data on a remote server you can access) or a desktop application (where you launch a program on your computer and data is stored locally)? I can do either one and likely will have both eventually when I can get around to it but for right now which would you like more?

So far so good, the program is coming along nicely. Hopefully I will have a beta in the not so far future.

Also, any recommendations on the name?

P.S. Mike, I have not finished coding it in yet but graphing will be in there
bbraken, pH will be in there too and part of the graphing stuff- I just need to figure out where to put the data structure.

Thanks, this has been a very fun project to work on

[Schnecken Slayer]

If you could add speech recognition so you simply said "PH now 5.8" and it would plot that point, would be handy.   

[hoeklijn]

What about converting from one measurement system to another? Would be nice for both sides of the world to just enter a recipe you found somewhere and convert it to the appropriate units...

[Lewench]

So I am extremely grateful that there are smart people like you guys out there to program things like this for us techno-challenged people. My favorite tech question is "is there an app for that?" because syncing is as techie as I get    Which is one reason I like making cheese so much, all you need is a lactating critter (you can milk anything with nipples Fauker) and a container.

I am looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!!!

[Tobiasrer]

Mighty,
I would prefer a desktop program personaly. Where we are Internet is unreliable and expensive. So having Desktop app means I can use and play with it any time not just when I am on line.
I know I am probably old fashioned on this but...
It also means that if my cheese shop is ever not in the house with the internet I can still with tablets etc access it in my workshop, rather then paying fees for the net.

[Mighty Mouse]

If you could add speech recognition so you simply said "PH now 5.8" and it would plot that point, would be handy.   

I agree, that WOULD be really cool

What I did code in yesterday before work was the step editing feature- or at least the first step of it. What I have right now is you have a button  to edit a step. When you press it- a small form appears below the step, you then have a button to record the current time, pH, temperature and a field for writing in other notes. The GUI is still very very crude so uploading a screen shot right now would probably be misleading. When I have something that looks a little more presentable, I will post a screen shot.

[Mighty Mouse]

What about converting from one measurement system to another? Would be nice for both sides of the world to just enter a recipe you found somewhere and convert it to the appropriate units...

That's in there- at least the basic set up is. All measurables have their own associated data structures with methods that make that conversion (Not including pH of course). I have been trying to figure out whether to do a straight conversion (the easy way), or do a "smarter" conversion (try to approximate the final recipe by rounding in some way).

[Mighty Mouse]

Mighty,
I would prefer a desktop program personaly. Where we are Internet is unreliable and expensive. So having Desktop app means I can use and play with it any time not just when I am on line.
I know I am probably old fashioned on this but...

I can relate.

It also means that if my cheese shop is ever not in the house with the internet I can still with tablets etc access it in my workshop, rather then paying fees for the net.

Oh yeah, I should make sure to take into account iPads and such.... not sure how that will go though, I do not currently have an iOS dev license.... Android might be feasible (down the road of course...).

[bbracken677]

Outstanding project MM!

Wish I had the know how to program something like that...best I could do would be an excel file with macros.