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The video shows the App in operation, and so users can see how the program works before going to the iTunes App Store.

The video shows cookCal being used to calculate the amount of time that would be needed if you were following instructions such as: “cook for 10 minutes, and then at 20 minutes per pound (lb), and rest for 15 minutes before carving”. The calculation is also shown in metric (kilograms, kilo, kg).

The video finishes with a demonstration of how to calculate start and end times, and how the inbuilt presets can be used for calculating cooking times for beef (rare, medium, and well done), chicken, duck, goose, lamb (medium rare, medium, and well done), pork and a range of turkey sizes.

For more information visit the cookCal home page or read our recent blog post.

cookCal is available on the iTunes App Store

So, what is new in cookCal?

cookCal is a very easy to use cookery calculator that helps you do those tricky calculations such as cooking a piece of meat from 25 minutes, and then at 20 minutes per pound (or 44 minutes per kilo), and resting for 15 minutes before carving. Using the calculator is very easy, you just touch on the number that you wish to enter until it turns green (see the screen shot below – standing time shown), and then using the number buttons to enter new values.

With version 1.0 you could:

1. Enter the time per weight (min per pound or min per kilo)
2. The weight as kilo (kg) or pounds (lb)
3. Any standing time or pre-cook set times (such as the 25 minutes in the above example)
4. Set a start time and get an end time, or set an end time for cooking and get the start time.

It was also possible with cookCal to enter a time per weight for min per pound cooking, and the weight in kilos (or vice-versa) and get the cooking time calculated.

Version 2.0 of cookCal, builds on version 1 and has some great new features and these include:

1. Pre-cook set times (such as the 25 minutes in the above example) can be added
2. A post-cooking standing (relaxing) time can be added
3. Start and end cooking times, and the time to remove the meat from the oven, can all be calculated – enter a start time and get the end time, enter an end time and get a start time, enter the time you wish to remove the meat from the oven and get start and end times calculated
4. Cooking guide – meat presets – cookCal now comes with a number of suggested cooking times, and oven temperatures, for a range of meats including beef (rare, medium, and well done), chicken, duck, goose, lamb (medium rare, medium, and well done), pork and a range of turkey sizes.

Just like version 1.0 there is also an extensive help section built in to cookCal.

Screen shots of cookCal

New imperial cookCal calculator
If your recipe called for the meat to be cooked for 15 minutes and then at 20 minutes per pound, with a 10 minutes rest before carving, then the data would be entered as shown above. The 10 minutes would be entered as the ‘Set Time’ and the resting time as the ‘Standing’ time.

New metric cookCal calculator
If your recipe called for the meat to be cooked for 15 minutes and then at 44 minutes per pound, with a 10 minutes rest before carving, then the data would be entered as shown above. The 10 minutes would be entered as the ‘Set Time’ and the resting time as the ‘Standing’ time.

Cooking start and end times calculator
Once the required cooking time (including any resting time) has been calculated it is possible to calculate start and/or end times. If you enter a start time the time to remove from the oven (assuming there is a rest time) and the time for serving will be calculated. Alternatively, the end time can be entered and the start time calculated. It is even possible to enter the time you wish to remove the food from the oven and have the start and end time calculated.

Suggested cooking times and temperatures
cookCal now has inbuilt cooking guide for a range of meats including beef (rare, medium, and well done), chicken, duck, goose, lamb (medium rare, medium, and well done), pork and a range of turkey sizes. The calculator gives suggested cooking temperature, cooking time, cooking time per weight, rest times, and some cooking hints.

Suggested cooking times and temperatures
cookCal also comes with an extensive help section.

cookCal is now available for download on the iTunes App Store.

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The new version of cookCal was submitted to the App Store late afternoon on Sunday 7 February, 2010, and was approved and available for download by the evening of Wednesday 10 February, 2010…. Great! Fantastic!

It is great to see that Apple has listened to its developers and improved App store review process. And, again, I am sorry about the poor score I gave!!!

Assuming there are no unexpected coding problems the new version should be submitted to Apple next week.

This will be a 2.0 update with a bunch of exciting new and useful features (a number of which have been requested by current cookCal users). Of course this will be a free update to current owners of the App.

Watch this space for more deatils…..

Well, today I got a reply from Google….

The reply said:

From: Google Checkout <checkout-support@google.com>
Subject: Re: [#591727119] Google Checkout Notification
Date: 2 February 2010 05:14:32 GMT
To: nick@mmisoftware.co.uk

Hello Nick, 

Thank you for your email and for providing more 
information regarding your Google Checkout merchant 
account. We have reviewed the further details and
can confirm your account is active. We also recommend
you to change the word 'donation' inorder to transact 
through Google Checkout for supporting software development.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation.

For general product or account questions, please review 
our Help Centre at

http://checkout.google.com/support/sell/?hl=en-GB.

Alternatively, please do not hesitate to contact me by
replying to this email. 


Kind regards, 

Aliuddin 
The Google Checkout Team 

Google Payment Ltd is authorised and regulated by the 
Financial Services Authority. 

Google Payment Ltd is a company registered in England 
and Wales with company number 5903713. Its registered 
address is Belgrave House, 76
Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TQ.

So, there you have it. Google does allow Google Checkout to be used with donationware as long as the word ‘donation’ is not mentioned.

Now, admittedly this may be a UK quirk, and this may not apply to the rest of the world, but judging by their “Unacceptable product categories” (see earlier post), I would guess it does.

All I need to do is remove the word ‘donation’ from the page and I can put Google Checkout back as an option…

According the the Apple Thesaurus I could use:

“gift, contribution, present, pledge, handout, grant, offering; formal benefaction; historical alms”

I think I will go with ‘contribution’.