Working with Recipes

You've saved some recipes—now what? This guide covers everything you need to know about browsing your collection, viewing recipe details, and actually cooking from your recipes.

Your Recipe List

The Recipes tab is where all your saved recipes live. Think of it as your personal cookbook, organized however you want.

What You See

Your recipe list shows all saved recipes as rows, each displaying:

• Recipe photo (or a placeholder if there's no image)
• Recipe title
• Short description
• Lock icon (if the recipe requires a paid subscription)

Recipes are shown in the order you saved them, with the newest at the top.

Searching for a Recipe

Lost track of that pasta recipe you saved last week? Use the search bar at the bottom of the screen to find it.

Search by:

• Recipe name (e.g., "chocolate chip cookies")
• Ingredient (e.g., "chicken")
• Site name (e.g., "Serious Eats")

The search updates as you type, so you'll see results instantly.

Pro tip: On iOS 26, the search bar moved to the bottom for easier thumb access. No more stretching to reach the top of the screen.

Filtering by Collection

See that collection filter button in the toolbar? Tap it to switch between viewing:

• All Recipes - Every recipe you've saved
• Specific Collections - Recipes in a particular collection (e.g., "Weeknight Dinners")

From this menu, you can also rename or delete collections if you're viewing a custom one.

Recently Saved and Recently Viewed

Can't remember what you just added? Open the sidebar and tap Recently Saved to see your newest recipes.

Want to revisit a recipe you looked at yesterday? Tap Recently Viewed instead.

Both lists are sorted by timestamp, so the most recent is always at the top.

Working with Individual Recipes

Opening a Recipe

Tap any recipe row to open the full recipe detail view. You'll see:

• Hero image at the top
• Recipe title overlaid on the image
• Description
• Category badge (e.g., "Dessert")
• Link to the original website (if saved from the web)
• Prep time, cook time, and yield
• Ingredients list
• Step-by-step instructions
• Notes section
• Floating "Ask Chef" button in the bottom-right corner

Quick Actions from the Recipe List

Don't need to open a recipe to take action on it. You can use swipe gestures for quick tasks:

Swipe Right (Leading Edge):

• Favorite - Mark the recipe as a favorite (shows a yellow heart)
• Unfavorite - Remove from favorites if already favorited

Swipe Left (Trailing Edge):

• Add to Collection - Assign the recipe to a collection
• Delete (when viewing All Recipes) - Permanently remove the recipe
• Remove from Collection (when viewing a specific collection) - Take it out of this collection without deleting

Note: You can't fully swipe to delete—you have to tap the button. This prevents accidental deletions.

Adding New Recipes

From the recipe list, tap the plus button in the toolbar to add a new recipe. You'll see two options:

Scan a Recipe

Use your camera to scan a recipe from a cookbook, printed card, or handwritten note. ClipDish uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to extract the text and parse it into a structured recipe.

When to use: You have a physical recipe you want to digitize.

See the Scanning & Manual Entry guide for detailed instructions.

Write a Recipe

Manually type or dictate a recipe from scratch. ClipDish's AI parses your text into ingredients and instructions.

When to use: You have a family recipe in your head or want to create your own recipe.

See the Scanning & Manual Entry guide for detailed instructions and tips.

Selection Mode

Need to work with multiple recipes at once? Use Selection Mode.

Entering Selection Mode

Tap the ellipsis button in the toolbar, then select "Select". Your recipe list changes:

• Each recipe row gets a checkbox
• Tap recipes to select them
• Bottom toolbar appears with bulk actions

Selecting Multiple Recipes

Select one at a time: Tap individual recipe rows to check them.

Select all: Tap the ellipsis button again and choose "Select All" (only available when viewing a collection).

Cooking Multiple Recipes

Selected 2 or more recipes? You can cook them all at once.

Tap the ellipsis button in the bottom toolbar and choose "Cook [X] recipes". This opens Cooking Mode with all selected recipes queued up, so you can switch between them while cooking.

Great for: Meal prep, holiday cooking, or making multiple dishes for a dinner party.

Exiting Selection Mode

Tap the checkmark button in the top-right corner to exit selection mode and return to the normal list view.

Viewing a Recipe in Detail

When you open a recipe, you get the full recipe detail view. Let's break down what you see and what you can do.

Hero Image and Title

At the top, you'll see the recipe's hero image (or a placeholder with a fork and knife icon if there's no image). The recipe title is overlaid at the bottom of the image.

Editing: Tap the title to edit it (if you're not in a read-only preview or cooking session).

Description and Metadata

Below the image:

• Description - A short summary of the recipe. Tap to edit.
• Category badge - Shows the recipe's category (e.g., "Dessert"). If no category is set, you'll see "Add category" or a loading spinner while ClipDish auto-suggests one. Tap to manually pick a category.
• Link badge - If the recipe was saved from a website, this shows the site name and links back to the original. Great for checking if there are comments or updates on the original post.

Quick Info Chips

Three info chips show:

• Prep time - How long to prep ingredients
• Cook time - How long to cook
• Yield - Servings or quantity

Tap the chip section to edit these values.

Ingredients

The ingredients list shows each ingredient with a checkbox. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you add it to your dish.

Why check ingredients? Keeps you on track while cooking. Checked ingredients turn green with a checkmark and get struck through, so you know what you've already added.

Editing: Tap the pencil icon next to "Ingredients" to edit the list. You can:

• Add new ingredients
• Reorder ingredients (drag and drop)
• Delete ingredients
• Edit ingredient text

Instructions

Instructions are broken into numbered steps. Some recipes have sections (e.g., "For the dough" and "For the filling"), and those are labeled.

Each step has a numbered circle. Tap a step to check it off. Checked steps:

• Turn green with a checkmark
• Get struck through
• Show you've completed that step

Editing: Tap the pencil icon next to "Instructions" to edit. You can:

• Add new steps
• Reorder steps (drag and drop)
• Delete steps
• Edit step text
• Create new instruction sections

Finish Cooking

As you check off ingredients and instructions, ClipDish tracks your progress. When you've checked at least one item, a "Finish Cooking" section appears at the bottom showing:

• Progress tracker (e.g., "8 of 15 steps complete")
• Progress bar (visual representation)
• Percentage complete

When you're done cooking, tap the "Finish Cooking" button. This:

• Resets all checkboxes (so the recipe is ready for next time)
• Logs that you cooked this recipe (for analytics and Recently Viewed tracking)

Notes

The Notes section is where you can add your own commentary:

• Recipe tweaks (e.g., "Used half the sugar, turned out great")
• Substitutions you made
• Reminders for next time (e.g., "Double the sauce")
• General thoughts

Adding a note: Tap "Add Note" and type in the sheet that appears. Tap "Done" to save.

Editing a note: Tap an existing note to edit or delete it.

Note: You can't edit notes during a cooking session—finish cooking first, then make your changes.

Ask Chef Button

See that floating chat button in the bottom-right corner? That's your direct line to Chef Beverly, ClipDish's AI cooking assistant.

Tap it to ask questions about the recipe you're viewing. Chef Beverly knows:

• The ingredients in your recipe
• The instructions you're following
• Common cooking techniques and substitutions

Example questions:

• "Can I substitute buttermilk for regular milk?"
• "What does it mean to fold in the egg whites?"
• "How do I know when the chicken is done?"

For more on Chef Beverly, see the Ask Chef guide.

Menu Options

Tap the ellipsis button in the top-right corner to access:

• Share - Send the recipe to someone via message, email, or AirDrop
• Add to Collections - Assign this recipe to one or more collections

Locked Recipes (Paywall)

Some recipes show a lock icon. These are locked recipes that require a paid subscription to access.

What you can see:

• Recipe title (blurred image)
• Short description
• "Unlock this recipe" button

What you can't do:

• View full ingredients or instructions
• Cook from the recipe
• Edit the recipe

Tap a locked recipe to see the paywall screen where you can subscribe to unlock it.

Common Questions

Q: Can I print recipes? A: Not directly from the app. However, you can share a recipe and choose a "Print" option if your device supports it (e.g., AirPrint).

Q: How do I undo a checkmark on an ingredient? A: Just tap the ingredient again. It toggles the checkmark on and off.

Q: Can I edit recipes I saved from websites? A: Yes! All recipes are editable (unless you're viewing a read-only preview or in a cooking session). Tap the pencil icons next to Ingredients or Instructions to make changes.

Q: What happens if I delete a recipe? A: It's permanently removed from your library. If you remove a recipe from a collection (instead of deleting it), it stays in your All Recipes view.

Q: Can I reorder recipes in my list? A: Not manually. Recipes are sorted by save date (newest first) or by timestamp in Recently Viewed/Recently Saved.

Q: Why don't some recipes have images? A: Some websites don't include images, or the image failed to load when you saved the recipe. You'll see a placeholder fork and knife icon instead.

Tips for Using the Recipe List

Favorite your go-to recipes Swipe right to favorite the recipes you make all the time. Then, use the sidebar to view your Favorites collection for quick access.

Use collections for meal types Create collections like "Breakfast," "Weeknight Dinners," and "Desserts" to organize recipes by when you'd cook them.

Search by ingredient Forgot what that chicken recipe was called? Search "chicken" to narrow down your list.

Check off as you go While cooking, tap ingredients and instructions to check them off. The progress tracker keeps you motivated and on track.

Ask Chef Beverly for help Stuck on a technique or need a substitution? Tap the floating chat button and ask. Chef Beverly has your recipe context and can answer questions specific to what you're cooking.

What's Next?

Now that you know how to work with recipes:

• Organizing with Collections - Create custom collections to organize your recipes
• Editing Recipes - Fix and customize saved recipes
• Ask Chef: Your AI Cooking Assistant - Get help from Chef Beverly while you cook

Happy cooking!