What is the Recipe Crafter?

The Recipe Crafter writes a brand-new recipe for you from two things: what you are craving and what you have in your kitchen. You can give it either one or both. It comes back with a full recipe, ingredient amounts, steps, nutrition per serving and a cover photo, saved straight into your cookbook.

Do I have to type out my ingredients?

No. Tap the photo card and snap your fridge, pantry or counter. CookEase spots the ingredients in the photo and lists them as chips you can edit. You can also type ingredients one at a time, or say them out loud with the microphone.

What does "Use these ingredients" mean?

It tells the Crafter how strictly to stick to your list. "Only these" keeps to what you listed plus basics like salt, oil and water. "Mostly these" builds around your list and may add a few extras. "Just for inspiration" treats the list as a starting point.

Can I add a goal that is not in the list?

Yes. Next to the built-in goals there is an "Add your own" chip. Type anything, like "high fiber" or "no cilantro", and it becomes a goal for that recipe. Goals you add are remembered on your device so they are one tap away next time.

Does the Crafter know my allergies?

Yes, once you set your taste profile. Allergies, dietary style and dislikes saved there apply to every recipe the Crafter writes, so you do not have to repeat them each time.

How many recipes can I craft?

Free accounts start with 3 Recipe Crafter recipes, and every friend you refer adds 3 more. CookEase Pro removes the limit.

Creating a Recipe with the Recipe Crafter

The Recipe Crafter writes a recipe that does not exist yet, built around what you feel like eating and what is already in your kitchen. On the web it lives in the side menu; in the iPhone and Android apps it is on the Add tab (the plus button) as "Recipe Crafter".

1. Say what you are craving

The first box is for the dish in your head. A few details help: "a creamy one-pan chicken pasta for a weeknight, with something green in it" gets a closer result than "pasta". The examples under the box are there to spark ideas, and tapping one fills it in. This box is optional if you would rather cook from what you have.

2. Show or tell us what you have

The fastest way is the photo card: snap your fridge, pantry or counter and CookEase lists what it sees as ingredient chips. Remove anything it got wrong, or add more by typing an ingredient and pressing Add, or by tapping the microphone and saying them out loud.

Once you have ingredients listed, choose how closely to follow them with Use these ingredients:

Only these: sticks to your list, plus basics like salt, oil and water.
Mostly these: builds around your list and may add a few extras.
Just for inspiration: takes the list as a starting point.

3. Pick your goals

Tap any that apply: Healthy, High protein, Keto, Quick and easy, Comfort food, Budget friendly, Dairy free, Kid friendly, Gluten free, Vegan or Kosher. Need something else? Tap Add your own and type it, for example "high fiber" or "no cilantro". Goals you add are remembered on your device for next time.

4. Set time and servings

Slide the time limit to the longest you are willing to spend, and set how many people you are feeding. The recipe comes out sized for exactly that.

5. Craft it

Tap Craft my recipe. In about half a minute you get a complete recipe with ingredient amounts, steps, nutrition per serving and a cover photo, saved to your cookbook and ready for hands-free cooking. Your taste profile (allergies, dietary style, dislikes) applies automatically to every recipe the Crafter writes.

Tips for better results

Name a cuisine, a texture or a mood: "spicy and crunchy", "something I can eat with my hands", "a Sunday roast feel".
Photograph the shelf with the food you actually want to use, in good light.
Use "Only these" when you really cannot shop; use "Mostly these" for the best-tasting result.