Recipes
Create and manage your personal recipe collection with the Busy Days Cookbook module. Save recipes, organize them with tags, and use AI to automatically extract recipes from text, images, or files.
Note: The Cookbook module must be activated in your settings. Activate it from Settings → Modules.
Getting started
Activating the Cookbook module
Activate the Cookbook module:
1. Open Settings
2. Select Modules
3. Activate Cookbook
4. Save changes
Once activated, you can access the Cookbook from the main navigation.
Creating recipes
You can create recipes in several ways:
Option 1: Create recipe manually
- Open Cookbook
- Click the plus button (+)
- Select Create Recipe Manually
- Fill in the recipe details:
- Title (required)
- Description (optional)
- Ingredients (at least one required)
- Instructions (optional)
- Prep time and Cook time
- Servings
- Difficulty (easy, medium, hard)
- Image URL (optional)
- Tags (optional)
- Click Save
Option 2: Create from text
Use AI to automatically extract recipe information from text:
- Open Cookbook
- Click the plus button (+)
- Select Create from Text
- Paste or type recipe text (or a description of what you want to create)
- AI will analyze the text and create a recipe for you to review
- Review the suggested recipe details
- Edit if needed, then click Approve & Save
Supported languages:
- English
- Finnish
What AI can extract: - Recipe title and description - Ingredients with amounts and units - Step-by-step instructions - Prep time, cook time, and servings - Difficulty level - Relevant tags (automatically suggested)
Recipe generation:
You can also describe what you want to create (e.g., "a chocolate cake recipe for 8 people") and AI will generate a complete recipe for you.
Option 3: Create from file
Upload images, PDFs, or documents containing recipes:
- Open Cookbook
- Click the plus button (+)
- Select Create from File
- Choose a file from your device
Supported file types:
- Image files: .jpg, .jpeg, .png
- PDF files: .pdf
- Text files: .txt
- Office documents: .doc, .docx
File size limits:
- Maximum 10 MB per file
Processing:
- Images: OCR (optical character recognition) extracts text from photos
- Documents: Text extraction from PDFs and Word documents
- AI then analyzes the extracted text to create a structured recipe
Option 4: Create from URL
Extract recipes directly from web pages:
- Open Cookbook
- Click the plus button (+)
- Select Create from URL
- Paste the URL of a recipe webpage
- Click Create
How it works:
- The system fetches the webpage content
- Extracts the main recipe content automatically
- AI parses the content to identify ingredients, instructions, and other details
- Creates a pending recipe for you to review
Supported websites:
- Recipe blogs and websites
- Cooking websites
- Any webpage containing recipe information
Tips:
- Works best with well-structured recipe pages
- The source URL is automatically saved with the recipe
- Review the pending recipe to ensure all details were extracted correctly
❗Note: The system can only access publicly available web pages. Private or password-protected pages cannot be accessed.
Managing recipes
Viewing recipes
All your recipes are displayed in the Cookbook view:
- Recipe cards show:
- Recipe image (if available)
- Title
- Prep time and cook time
- Difficulty level
- Tags
Recipe details
Click any recipe card to view full details:
- Complete ingredient list
- Step-by-step instructions
- All recipe information
- Tags
- Options to edit, copy, or delete
Editing recipes
- Open a recipe from the list
- Click Edit
- Modify any fields
- Click Save
Adding images to recipes
You can add images to recipes in several ways:
Option 1: Search for images
Find free stock photos for your recipe:
- When creating or editing a recipe, scroll to the Image section
- Click Search for new image
- The system searches for images based on your recipe title and ingredients
- Browse through multiple image options
- Select the image you want to use
- Click Use This Image
How image search works:
- Searches free stock photo databases (Pexels)
- Uses AI to understand your recipe and find relevant images
- Shows multiple options for you to choose from
- Falls back to AI-generated images if no suitable stock photos are found
Option 2: Upload an image
- In the recipe form, find the Image section
- Click Upload image
- Select an image file from your device
- The image is uploaded and attached to your recipe
Option 3: Enter image URL
- In the recipe form, find the Image section
- Select Enter URL
- Paste the URL of an image
- The image is linked to your recipe
Image requirements:
- Supported formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .png
- Maximum file size: 10 MB (for uploads)
- Image URLs must be publicly accessible
Deleting recipes
- Open a recipe
- Click Delete
- Confirm deletion
❗Warning: Deleting a recipe cannot be undone.
Organizing with tags
Tags help you organize and find recipes quickly.
Available tags
The following tags are available: - Meal types: breakfast, main-course, snack, appetizer, side-dish, drink - Categories: salad, soup, dessert - Dietary: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free - Characteristics: quick, healthy
Adding tags to recipes
When creating or editing a recipe:
1. Scroll to the Tags section
2. Select tags from the list
3. You can select multiple tags
4. Tags are saved with the recipe
Automatic tag suggestions:
When creating recipes from text or files, AI automatically suggests relevant tags based on the recipe content.
Filtering by tags
Find recipes quickly using tag filters:
- Open Cookbook
- Click the tag filter button (shows count of selected tags)
- Select one or more tags to filter by
- The recipe list updates to show only matching recipes
- Clear filters by deselecting tags or clicking Clear
Group sharing
Share recipes with your family or household group.
Sharing a recipe with a group
When creating a recipe:
1. In the recipe form, find the Group section
2. Select a group from the dropdown
3. The recipe will be visible to all group members
When editing a recipe:
1. Open the recipe
2. Click Edit
3. Change the Group selection
4. Save changes
Private recipes
- If no group is selected, the recipe is private
- Private recipes are visible only to you
Group access
- Group members can view and copy shared recipes
- The Cookbook module must be enabled for the group
Pending recipes
When you create recipes from text or files, AI creates pending recipes for you to review before they're added to your collection.
Reviewing pending recipes
Pending recipes appear at the top of the Cookbook page:
- Open Cookbook
- View the Pending Recipes section
- Each pending recipe shows:
- Suggested title
- Extracted tags
- Source information
Approving a pending recipe
- Click a pending recipe card
- Review all extracted information:
- Title
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Times, servings, difficulty
- Tags
- Edit any fields if needed
- Click Approve & Save
The recipe is added to your collection and removed from pending recipes.
Rejecting a pending recipe
If a pending recipe isn't what you wanted:
- Open the pending recipe
- Click Reject (or Delete)
- The pending recipe is removed
❗Note: Pending recipes remain in the list until you approve or reject them. They don't appear in your main recipe collection until approved.
Recipe copying and modification
Copying a recipe
Create an exact copy of an existing recipe:
- Open a recipe
- Click Copy
- Select Simple Copy
- The copy opens in edit mode
- Make any changes you want
- Save as a new recipe
The copied recipe is always created as private (not shared with any group).
AI-powered recipe modification
Create a modified version of a recipe using AI:
- Open a recipe
- Click Copy
- Select AI-Modified Copy
- Enter modification instructions, for example:
- "Make this recipe vegan"
- "Double the servings"
- "Make it gluten-free"
- "Reduce cooking time"
- Click Create Modified Recipe
- AI creates a modified version as a pending recipe
- Review and approve the modified recipe
Examples of modifications: - Dietary changes (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free) - Serving size adjustments - Time reductions or increases - Ingredient substitutions - Difficulty adjustments
Recipe details
Required fields
- Title: Required
- Ingredients: At least one ingredient required
Optional fields
- Description: Rich text description
- Instructions: Step-by-step cooking instructions
- Prep time: Preparation time in minutes
- Cook time: Cooking time in minutes
- Servings: Number of servings
- Difficulty: Easy, medium, or hard
- Image URL: Link to recipe image
- Tags: One or more tags for organization
Ingredient format
Ingredients are stored with: - Name: Ingredient name - Amount: Quantity (e.g., "2", "1/2", "1 cup") - Unit: Measurement unit (e.g., "cups", "tablespoons", "grams") - Notes: Optional additional information
Instruction format
Instructions are numbered steps: 1. First step 2. Second step 3. And so on...
Practical tips
Best practices
1. Use descriptive titles
- Clear recipe titles make them easier to find later
- Edit AI-suggested titles if needed
2. Add relevant tags
- Tag recipes when creating them
- Use multiple tags for better organization
- Filter by tags to find recipes quickly
3. Review pending recipes regularly
- Check pending recipes weekly
- Approve or reject them promptly
- This keeps your collection organized
4. Use AI for quick entry
- Copy recipe text from websites or messages
- Upload photos of recipe cards or cookbooks
- Let AI do the work of extracting details
5. Share with your household
- Share favorite recipes with your group
- Everyone can access shared recipes
- Keep personal recipes private
6. Copy and modify recipes
- Start with a base recipe
- Use AI modification to create variations
- Build your collection efficiently
7. Organize with tags
- Tag by meal type (breakfast, dinner)
- Tag by dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free)
- Tag by characteristics (quick, healthy)
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid subscription?
The Cookbook module requires an active subscription. Check subscription options in Settings → Change subscription.
Can I create custom tags?
Currently, tags are predefined. The available tags cover common meal types, dietary restrictions, and recipe characteristics. Custom tags may be added in the future.
What happens if AI makes a mistake?
You can always edit pending recipes before approving them. Review and correct any errors in the review step.
Can I edit recipes after creating them?
Yes! Open any recipe and click Edit to modify it at any time.
Are recipes shared automatically?
No. Recipes are private by default. You must explicitly select a group when creating or editing a recipe to share it.
What file formats are supported?
Supported formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .png (images), .pdf, .txt, .doc, .docx (documents). Maximum file size is 10 MB.
Can I upload multiple files at once?
Currently, you can upload one file at a time. Process multiple recipes by uploading them separately.
What languages does AI support?
AI recipe parsing and generation supports English and Finnish.
How accurate is AI recipe extraction?
AI extraction is generally very accurate, especially for well-formatted recipes. Always review pending recipes before approving to ensure accuracy.
Can I delete tags from recipes?
Yes. When editing a recipe, you can remove tags by deselecting them in the tag selector.
What happens if I reject a pending recipe?
Rejected pending recipes are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.
Can I copy a recipe that's shared with a group?
Yes. When you copy a recipe, the copy is always created as private (not shared). You can then share the copy with a group if you want.
Does recipe modification work for all recipes?
AI modification works best for recipes with clear structure. Very complex modifications may require manual editing after AI processing.
How does image search work?
When you search for images, the system first searches free stock photo databases (Pexels) based on your recipe title and ingredients. If no suitable images are found, it can generate an AI image. You can browse through multiple image options and select the one you prefer.
Can I use images from any website?
Yes, you can enter any publicly accessible image URL. The image must be accessible without authentication. For best results, use direct image URLs (ending in .jpg, .png, etc.).
What happens when I create a recipe from a URL?
The system fetches the webpage, extracts the main recipe content, and uses AI to parse it into structured recipe data. The recipe is created as a pending recipe for you to review before adding it to your collection. The original URL is saved as the source.
Which websites work best for URL extraction?
The system works with most recipe websites and blogs. It works best with well-structured pages that have clear recipe content. Some sites with complex layouts or heavy JavaScript may not extract perfectly.
Build your recipe collection and enjoy cooking with Busy Days!