Creating Recipes

This guide walks you through creating and managing recipes in the system. Whether you're documenting a simple dish or a complex multi-component recipe, this guide covers everything you need to know.

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Quick Start: Creating Your First Recipe

1. Navigate to Recipes from the main menu
2. Click the New Recipe button
3. Enter a Recipe Name and optionally select a Category
4. Click Create Recipe to open the recipe editor

Watch it in action:

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The Recipe Editor

After creating a recipe, you'll see the recipe editor with a navigation dashboard at the top. The editor displays your recipe in a traditional two-column format with ingredients on the left and instructions on the right.

Navigation Dashboard

The navigation bar provides quick access to different sections of your recipe:

• Recipe - View and edit ingredients & instructions
• Details - Edit name, servings, yield, category, tags, and settings (see Recipe Options)
• Cost Analysis - View cost breakdown and pricing
• Menu Items - See which menu items use this recipe
• Play Recipe - Interactive step-by-step cooking mode (see Recipe Player)
• Share - Share publicly or via private link (see Sharing Recipes)

Navigate between sections:

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Adding Ingredients

You have multiple ways to add ingredients to your recipe—use whichever method works best for your workflow.

Method 1: Quick Add (Paste Multiple Ingredients)

The fastest way to add many ingredients at once is using Quick Add. Click the Quick Add button and paste or type your ingredient list in natural language format:

Supported formats:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
3 large onions, diced

The system parses quantities, units, and preparation notes automatically. This is ideal when you're copying ingredients from another source or entering multiple ingredients at once.

Method 2: Inline Add (One at a Time)

Want to add ingredients one by one? Click the + Add Ingredient button directly in the ingredients list. This opens an inline form where you can:

1. Search for an ingredient from your database
2. Enter the quantity and unit together in a single field
3. Select a preparation method if needed
4. Click Save to add it to your recipe

This method is great when you're building a recipe from scratch and want to carefully select each ingredient, or when you need to add just one or two items.

Smart Quantity Input

All quantity fields in the recipe editor accept both the amount and unit of measure together. Simply type the quantity and unit in one field:

Examples:

• 2 liter or 2 l
• 1/2 cup or 0.5 cup
• 1 1/2 cups
• 250 grams or 250 g
• 3 tablespoons or 3 tbsp

As you type, the system auto-suggests matching units. For example, typing 2 li will show suggestions like "2 liter" and "2 lime" so you can quickly select the right unit. The system understands fractions (1/2, 1/4, 2/3) and decimals (1.5, 2.25), making it easy to enter precise measurements.

Method 3: AI Recipe Generation (Paste a Full Recipe)

Have a recipe from another source? Paste the entire recipe—including ingredients and instructions—into the AI Chat and let the AI generate your recipe automatically.

1. Open the AI Chat (available from the chat icon)
2. Paste your full recipe text (ingredients, instructions, everything)
3. The AI will parse and structure the recipe for you
4. Review the generated recipe and click Save to add it to your collection

This is perfect when you have a recipe from a cookbook, website, or family recipe card and want to import it quickly without manual entry.

Tip: You can add ingredients one at a time, use Quick Add to paste multiple at once, or let the AI generate your recipe—whichever works best for your workflow.

Ingredients Panel

The ingredients panel is where you manage all the ingredients for your recipe. You can add ingredients directly here by clicking the + Add Ingredient button at the bottom of the list.

The panel displays:

• Servings - Adjust with +/- buttons
• Recipe Yield - The quantity the recipe produces
• Ingredient list - Each ingredient with quantity, unit, and name

Ingredient Controls

Toggle different views of your ingredients:

Control	What it does
%	Toggle percentage calculations (see below)
Costs	Show/hide ingredient costs inline next to each ingredient
Scale	Enter scale mode to adjust all quantities proportionally (see Scaling Recipes)

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Percentage Calculations

The % toggle lets you view your recipe with ingredient percentages—useful for scaling, consistency, and professional baking. Choose between two modes:

Standard Percentage

Each ingredient shown as a percentage of the total recipe weight.

What it calculates	Ingredient Weight ÷ Total Recipe Weight × 100
Best for	Understanding ingredient proportions, comparing recipes, ensuring consistency
Example	In a 1000g recipe, 200g of sugar = 20% of the total

Baker's Percentage

Each ingredient shown as a percentage of the base ingredient (typically flour). The base ingredient is always 100%.

What it calculates	Ingredient Weight ÷ Base Ingredient Weight × 100
Best for	Bread, pastry, and dough recipes where flour is the foundation
Example	For a dough with 1000g flour and 650g water: water = 65% (hydration)

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Adding Instructions

Instructions appear on the right side, organized by groups if you've created them.

Adding a New Instruction

Click the + Add instruction row to add a new step:

Organizing Instructions

• Add Group - Organize instructions into sections (e.g., "Prep", "Cooking", "Assembly")
• Edit All - Bulk-edit instructions in a text editor
• Drag & Drop - Reorder instructions or move between groups

Tip: Add a line ending with : in bulk edit mode to create a group (e.g., "Make the Dough:")

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Cost Analysis

Click Cost Analysis in the navigation to see pricing details:

Understanding the Cost Metrics

Total Recipe Cost

Sum of all ingredient costs for one batch of the recipe.

What it calculates	Sum of (each ingredient's quantity × ingredient's unit cost)
Where it's used	The foundation for all other cost calculations
Example	A recipe using $5 of flour + $2 of butter + $1 of eggs = $8 total cost

Cost Per Serving

How much each portion costs to make.

What it calculates	Total Recipe Cost ÷ Servings
Where it's used	Menu item pricing—determines your food cost per plate
Example	An $8 recipe with 4 servings = $2.00 per serving

Unit Cost

How much each unit of output costs (per cup, per kg, etc.).

What it calculates	Total Recipe Cost ÷ Yield Quantity
Where it's used	When this recipe is used as an ingredient in another recipe
Example	A $10 sauce recipe yielding 2 liters = $5.00 per liter

Note: Costs are calculated from your vendor prices. If an ingredient shows a warning icon, it's missing a vendor price or the system can't convert between the recipe unit and purchase unit.

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Sharing & Export

Click Share in the navigation to share your recipe with others:

• Start Sharing - Generate a public link anyone can access
• Copy Link - Copy the public URL to share via text, email, or messaging
• Settings - Configure sharing options (public vs link-only, embedding, costs visibility)

For complete details on sharing options, see Sharing Recipes.

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Tips for Great Recipes

For Costing Accuracy

• Always link to ingredients in your database (not free-form text)
• Set accurate yields for prep recipes
• Keep ingredient prices current
• Use preparation yield for items with significant waste

For Usability

• Use clear, consistent naming
• Organize with instruction groups for complex recipes
• Include photos
• Add helpful notes in ingredient preparation methods

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Common Questions

Q: What's the fastest way to add ingredients?
A: It depends on your situation:

• Quick Add is fastest when you have a list of ingredients to paste
• Inline Add is best for adding one ingredient at a time with precision
• AI Chat is ideal when you have a full recipe from another source to import

Q: Can I duplicate a recipe?
A: Yes! Use the Actions menu to duplicate with all ingredients and instructions.

Q: What if an ingredient isn't in my database?
A: Add new ingredients on the fly from the ingredient selector, or go to Ingredients first to add with full details.

Q: Why isn't my cost calculating?
A: Check that:

• Ingredients are linked (not just text)
• Ingredients have vendor costs set
• Units can be converted (recipe unit → purchase unit)

Q: How do I delete a recipe?
A: From the recipes list, use the Actions column to archive or permanently delete.

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Next Steps

• Recipe Options - Configure recipe settings, categories, tags, and allergens
• Scaling Recipes - Scale recipes up or down for different batch sizes
• Prep Recipes - Create reusable components like sauces, stocks, and doughs
• Recipe Player - Step-by-step cooking mode with timers and ingredient tracking
• Sharing Recipes - Share recipes publicly or via private link
• Managing Ingredients
• Building Menus
• Understanding Costs