Cook step by step

Cook mode puts one step on the screen in large type, with the ingredients that step needs and a timer one tap away. It is made for a phone propped up on the counter, and it works the same on a computer.

Start cooking#

1. 1

   Open a recipe and press Start cooking

   The orange Start cooking button sits under the recipe’s photo and description. If you changed the servings on the recipe page first, cook mode starts with that number.

   

   You'll see: The screen turns dark and shows Before you start.

2. 2

   Choose your servings with Fewer servings (−) and More servings (+)

   You can go from 1 to 24 servings. The box only appears when the recipe says how many it serves.

   

   You'll see: Every amount on the screen changes to match, in the checklist and in the steps.

3. 3

   Pick US or Metric under the servings box

   The switch is the same one as on the recipe page, so your choice carries over. A line that cannot be converted, such as a count of eggs, stays as written. See Switch between metric and US units.

   

   You'll see: The checklist and the ingredients in the steps show amounts in that system.

4. 4

   Tap each ingredient as you get it out

   This is a check that everything is out on the counter before you begin. Tap an ingredient again to untick it.

   

   You'll see: The ingredient gets a green tick and a line through it.

5. 5

   Press Start cooking at the bottom

   The button stays at the bottom of the screen, so you do not need to scroll to find it.

   

   You'll see: Step 1 appears, with Step 1 of 8 above it.

Move through the steps#

1. 1

   Read the step and its ingredients

   A pill appears only when every main word of an ingredient’s name in the recipe’s list is also in the step text. A step that says “stir in the butter” shows no pill if the list calls it “unsalted butter”. Steps with no match show no pills. If the recipe has a photo for the step, it appears under the text.

   

   You'll see: Below the step, the ingredients it uses appear as small pills, already scaled to your servings.

2. 2

   Go to the next step

   Press Next, or use a shortcut. On the last step the button says Finish.

   On a phoneOn a computer

   Swipe left across the screen for the next step and right to go back. Swiping up and down scrolls a long step instead.

   Press → for the next step and ← to go back.

   

   You'll see: The next step appears and the thin bar at the top fills a little more.

3. 3

   Press Back to re-read a step

   Your ticks, servings and timers stay as they were.

   You'll see: From step 1, Back returns you to the ingredient checklist.

Set timers#

The timer bar is at the bottom of every step. You can run several timers at once, and they keep counting when you move to another step.

1. 1

   Tap a time

   RecipeClip reads times in the step text and suggests them first, with an orange outline. For a range such as 4 to 8 minutes it suggests only the longer time, 8. The other buttons are always 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes.

   

   You'll see: A countdown starts in the timer bar.

2. 2

   Tap + to add another timer

   Go on to the next steps while the first timer runs. Each timer is labelled with its length and the step you started it on.

   

   You'll see: The time buttons come back so you can start a second timer.

3. 3

   Pick the second time

   To cancel a timer, tap the × on it.

   

   You'll see: Both countdowns run side by side.

4. 4

   Listen for the alarm

   The timer keeps its length and step label, so you can tell two timers apart. Tap the × to clear it. Whether you hear the alarm depends on your device: see Will I hear the timer?

   

   You'll see: The timer turns orange and says Time’s up.

Will I hear the timer?#

When a timer ends, cook mode sounds three short beeps and shows Time’s up on the timer. On Android it also buzzes. If you allowed notifications, a Timer done notification appears too. What you get depends on your device and on whether cook mode is showing. Do not rely on a phone to warn you when you are out of the room.

• Cook mode asks the phone to keep the screen awake while it is open, on browsers that allow it, so the page stays showing.
• On an iPhone, the first time you start a timer cook mode shows a note at the top of the timer area: This browser can’t ring when the screen is off. Keep this screen on until the timer finishes.
• A phone’s silent switch or a low volume can mute the beeps. The orange Time’s up label always shows.
• The buzz is a short tap. Turn Haptic feedback off in Settings, or turn on Reduce Motion in your phone’s accessibility settings, and it goes away.
• Your browser asks Allow notifications? when you start your first timer. Say yes on a computer or an Android phone to get the Timer done notification. iPhone Safari never asks.

Leave and come back#

If you leave for a phone call or to check another recipe, your place is kept.

1. 1

   Tap the × at the top right

   

   You'll see: You go back to the recipe page.

2. 2

   Press Start cooking again, within 12 hours

   Timers count real time, so one that ran out while you were away shows Time’s up. Progress is kept in this browser on this device only. It is not shared with your other devices.

   You'll see: Cook mode opens on the step you left, with your ticks, servings and running timers.

Finish and rate#

1. 1

   Press Finish on the last step

   Nothing else is needed to log the cook. To rate the recipe without finishing this way, use More options then Rate this recipe on the recipe page. See Log what you cooked.

   

   You'll see: The screen reads That’s dinner. and a cook is added to the recipe’s cooking log.

2. 2

   Tap the stars to rate it

   One star to five. Tap a different star to change your mind.

   

   You'll see: The rating is saved with that cook.

3. 3

   Press Back to the recipe

   This also clears the saved progress, so the next time you start cooking you begin at the checklist.

   You'll see: You return to the recipe page, where the cook shows in the Cooking log.

Common questions#

Why is there no Start cooking button?#

A recipe with no steps cannot be cooked. Where the button would be, the recipe page says This recipe has no method yet with an Edit link if the recipe is yours. Add steps first, then come back. See Edit a recipe.

The screen still goes dark.#

Keeping the screen awake depends on your browser and your phone’s power settings. If it keeps happening, change the phone’s auto-lock time to a longer one while you cook.

I did not hear the beeps.#

See Will I hear the timer? for what to expect on each device. The orange Time’s up label always shows while cook mode is on screen.

Related: Use a recipe page, Log what you cooked.