Cook: Cooklang recipe app

Cook: Cooklang recipe app

Plain-text recipe manager

6 ratings
3 reviews
Free

Price history


Details

Released
December 18, 2021
Updated
October 8, 2026

Features

Cook: Cooklang recipe app screenshot #1 for iPhone
Cook: Cooklang recipe app screenshot #2 for iPhone
Cook: Cooklang recipe app screenshot #3 for iPhone
Cook: Cooklang recipe app screenshot #4 for iPhone
Cook: Cooklang recipe app screenshot #5 for iPhone
iphone
ipad
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About

This app helps you organize recipes with detailed structure, including sections and ingredient references. It generates shopping lists that can be grouped by store section or recipe component. Recipes are stored in a plain text format, ensuring you always own your data and can access it offline.

✓Structured recipe organization
✓Recipe cross-referencing
✓Automatic shopping list generation
✓Customizable shopping list groupings
✓Offline recipe access
✓Recipe scaling by servings or ratio
✓Plain text recipe format
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What's New in Cook

0.12.0

October 8, 2026

Added Clip Recipe has a Text tab: paste a recipe from a note, a message or an email and it is turned into a Cooklang recipe. Share selected text from another app to Cook and it is converted straight away. If you're not signed in and hit the import limit, the text is carried into the app so you can sign in and finish there. Getting started asks three more questions — allergies, how much time you have on a weeknight, and what you'd like Cook to help with — so your first recipes fit you better. Recipes with an allergen you pick are left out. When your starter recipes are ready, a summary shows how many were added, what they were matched to and what to try next. If you don't have a plan yet, you can look at the plans from there — or start a free trial, when one is available to you. Changed Meal plans are free for everyone: every day opens in full and Add all ingredients works, signed in or not. Hidden files and folders (names starting with a dot) no longer appear in your recipe list or in folder counts. Fixed Sharing a recipe link to Cook while signed out and hitting the import limit now offers to sign in: it opens Cook, which signs you in and imports the recipe. Opening a folder in a large recipe library no longer freezes the app. Cook now reads only the folder you're looking at, and loads each recipe's picture as its row appears. A folder is no longer hidden when a recipe next to it has the same name. Recipes and meal plans whose file extension isn't lowercase, like Pancakes.COOK, now show up. Two recipes in the same folder with the same title no longer collapse into one row. Cook opens again on iPhones and iPads running iOS 16. It crashed at launch while the crash reporter catalogued the app's screens. Turning sync on while your recipes live in a custom or iCloud folder no longer freezes the app while they are copied over. Starting to cook no longer freezes the app while step photos and the aisle list are read from a slow folder. Each step's photo appears as you reach it. Signing in from the plans screen at the end of getting started brings you back to your summary instead of jumping straight to your recipes. Tapping "Start cooking" while the plans screen was still opening could stop every later plans screen from opening until you relaunched the app. The summary now waits for the plans screen to close first. The one-time plans offer is no longer used up when the plans could not be loaded. A recipe with ".cook" in the middle of its name, like Dr.Cook's Chili.cook, now shows its full name. A recipe whose name ends in .menu or .cook before the extension, like Sunday.Menu.cook, is found again from the shopping list. Opening a recipe that iCloud hasn't downloaded yet no longer freezes the app while the file is fetched.

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User reviews

Additional basic features

It would be nice if we could do simple CRUD. The feeding in videos with the AI stuff is cool, but it still doesn’t have the basic CRUD options. Right now I’m forced with using Apple shortcuts/Files to add recipes and photos so it’ll be nice if we could do that and then also if the shopping list could be outputted into a file as well that we can pass through that would be great. Also the ability to re-categorize make folders move around folders. Other than that, it’s a pretty good app.
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Different folder.

It would be great if the app allows to store the recipes outside of a default folder on iCloud. It crashes at the first startup multiple times but I hope it is resolved once the config files are set up.

Using this app deleted my files.

I tapped remove on a recipe to take it out of my shopping list and it’s now gone from iCloud. The whole .cook file has been deleted. Removing this app from my devices and asking for a refund.

Response from developer

Hi batsquatch47 I'm very sorry that your file was deleted. I can imagine how it is frustrating for you. Thank you for requesting a refund. I just wanted to note that CooklangApp is a read-only app and we rely on Apple infrastructure for iCloud synchronisation.  If you don't mind helping us, could you please send us more details on hello@cooklang.org about the context so we can try to reproduce that dreadful situation? What version of Mac and iOS do you use? How many (approximately) recipes do you have? Can you recall a few steps before this file disappear? Do you use only Mac and an iOS device or you have more? This information would greatly help us with identifying the issue. Thank you for your help -Alexey

FAQ

What is Cook's recipe format?

Cook uses the Cooklang format, which is an open-source plain text format. This ensures your recipes are always yours and can be accessed offline or with other compatible applications without vendor lock-in.

How does Cook organize recipes?

Cook allows you to organize recipes with distinct sections like dough, filling, or frosting. It also supports recipe references, letting you link to other recipes (e.g., pizza dough from a pizza recipe) instead of duplicating content.

Can Cook generate shopping lists?

Yes, Cook automatically builds shopping lists from your recipes. You can configure these lists to group ingredients by store section, recipe component, or even by store, making your shopping more efficient.

Does Cook work offline?

Yes, Cook works offline. Since recipes are stored in plain text files and can be synced via iCloud, CookCloud, or other sync apps, you can access and manage your recipes even without an internet connection.

How can I share or export recipes from Cook?

Cook allows you to share and export your recipes freely. Because they are in the plain text Cooklang format, they are easily transferable and usable across different platforms and applications.

What devices does Cook support?

Cook is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed to work seamlessly across Apple's mobile ecosystem.

How often is Cook updated?

The latest version of Cook is 0.7.3, last updated on March 24, 2026. While this indicates a recent update, the frequency of future updates is not specified.

What is the user rating for Cook?

Cook has a rating of 3.8 stars based on 5 ratings. This suggests a generally positive but mixed user reception.