# Handy CookBook > Digital recipe manager for iPhone and iPad with import and list features. (iPhone/iPad app by Carlo Alberto Mazzi.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handy-cookbook/id295451612 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Carlo Alberto Mazzi](https://appshunter.io/developer/295451615) - Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle - Price: $1.99 - Rating: 3.90/5 from 21 App Store ratings · 111 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 6 MB - Languages: Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Slovak - Released: 2008-11-05 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handy-cookbook/id295451612/reviews.md ## What is Handy CookBook? Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Handy CookBook puts your recipes at your fingertips. It is a feature-rich application with a simple and elegant interface. Your recipes stay with you on your IPhone, iPad or iPod. Take them with you everywhere. Email a recipe to a friend. Password protect them if you wish. Add recipes directly on your iPhone/iPad, or use Handy CookBook’s special web page for faster entry. You can see, edit, and enter recipes right on your laptop screen, then send them to your iPhone or iPod Touch. It’s easy! Already have a recipe collection? One recipe or hundreds in a file. Handy CookBook lets you download .mz2, .mxp (MasterCook), .mx2 (MasterCook 14) , .mmf (Meal Master) and .fdx (Living CookBook) files quickly to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. With a simple touch you can send the ingredients of a recipe to Handy CookBook’s grocery list. Customize the list, use it to shop, email to yourself or someone else’s phone, or print it. Beef stew recipe for 6, but you are inviting 8? Handy CookBook will recalculate ingredient amounts for you. Search by title, part of a title, or by ingredient. Handy CookBook is fast! Organize your recipes any way you wish. Use Handy CookBook’s beautiful icons or your own photos. Take a photo of what you’re eating with your iPhone and ask the chef for the recipe! Everything will be in Handy CookBook for you to see later. No internet connection needed. Requirements for PC connection: - Local WiFi Network between PC and iPhone - PC with Web Browser Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer 7-8 (with some limitation on the length of text inserted) Other features: - AirPrint support - Nutrition facts fields - Multiple Themes to view the recipes - Multiple steps and pictures in the preparation section - Collect the recipes in books and export them in .pdf files ## Key features - Recipe import (.mz2, .mxp, .mx2, .mmf, .fdx) - Web page for faster recipe entry - Automatic ingredient scaling - Search by title or ingredient - Grocery list creation and sharing - Offline access - Recipe organization with icons/photos ## What do users think of Handy CookBook? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface - 💾 Simple personal recipe storage without pre-loaded recipes - 🌐 Web-based interface for easy recipe entry via computer - 📸 Ability to add custom photos to recipes - 🔄 Automatic recipe scaling based on serving size - 📧 Easy recipe sharing via email - 🛒 Integrated shopping list functionality - ⚙️ Customizable recipe categories - 🚀 Fast search and retrieval of recipes - 💪 Responsive developer with good customer support - 📱 Works offline without internet connection **Cons** - 🐛 Fraction handling issues when entering recipes - ❌ App crashes on newer iOS versions - 📱 No cloud sync between devices - 🔌 Unreliable WiFi connection for PC-to-device sync - 💾 Data loss after device reset or iOS updates - ⚠️ Poor backward compatibility with newer iOS versions - 🚫 Limited customer support contact options - 📋 Recipes stored locally only, not backed up to cloud - 🔧 Inconsistent app performance across devices - ⏱️ Time-consuming manual recipe entry on device **Commonly reported bugs** - Fractions not properly saved when entering recipes - App won't open on iOS 13 and later - Unable to add ingredients in some versions - App crashes on iPhone 4 and 3G - Web interface connection times out during import - Recipes lost after device reset or software upgrade - Weird syntax appears when editing fractional quantities - App won't update on older devices - WiFi connection between PC and device unreliable - Ingredient amounts display as 'nan' instead of values - Inability to add recipes on some iPhone/iPad combinations **Most requested features** - Cloud synchronization across multiple devices - iPad version of the app - Apple Watch support - Automatic backup to cloud storage (Dropbox, iCloud) - Nutritional information fields - Weekly meal planner integration - Landscape view option - Ability to add ingredient preparation notes (diced, chopped, etc.) - Support for multiple recipe categories per dish - Metric measurement units built-in - Export to PDF format - Ability to edit categories from web interface - Prevent device sleep while cooking - Improved shopping list organization by category - Direct printing support (AirPrint) - Bulk ingredient entry/copy-paste functionality - Source/attribution field for recipes - Optional ingredient support - Separate ingredient and instruction sections for complex recipes ## Recent user reviews (10 of 111) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handy-cookbook/id295451612/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Handy cookbook CRASHED *2025-01-03* List ALL my recipes of 30 years! No way to contact the people! ### 3/5 — Update again please *2024-10-07* Love the app. But you lose the fraction when entering a recipe. ### 3/5 — Jan Lowder *2022-11-19, version 2.6.3* I have used Handy Cookbook successfully for years Today as I am starting my prep for Thanksgiving , it has balked at every turn I can pull up a recipe but can’t do anything such as edit, print, copy, send to email or anything I am frantic as all of our family recipes are here and no where else HELP ### 5/5 — Best Ever Cook Book !!! *2020-11-16* This is a great little cook book that allows you to store all your favourite recipes & cocktails. I have purchased numerous other cook books in the past and this is by far my favourite. Even does a google search for a picture to place upon your recipe. You will see what I mean once you purchase this book :)) Att dev !!! Only one issue !!! When adding 1/2, 1/4 measurements when writing a recipe there is an error ### 5/5 — Over a year and I still use it every week *2020-05-07, version 2.6.3* I was looking for a blank slate that I could mold to my own style. I file recipes oddly - by genre, ingredient, holidat and daypart (crazy but it works). and I have my own shorthand for ingredients and measurements. so, any app that forced me into a box was no good. and, I wanted easy backups and flex ability to share/output. I tried a bunch and they all failed. this is simply one of the best apps I have - it does exactly what it promises, extends my recipes easily back to other formats, ties the PC in if that's how I want to load/edut a recipe. easy to backup, edit and update. I took 4 thick paper files of recipes - pulled the very best (my go-to list) and loaded them. I also load new, untried recipes on the fly and delete them when they stink - update them with my alterations. I liberally add notes to everything. now, we add photos. this has made me a better home cook and everything is accessible when I travel. freaking amazing. ### 2/5 — Handy Cookbook *2020-02-07, version 2.6.3* I love the cookbook, but just tried to add a recipe and when I tap to add ingredient, nothing happens. I am unable to add any ingredients. I don’t see how to get any support on this question. I was able to add steps. Please help! ### 1/5 — It WAS Great for Chefs *2020-02-04* This app was great, I’ve used it since version 1.0 I think. With iOS 13 onwards it won’t even open… and I now have no way to recover my recipes from a decade of professional kitchen work. Such a disappointment to lose recipes I’ve picked up from people like Gordon Ramsey, Pierre Kaufman, and Marco Pierre White firsthand. ======= Original Review ====== As a chef I love to have a recipe book always to hand. And have been looking for an easy to use app since I got my iPhone last year. This 1 really does the trick My only complaint would be I'd like it to deal with larger numbers of servings (some of my recipes start at 40-50 people!) and that I need a way to back this up, I'd hate to think of the hours I'd lose (since I've copied all my cookbooks into it!!) Thanks again for a brilliant and simple app! ### 3/5 — Good tool but lacks sharing *2019-05-04, version 2.6.3* I use this app constantly on 2 different iPads. I have family recipes on both but the app doesn’t allow sharing. Recipes reside on each individual device instead of in the cloud where you’d be able to log on and see them on any device. This why I rated it at 3 stars, other than that it would be 5 stars. ### 3/5 — What happened? *2019-02-16, version 2.6.3* I LOVED this app until I purchased my new iPad. Now I too have a problem with my fractions. What gives?!! Extremely annoying but I have over 1,000 recipes in this app. Until this happened, I would have given this a 5 plus rating. Please help us out Carlo with a bug fix. ### 5/5 — Something happened *2019-01-04, version 2.6.3* I do looove this app. But, lately it won’t let me add recipes on my iPhone or iPad. I’ve tried emailing Carlos; but, I don’t think he’s received them because I’ve had no response. What I have on my app works beautifully, but, I need to add more recipes. I hope he will find a way to show me how to fix it! ## Frequently asked questions about Handy CookBook ### What does Handy CookBook do? Handy CookBook is a digital recipe management application designed for iPhone and iPad. It allows users to store, organize, and access their recipes easily. You can add new recipes directly on your device or import them from various popular file formats. ### What are the key features of Handy CookBook? Key features include the ability to import recipes from formats like .mz2 and .mxp, a web page for faster recipe entry on a laptop, automatic ingredient scaling for different serving sizes, and a built-in grocery list generator. Recipes can be searched by title or ingredient, and organized with custom icons or photos. ### How much does Handy CookBook cost? Based on the provided information, Handy CookBook is a paid application. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or subscription models, indicating a one-time purchase for the app. ### What devices is Handy CookBook compatible with? Handy CookBook is a universal app designed for both iPhone and iPad. It also supports iPod Touch. For PC connection to enter recipes, a local WiFi network and a web browser on the PC are required. ### Can I use Handy CookBook without an internet connection? Yes, Handy CookBook is designed to work offline. Once your recipes are stored on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you can access them, create grocery lists, and manage your collection without needing an internet connection. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.6.3 — 2017-09-12 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. 64 bit support Bug fix ### 2.6.1 — 2014-10-22 iOS 8 update Native support for .mz2 ‘MasterCook 14’ files Bug fix ### 2.5 — 2013-11-13 Bug fix ### 2.4 — 2013-10-06 iOS 7 update ### 2.3 — 2013-04-14 - custom resolution when saving photo - pinch and zoom to enlarge the recipe - recognition of web links in the note and recipe preparation fields (ie http://www.apple.com will be interpreted as external link) - new theme - fixed a visualization issue in categories - fixed a visualization issue of the nutrition facts in the iPad version - added field 'Protein' in nutrition facts ## Apps similar to Handy CookBook | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Meala](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meala/id1622381759) | 5.0 (5) | Free | Food & Drink | | [Rooster’s Package](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roosters-package/id1568702768) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Food & Drink | | [What's In My Freezer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whats-in-my-freezer/id572493192) | 3.9 (19) | $9.99 | Food & Drink | | [Personal Cookbook II](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-cookbook-ii/id455252467) | 3.8 (13) | Free | Food & Drink | | [NV Food Runners](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nv-food-runners/id1513388716) | 3.7 (9) | Free | Food & Drink | | [Kitchen Scales](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kitchen-scales/id698174484) | — | $1.99 | Food & Drink | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*