The Complete Guide

1. Make an account (one time only)

Your account keeps every recipe private to you. Nobody else can see anything unless YOU choose to share it.

1. Go to cookitmike.com and click the orange ‘Sign in’ button at the top right.
2. Type your email and pick a password — or tap ‘Continue with Google’ to skip the password.
3. You'll land on the Dashboard. That's your home base.
4. Next time you visit, you're remembered automatically — no need to sign in again on the same phone.

2. The Dashboard — your kitchen at a glance

The first page you see when you open the app. Everything important is one tap away.

1. Top: your CookIt! Mike logo, a big orange ‘+’ button (Quick Add), and the sign-out arrow.
2. Middle: ‘New Recipe / Formula’ button to start a fresh recipe right away.
3. Search bar: type any word (title, ingredient, tag) to instantly find a recipe.
4. Category chips under the search bar: tap ‘Dessert’ (or any category) to see only those recipes. Tap ‘Clear’ to reset.
5. Measurement toggle: choose how amounts are displayed — As Written, US (cups/oz), or Metric (g/ml). Your originals are NEVER changed, only the display.
6. Stat cards: quick counts of your recipes, formulas, favorites, and total items.
7. Recently added: the last 6 things you made.
8. Bottom navigation bar: Home · Recipes · AI · Search · Menu.

3. Add a recipe by typing it

1. Tap the orange ‘New Recipe / Formula’ button (Dashboard) or the ‘+’ in the top bar.
2. Choose ‘Recipe’ (for cooking) or ‘Formula’ (for soap, candles, lotion — anything measured in percentages).
3. Title: give it a name like ‘Grandma's Apple Pie’.
4. Category: pick one or type a new one (Dessert, Dinner, Bread, Soap, etc.).
5. Description: a sentence about what it is (optional).
6. Ingredients: add one row at a time. Enter the amount, unit, and name. Tap the + to add another row.
7. Instructions: type each step. Use the Enter key to start a new step.
8. Notes: anything you want to remember (where you got it, who loves it, tweaks for next time).
9. Tags: short keywords like ‘holiday’, ‘gluten-free’, ‘kids’.
10. Tap ‘Save’ at the bottom. Done.

4. Add a recipe from a photo (Digitize)

Snap a picture of a handwritten card, a cookbook page, or a screenshot — the app reads the words for you.

1. From the Menu, tap ‘Digitize’ (or use the camera icon in Quick Actions).
2. Tap ‘Upload photo’ and choose the picture. You can also take one right then.
3. Wait 10–20 seconds while the app reads the image.
4. If the photo is blurry, tap the ✨ ‘Enhance’ button — it sharpens and brightens the image.
5. Review the extracted text. Fix any typos (the app is good but not perfect).
6. Tap ‘Save as recipe’. The new recipe lands in your library.

5. Add a recipe from a website or YouTube link

1. From the Menu, tap ‘Import from link’.
2. Paste the URL of any recipe website or a YouTube cooking video.
3. Tap ‘Import’. The app pulls in the title, ingredients, and steps.
4. Review, fix anything, and Save.

6. Edit, favorite, or delete a recipe

1. Tap any recipe to open it.
2. Tap the star ★ at the top right to mark it as a favorite.
3. Tap ‘Edit’ to change anything — title, ingredients, steps, notes.
4. Tap the three-dot menu (⋯) for more options: duplicate, archive, or delete.
5. Deleted recipes go to the Trash for 30 days. You can restore them from Menu → Trash.

7. Cover images — make a recipe look beautiful

1. Open a recipe and tap ‘Add photo’ (or the cover area at the top).
2. Upload a photo from your phone, or pick one from your Photo Library inside the app.
3. To change the cover later, tap any photo on the recipe and choose ‘Set as cover’.
4. Tap a photo to crop, enhance, or delete it.

8. Search and filter your recipes

1. From the bottom bar, tap ‘Recipes’ to see your full library.
2. Type in the search box — it looks at titles, ingredients, notes, categories, and tags all at once.
3. Tap ‘All / Recipes / Formulas’ to filter by type.
4. Tap ‘★ Favorites’ to show only starred ones.
5. Tap ‘Filters’ for more options like Category and Sort order.
6. Status chips (Draft, Testing, Approved…) help you find work-in-progress items.

9. Collections — group recipes together

A collection is like a folder. Use it for ‘Christmas Cookies’, ‘Camping Meals’, ‘Birthday Menu’, anything.

1. From the Menu, tap ‘Collections’.
2. Tap ‘New collection’ and give it a name.
3. Open the collection and tap ‘Add items’ — pick the recipes you want inside.
4. To remove one, tap the trash icon on the card.
5. Tap ‘Share’ on a collection to send the whole group to someone with one link.

10. Share a single recipe

1. Open the recipe.
2. Tap the Share button (top right).
3. Your phone's normal share menu opens — text, email, WhatsApp, copy link, whatever you use.
4. The person who gets the link can VIEW the recipe with no account needed. They can also tap ‘Save to my library’ if they have CookIt! Mike.
5. To stop sharing, open the recipe → ⋯ → ‘Make private’.

11. Share several recipes at once (NEW)

Hand-pick a few recipes — like ‘these 5 cookies for the bake sale’ — and send one link.

1. Tap ‘Recipes’ in the bottom bar.
2. Tap the ‘Select’ button at the top right.
3. Tap each recipe you want to include — a checkmark appears on each one.
4. When you're done, tap ‘Share selected’ at the bottom of the screen.
5. Give the bundle a name (e.g. ‘Bake Sale Cookies’) and confirm.
6. Your phone's share menu opens with one link covering all of them. Send it however you like.
7. Anyone with the link can browse the bundle, no account needed.

12. Share your entire library

1. Tap ‘Recipes’ in the bottom bar.
2. Tap ‘Share Library’.
3. Choose what to include: All, Recipes only, or Formulas only.
4. Flip the switch ON. A link is generated.
5. Copy and send the link. Anyone with it can browse what you shared. Turn it OFF anytime to revoke access.

13. Categories — keep things tidy

1. From the Menu, tap ‘Categories’.
2. Tap ‘+ New category’ to add ones that fit your kitchen (Soups, Cocktails, Kid lunches, Soap, etc.).
3. When adding or editing a recipe, pick a category from the dropdown.
4. On the Dashboard, the category chips under the search bar let you browse by category with one tap.

14. Formulas (soap, candles, skincare, anything in %)

Formulas work just like recipes but use percentages and totals so you can scale a batch perfectly.

1. Tap Quick Add and switch the type to ‘Formula’.
2. Add each ingredient with its percentage — the app totals it for you so you know if you hit 100%.
3. Use the Batch Calculator to make a batch of any size: type how many grams (or ounces) of finished product you want.
4. Mark your status — Draft → Testing → Approved → Production Ready — to track what's ready to make.
5. Add safety notes, INCI names, suppliers, and costs as needed.

15. Ingredient Library

A master list of ingredients you use a lot. Set the cost and supplier ONCE; every recipe uses it automatically.

1. From the Menu, tap ‘Ingredient Library’.
2. Tap ‘+ Add ingredient’. Enter the name, common name, supplier, cost per unit, default unit, and any safety notes.
3. When you add that ingredient to a recipe, the cost is filled in for you.
4. Keep notes per ingredient (good substitutes, where you buy it, batch numbers).

16. Stock / inventory tracking

1. From the Menu, tap ‘Stock’.
2. Add what's on hand, the unit, and when you bought it.
3. Set a reorder threshold so the app reminds you when you're running low.
4. Every time you do a production run, the app can subtract what you used.

17. Production runs (track what you make)

1. Open a recipe or formula → tap ‘Log a run’.
2. Enter the batch size and how many units you produced.
3. Add packaging cost and notes (color, smell, how it turned out).
4. Find every run later under the recipe's ‘History’ tab.

18. Versions and backups

1. Every time you save a major change, the app keeps the old version.
2. Open a recipe → ⋯ → ‘Versions’ to see and restore any previous version.
3. From the Menu, ‘Export Data’ creates a downloadable backup of everything (PDF or spreadsheet).
4. Use ‘Export Data’ before any big cleanup or once a month for peace of mind.

19. AI Assistant

Ask anything about your recipes — the AI knows your library.

1. Tap ‘AI’ in the bottom bar.
2. Type a question: ‘Scale my brownies to 24 servings’, ‘What can I make with chicken and rice?’, ‘Convert this to grams’.
3. Read the answer. Tap ‘Save as note’ to keep it on the related recipe.
4. AI suggestions also appear on individual recipes — ingredient swaps, scaling tips, pairing ideas.

20. Batch Calculator & Unit Converter

1. Open any recipe → tap ‘Batch’ to multiply or divide every ingredient at once. Type ‘×2’, ‘÷4’, or a target batch size.
2. Tap ‘Convert’ on any ingredient line to switch units (cups ↔ grams, ounces ↔ ml, etc.).
3. The Dashboard measurement toggle (As Written / US / Metric) changes how amounts DISPLAY everywhere without changing your saved original.

21. Grocery list

1. From the Menu, tap ‘Grocery’.
2. Open a recipe → ‘Add to grocery list’ and the ingredients you don't have on hand are added.
3. Tap items in the grocery list to check them off while you shop.
4. Send the list to yourself by email or share it with a family member.

22. Notifications and reminders

1. Set a reminder on any recipe (‘Try this Friday’, ‘Reorder lye on the 1st’).
2. Find all reminders under Menu → Reminders.
3. The bell icon in the top bar shows new notifications.

23. Settings and profile

1. From the Menu, tap your name or avatar.
2. Update your display name, photo, and email.
3. Change your default measurement system here too.
4. Manage your subscription plan, password, and connected accounts.

24. Install as an app on your phone

1. On iPhone: open cookitmike.com in Safari → tap the share icon → ‘Add to Home Screen’.
2. On Android: open in Chrome → tap the three-dot menu → ‘Install app’.
3. Now CookIt! Mike opens like a regular app, full-screen, with the chef logo on your home screen.

25. Privacy — what's private and what's not

1. By DEFAULT every recipe, photo, and note is private to you.
2. Anything you share creates a hidden link. Only people you give the link to can see it.
3. You can revoke a share anytime: open the item → ⋯ → ‘Make private’.
4. Your library is never indexed by Google unless you explicitly publish it.

26. Trash and undo

1. Deleted recipes go to Menu → Trash for 30 days.
2. Tap ‘Restore’ to bring one back.
3. After 30 days it's permanently gone.

27. Plans and pricing

1. Start with the 14-day free trial — full access, no card needed until you upgrade.
2. From the Menu, tap ‘Plans’ to compare what each plan includes.
3. Pick a plan, enter payment details, and you're set. Cancel anytime from the same page.

28. Need help?

1. Email contact@michaeljotech.org — a real person answers.
2. Or use the Contact page on the website.
3. Include screenshots if something looks wrong; it speeds up the fix.