Start with a clear photo
Place the cookbook on a flat surface and photograph the whole recipe page. Keep the title, servings, ingredients and method inside the frame. Good light matters more than a dramatic angle, because OCR needs clear text to produce a useful recipe draft.
If the recipe spans two pages, capture both pages before importing. Avoid strong shadows, glare and fingers covering text. A small amount of background is fine, but the page itself should be the obvious subject.
Check the recipe sections after scanning
After OCR, review the title, servings, ingredients and instructions separately. Cookbook pages often include side notes, optional toppings, nutrition badges and footer text. A review step lets you keep the useful parts and remove anything that is not part of the recipe.
Do not worry if a scan is not perfect. The goal is to save time by creating a strong first draft. You can still edit ingredient wording, split wrapped lines and correct method steps before saving.
Organise scanned recipes for reuse
A digitised recipe becomes more useful when it can be found and planned. Save names clearly, keep source links or notes where useful and add recipes to the weekly meal planner when you want to cook them.
Once a recipe is saved in Meal Planner, it can feed the shopping list and Cook Mode. That makes cookbook recipes easier to reuse without carrying the book around the kitchen every time.
Build the habit gradually
You do not need to scan every cookbook at once. Start with recipes your household already cooks, then add new pages when you try them. This keeps the organiser clean and avoids filling it with meals nobody actually wants.
Over time, your cookbook shelf becomes connected to your phone. Favourite recipes remain in the books you love, but the practical planning details are available where you need them.
Common questions
Should I keep the original cookbook?
Yes. Digitising is for planning and convenience; the original cookbook remains the source if you want to check wording or photos.
Can I scan handwritten notes on a cookbook page?
Handwritten notes may be recognised if they are clear, but they should always be reviewed before saving.