MyCookbook

What it does

MyCookbook is a searchable, version-tracked recipe library that lives on the operator's phone and the kitchen's iPad. Recipes get scanned from photos, PDFs, or typed in directly. Once in the library, they're searchable by name, ingredient, allergen, season, or station.

Independent restaurants typically run their kitchens on some mix of binders, laminated cards, hand-written notebooks, and the executive chef's memory. That works until the chef takes a Saturday off, the new line cook can't find the gumbo recipe, and Saturday-night service stalls. MyCookbook is the alternative.

Every recipe is version-tracked. When the chef adjusts a sauce mid-season, the prior version is preserved — so the line cook who learned the previous version can see exactly what changed. Photos can be attached to each recipe step, useful for plating standards and prep technique cues.

Key features

Scan recipes from photos or PDFsPoint the camera at a handwritten recipe card or a PDF; the recipe gets parsed into ingredients, quantities, steps, and metadata.
Searchable libraryFind any recipe by name, ingredient, allergen tag, season, or station in under 5 seconds.
Version trackingEvery edit creates a new version; prior versions stay accessible. Chef adjusts the gumbo roux ratio? The line cook can see exactly what changed.
Allergen and dietary tagsTag recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, nut allergens, etc. Filter the library by tag for quick guest-question response.
Photos per stepAttach plating photos and prep technique cues to specific steps. New cooks see what the finished dish looks like, not just the ingredient list.
Shared kitchen access on the paid tierMultiple cooks access the same library from different devices. The line cook on grill and the prep cook in back see the same canonical recipes.

How operators use it

New-hire onboardingDay 3 of onboarding (the documentation day per the standard 5-day playbook), the new line cook reads through the searchable library instead of flipping through a binder.

Mid-service recipe verificationServer gets a guest question about gluten content in the étouffée. Line cook pulls the recipe in 5 seconds, confirms, server walks back with the answer in 30 seconds total.

Recipe handoff during a chef changeWhen the executive chef leaves, the next chef inherits a searchable, version-tracked library — not a binder of laminated cards in the chef's handwriting.

Related glossary terms

FAQ

How does the recipe scanner work?

Point the iPhone camera at a recipe card, handwritten note, or PDF. The app parses ingredients, quantities, and steps into structured data. Anything ambiguous gets flagged for review before saving.

Can multiple cooks access the same library?

On the paid tier, yes — shared kitchen access means multiple devices see the same canonical library. Free tier is single-user.

Does it scale recipes?

The library is for storing. For recipe scaling math, use ChefScale (companion app) — the two work together and share recipe data on the paid tier.

What about photos?

Each recipe supports a hero photo (finished plate) and step-by-step photos (technique, plating, prep stages).

Free tier limits?

Library of up to 50 recipes free, indefinitely. Paid tier unlocks unlimited recipes, shared kitchen access, and ChefScale recipe-data sync.

Built by an operator

MyCookbook is published by ALSTIG INC, founded by Ben Mouton — a 14-year independent restaurant operator. Every app on the ALSTIG stack came from a problem hit during the run, and every feature was tested at Mouton's Bistro & Bar in Cedar Park, TX before release. Free to start. No platform contracts. Read the operator-direct articles or browse the operations glossary.

What it does

Key features

How operators use it

Related articles

Related glossary terms

FAQ

Built by an operator