How to Import Mela Recipes Into Keepsake Cook

Your Mela recipes live in Apple-only land — fine until you need them on another device, or you're backing up a collection you actually cook from. Here's the path into a searchable cookbook: export a .melarecipes (or .melarecipe) file from Mela, then bring that file into Keepsake Cook.

Short answer: In Mela, select the recipes you want → Share/Export → save the .melarecipe (one recipe) or .melarecipes (batch ZIP) file. Upload that file in Keepsake Cook. Skim each imported recipe once — titles, amounts, and steps — before you cook from it.

Why export beats screenshotting your Mela library

Screenshots of Mela cards look like a backup. They aren't searchable, they lose structure, and you'll hate yourself at 6 p.m. when dinner depends on finding "the chicken one."

Mela's export is real data: ingredients, instructions, notes, and images packaged as JSON (single) or a ZIP of those files (batch). That's the format worth moving.

Opinion: Export the keepers you actually cook — not every impulse save — before you switch apps or wipe a phone. A smaller library imports cleaner and stays useful.

Export from Mela (phone or Mac)

Exact menu labels shift slightly by version, but the path is the same:

1. Open Mela and go to your collection (All Recipes, a category, or Favorites).
2. Select one recipe, or use Select to grab several.
3. Tap Share / Export and choose the Mela export format — not "Print PDF" if you want a re-importable file.
4. Save to Files, AirDrop to a computer, or email the file to yourself.

One recipe → usually a .melarecipe file (JSON under the hood).
Many recipes → a .melarecipes archive (a ZIP of .melarecipe files; you can rename to .zip to peek inside).

If the share sheet offers several formats, pick the native Mela export. PDF is for printing, not for moving into another recipe app.

What the file actually contains

A .melarecipe holds structured fields: title, ingredients, instructions, categories, times, notes, source link, and often embedded images. A .melarecipes file is simply a bundle of those.

You don't need to edit JSON by hand. Knowing the shape helps when something looks off after import — you'll know to check the original export, not blame your stove.

Import into Keepsake Cook

Create a free Keepsake Cook account, then upload the .melarecipe or .melarecipes file. Keepsake reads the Mela format and turns each entry into a recipe in your digital cookbook — searchable, with tags and favorites you control.

After import:

• Open a few recipes you know by heart and check amounts and steps
• Fix anything that looks truncated or oddly split
• Add the tags you actually filter by on weeknights (weeknight, chicken, one-pan)
• Favorite the five dishes you cook on autopilot

Ready to move the collection now? Try Keepsake Cook free — upload the export, skim a few keepers, and cook from a library you can search, tag, and favorite on any device.

After import: don't leave the mess in two places

Pick a home. Leave Mela as a temporary archive until you've confirmed the import, then stop adding new recipes there. Dual inboxes recreate the camera-roll problem with nicer icons.

Going forward, save new finds straight into Keepsake — or bring another .melarecipes export over when you're ready — so you're not running a second migration next year.

Troubleshooting the usual snags

• Can't find the file: Check Files → Downloads / AirDrop / email attachments for .melarecipe or .melarecipes.
• Import looks empty: Confirm you exported the native Mela format, not only a PDF.
• Categories feel off: Re-tag in Keepsake with the few labels you'll use while hungry — don't rebuild Mela's whole tree on day one.
• Images missing on a recipe: Open that recipe in Mela, confirm the photo is still there, re-export the single .melarecipe, and import it again.

Cook from the keepers tonight

You don't need a weekend project. Export the keepers, upload the file, fix anything that needs a quick edit, and open Tuesday's dinner from a collection that isn't stuck on one phone.

If the Mela export is sitting in Files waiting for a home, try Keepsake Cook free — import .melarecipes, tag or favorite what you reach for most, and open the recipe when dinner is the job.