Help
Guides, FAQs, and support
Getting Started
Welcome to Keepsake Cook! After signing in, use the navigation bar for Recipes, Upload, Generator, and Blog. Your account menu (top right) links to Profile, Settings, Friends, Trash, Upgrade, and this help guide. Inbox is the mail icon in the header.
- Create a free account or sign in with Google
- Upload a recipe photo/PDF or try the AI generator (Recipe, Cocktail, or Pantry mode — login required)
- Browse your collection from Recipes and favorite the ones you love
Uploading Recipes
Keepsake Cook extracts ingredients and instructions from images, PDFs, and text files using AI. On Upload, use the Files, Multi-Page, or Text tabs. Processing runs in the background — watch the progress badge on recipe cards. Credit cost is shown before you process.
- Supported formats: JPG, PNG, PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, and Mela (.melarecipe/.melarecipes)
- Max 20 MB per file
- Upload multiple files at once or choose an entire folder
- Use the Multi-Page tab to combine several images or a PDF into one recipe
- Mela imports (.melarecipe / .melarecipes) are free — no AI credits
- Photo → recipe: 5 credits · Text parse: 2 · PDF/multi-page: 3 per page + 2 to parse
Managing Recipes
Your recipe book supports search, filters, favorites, editing, print, nutrition, soft delete with 30-day trash recovery, and bulk select/delete.
- Open any recipe to view ingredients, instructions, nutrition, and metadata
- Use the on-page ingredient scaler (0.5×–3×) to adjust quantities for display only — no credits
- Click Modify to AI-scale, convert metric ↔ imperial (1 credit), or apply a custom change (2 credits). You get 5 free modify previews per day; saving spends credits
- Open Version history to restore a previous version after a modify
- Click Edit to change title, times, ingredients, or photos; Print for a printer-friendly layout
- If an upload fails, open the recipe and use Reprocess
- Use the heart icon or card menu to favorite; Delete moves a recipe to Trash — restore within 30 days
- On the recipe book, select multiple recipes for bulk delete
Finding Recipes
Use the Recipe Book filters to narrow a large collection quickly.
- Search by title or general text
- Ingredient search matches any term in the ingredients list
- Filter by cuisine, category, difficulty, diet tags, cook time, favorites, or processing status
- Sort by newest, oldest, A–Z, or favorites first
Generating Recipes, Cocktails & Pantry Spins
The AI generator creates custom recipes or drinks. Switch between Recipe, Cocktail, and Pantry mode on the Generator page. Login required. You get 3 free spins per day (shared across all modes); further spins cost 2 credits.
- Recipe mode: choose Single or Fusion cuisine, then meal type, dietary needs, main ingredients, and cooking methods
- Cocktail mode: pick a drink vibe (marg, punch, jello shot), occasion, spirit, and flavor — beginner-friendly
- Pantry mode: list ingredients you already have (or scan a fridge/pantry photo for 3 credits); optionally require using all of them
- Want a mocktail? Set alcohol level to No alcohol
- Adjust uniqueness from Traditional to Unique on a 0–10 scale
- After a free spin, saving costs 2 credits; after a paid spin, save is free
Pricing & Credits
Keepsake Cook uses AI credits for photo OCR, recipe parsing, generation, and modifications. Your free monthly allowance resets each month; credits you buy never expire. Cost is always shown before you spend.
Free tier
- 20 credits / month — enough for about 4 photo recipes or 10 text parses
- Unlimited recipe storage
- 3 free generator spins per day across Recipe, Cocktail, and Pantry mode (login required)
- 5 free modify previews per day
- Purchased pack credits never expire and are not wiped by monthly reset
- Refunds: ask within 30 days of purchase via Help → Report an issue (Billing category)
What credits buy
| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| Photo → recipe | 5 credits |
| Image OCR (per page) | 3 credits |
| Pantry photo scan | 3 credits |
| Recipe text parsing | 2 credits |
| PDF page OCR (per page) | 3 credits |
| Generator spin (after free daily spins) | 2 credits |
| Save generated recipe (after free spin) | 2 credits |
| Modify save (scale / convert) | 1 credit |
| Modify save (custom) | 2 credits |
Multi-page / PDF uploads cost 3 credits per page plus 2 to parse. After a paid generator spin, saving that recipe is free.
Credit packs
| Pack | Credits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 25 AI CreditsQuick boost for a few photo uploads | 25 | $2.99 |
| 50 AI CreditsPopular choice for regular cooking | 50 | $4.99 |
| 100 AI CreditsBest value one-time pack | 100 | $8.99 |
Subscriptions
| Plan | Credits / month | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly150 AI credits every month | 150 | $6.99/month |
Ready to top up? Buy packs or start a subscription on the Upgrade page.
Buy creditsTroubleshooting
Common issues and quick fixes.
- File too large: keep uploads under 20 MB or split multi-page scans
- Blurry OCR: use good lighting, hold the camera steady, and fill the frame with text
- Multi-page jumble: upload pages in order on the Multi-Page tab
- Out of credits: visit Upgrade or wait for the monthly reset shown on Profile
- Recipe still processing: wait for the card badge to complete or open the recipe for status
- Upload failed: open the recipe and use Reprocess, or check format support and credits
Quick Reference
Handy links for everyday tasks.
- Upload → /upload
- Recipe book → /recipes
- Generator → /generator
- Inbox → /inbox
- Friends → /friends
- Trash → /trash
- Profile & credits → /profile
- Settings → /settings
- Pricing → /help#pricing
- Upgrade → /upgrade
FAQ
How do I restore a deleted recipe?
Go to Trash and click Restore on any recipe deleted within the last 30 days. You can also bulk-restore selected items.
Can I use Keepsake Cook without an account?
Browsing help and the blog is open to guests. Uploading, generating, and saving recipes require a free account.
Where can I see pricing?
Open Help → Pricing & Credits (/help#pricing) for packs, subscriptions, and per-action costs. Buy on the Upgrade page.
How do I get more AI credits?
Visit the Upgrade page to buy credit packs or subscribe for monthly credits. Purchased credits never expire.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Ask within 30 days of purchase via Help → Report an issue, category Billing. Include the email on the account and the approximate purchase date. We refund credit packs and the most recent subscription charge in that window.
Do purchased credits expire?
No. Pack credits never expire and are not wiped when your monthly free allowance resets.
How many free generator spins do I get?
Logged-in users get 3 free spins per day across Recipe, Cocktail, and Pantry mode. After that, each spin costs 2 credits. Saving after a free spin costs 2 credits; after a paid spin, save is free.
Can I generate cocktails?
Yes — switch to Cocktail mode on the Generator page. Pick a drink vibe (marg, punch, jello shot), occasion, and spirit. Mocktails are supported via No alcohol.
What is Pantry mode?
Switch to Pantry on the Generator page, list ingredients you already have (or scan a fridge/pantry photo for 3 credits), and spin a recipe built around them. Choose “Must use all” if every item should appear in the dish.
What’s the difference between the ingredient scaler and Modify?
The on-page scaler (0.5×–3×) only changes how quantities display — no credits, nothing saved. Modify uses AI to scale, convert units, or apply a custom change, creates a new version you can restore, and spends credits when you save (1 for scale/convert, 2 for custom).
How do I add friends?
Open Friends from the account menu, search by email (at least 3 characters), and click Add. Once connected, you can share recipes to them from any recipe’s Share page.
Why did my upload fail?
Check file size (max 20 MB), format support (JPG, PNG, PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, and Mela (.melarecipe/.melarecipes)), and that you have enough AI credits. Open a failed recipe and use Reprocess, or try again from Upload — the screen shows cost before you process.