Warning

This guide is for Paprika 4, which is currently in beta. Switch to the Paprika 3 guide.

Cook Mode

Cook mode on iPhone: the directions with the current step highlighted and the others dimmed, and the step pill at the bottom with the previous and next arrows, Step 3 of 6, and the microphone, speaker and stop buttons.
  1. menu, with Start Cooking Starting Cook Mode
  2. Current step Moving Between Steps
  3. Previous and next Moving Between Steps
  4. button Voice Commands
  5. button Reading Steps Aloud
  6. button Stopping Cook Mode
Cook mode in Paprika for iOS.

Cook mode steps you through a recipe while you cook. Paprika highlights one step at a time, reads it aloud, and listens for what to do next.

Starting Cook Mode

Open the recipe, tap the button in the recipe toolbar, and choose Start Cooking. Paprika switches to the directions, highlights the first step, dims the others, and reads the step aloud. The screen stays on while you cook.

Note

On iPad, and on iPhone in landscape, Start Cooking is a button in the recipe toolbar instead, next to the heart. It becomes Stop Cooking while you cook.

Note

A recipe with no steps has nothing to cook from, so Start Cooking is greyed out.

Note

If you've already highlighted a step by tapping it, cook mode starts from that step rather than the first.

Moving Between Steps

The step pill at the bottom of the screen shows where you are, such as Step 3 of 6. Tap or to move between steps, or tap a step in the directions to jump to it. Paprika scrolls each step into view as you reach it.

Note

Headings in the directions, such as For the sauce:, aren't steps. Cook mode passes over them.

Reading Steps Aloud

Paprika reads each step aloud as you reach it, in the recipe's language. Tap on the step pill to turn reading aloud off; it changes to . Tap it again to turn reading aloud back on. Paprika remembers your choice.

Note

Paprika uses the best voice installed for the language. For a more natural one, download a voice in the Settings app under Accessibility › Spoken Content › Voices.

Voice Commands

While you cook, Paprika listens for what to do next, so you don't need to touch the screen. The button on the step pill shows that it's listening. Tap it to turn listening off, and again to turn it back on. You don't need to say "Paprika" first, though you can.

Say To
"Next step" / "Previous step" Move between steps.
"Repeat that" Hear the current step again.
"Go to step 3" / "Go to the last step" Jump to a step.
"Start over" Go back to the first step.
"What are the ingredients?" Hear the ingredients.
"How much flour do I need?" Hear the amount of one ingredient.
"Cross off the flour" Cross off an ingredient. "Uncross the flour" undoes it.
"Double the recipe" / "Halve the recipe" Scale the ingredients. "Reset the scale" undoes it.
"Add the ingredients to my grocery list" Add the recipe's ingredients to your grocery list. Name another list, as in "add the ingredients to my Costco list".
"Start a timer for 10 minutes" Start a timer. "Start the timer" uses the time in the current step.
"Stop" Stop reading aloud.
"Stop cooking" Leave cook mode.

Paprika shows each reply above the step pill, and says it aloud.

Note

Voice commands are in English, and need iOS 26 or later. The first time you start cooking, Paprika asks to use the microphone, and there may be a short download before it starts listening. If you don't allow the microphone, the button shows ; tap it to open the Settings app and allow it.

Note

Paprika listens only while the recipe is on the screen and the app is in front, and keeps listening while music plays. Say a command on its own: in the middle of a sentence, as in "we need more wine, next step", it does nothing, so you can talk in the kitchen without crossing anything off. A few things you might say to anyone, such as "I'm done" or "what was that?", count only when you say "Paprika" first.

Stopping Cook Mode

Tap on the step pill, say "stop cooking", or choose Stop Cooking from the menu. The current step stays highlighted and the ingredients you crossed off stay crossed off, so you can pick up where you left off.

Opening another recipe also ends cook mode.

Note

Pin the recipes you're cooking from. A pinned recipe keeps its highlighted step and crossed-off ingredients, and you can hop between pinned recipes from the lower toolbar.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
    1. Table of Contents
  2. What's New
    1. Highlights
    2. Other Changes
  3. Beta Testing
    1. Before You Start
    2. What to Test
      1. Adding Recipes
      2. Organizing
      3. Nutrition
      4. Sharing
      5. Pantry
      6. Meals
      7. Integrations
    3. Sending Feedback
  4. Overview
  5. Adding Recipes
    1. Adding a Recipe
    2. Adding a Recipe from the Clipboard
  6. Scanning Recipes
    1. Scanning a Recipe
    2. Editing a Scanned Recipe
    3. Scanning Tips
  7. Browsing Recipes
    1. Browsing by Category
    2. Browsing Subcategories
    3. Searching Recipes
    4. Advanced Search
    5. Saved Searches
    6. Sorting Recipes
  8. Editing Recipes
    1. Editing a Recipe
    2. Deleting Recipes
    3. Recipe Fields
    4. Inserting Recipe Text
    5. Adding Recipe Photos
  9. Viewing Recipes
    1. Recipe Actions
    2. Printing Recipes
    3. Timers
    4. Scaling & Converting Ingredients
    5. Crossing off Ingredients
    6. Marking Directions
    7. Ingredient Substitutions
    8. Pinning Recipes
    9. Photo Gallery
  10. Cook Mode
    1. Starting Cook Mode
    2. Moving Between Steps
    3. Reading Steps Aloud
    4. Voice Commands
    5. Stopping Cook Mode
  11. Nutrition
    1. Entering Nutrition Facts
    2. Analyzing Ingredients
    3. Viewing Nutrition
  12. Categories
    1. Assign a Recipe to a Category
    2. Suggesting Categories
    3. Adding a Category
    4. Editing Categories
    5. Built-In Categories
  13. Cookbooks
    1. Switching Cookbooks
    2. Adding a Cookbook
    3. Managing Cookbooks
    4. Moving Recipes between Cookbooks
    5. Sharing a Cookbook
  14. Browser
    1. Using the Browser
    2. Clipping Recipes Online
    3. Clipping Recipes from Social Media
    4. Manually Saving Recipes Using the Clipboard Tools
      1. Tips
  15. Groceries
    1. Adding Ingredients
      1. Adding a Recipe to the Grocery List
      2. Adding a Custom Item to the Grocery List
    2. Editing the Grocery List
      1. Editing Grocery List Items
      2. Removing Items from the Grocery List
    3. Using the Grocery List
      1. Marking Items as Purchased
      2. Filtering Grocery List Items
      3. Searching the Grocery List
      4. Sorting the Grocery List
    4. Managing Multiple Grocery Lists
      1. Viewing your Grocery Lists
      2. Adding a New Grocery List
      3. Renaming a Grocery List
    5. Grocery List Actions
    6. Using Siri
  16. Pantry
    1. Adding Items to the Pantry
    2. Editing Pantry Items
    3. Pantry Locations
    4. Scanning Barcodes
    5. Sorting the Pantry
    6. Searching the Pantry
    7. Pantry Actions
  17. Meals
    1. Viewing the Meal Planner
      1. Switching Views
      2. Daily View
      3. Weekly View
      4. Monthly View
    2. Adding a Meal
      1. From the Meal Planner
      2. From the Recipe Screen
      3. Drag and Drop
    3. Editing Meals
      1. Changing a Meal's Date or Type
      2. Deleting Meals
      3. Moving or Copying Meals
      4. Scaling Meals
    4. Meal Planner Actions
    5. Calendar Feed
  18. Menus
    1. Adding a Menu
    2. Adding Menu Items
    3. Drag and Drop
    4. Adding a Menu to the Meal Planner
    5. Menu Actions
  19. Sharing
    1. Family Sharing
      1. Inviting Family Members
      2. Managing Family Members
    2. Messages
      1. Sending Recipes & Cookbooks
      2. Receiving & Importing Recipes
      3. Push Notifications
  20. Settings
    1. Accessing the Settings Panel
    2. List of Settings
    3. Account
      1. Paprika Cloud Sync
      2. Creating an Account
      3. Logging In
      4. Managing your Account
      5. Deleting your Account
    4. Import Recipes
      1. YAML Format
    5. Export Recipes
      1. How to export your recipes
    6. Find Duplicates
  21. Alexa
    1. Link Alexa
      1. Linking from Paprika
      2. Linking from the Alexa App
    2. Open the Skill
    3. Recipes
    4. Cooking
    5. Grocery Lists
    6. Pantry
    7. Meal Plan
  22. Extensions
    1. Saving Recipes from Other Apps
    2. Widgets
    3. Shortcuts
    4. Apple Watch
      1. Grocery Lists
      2. Timers
  23. Resources
    1. Technical Support
    2. Frequently Asked Questions
    3. Changelog