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Rationale:The Design Practice of Matt Hanson

Heirloom Support

Recipes Worth Passing Down

Getting Started

System Requirements

  • iOS 17.0 or later
  • iPhone or iPad
  • iCloud account (optional, for sync across devices)
  • Internet connection (for recipe import and AI features)

First Steps

  1. Download Heirloom from the App Store or TestFlight
  2. Launch the app and grant any requested permissions
  3. Start adding recipes by tapping the + button
  4. AI features work immediately without any setup

AI Features

New in v1.1.0: AI features now work instantly without requiring an API key. You get 100 free AI-powered recipe imports per day.

Default AI Features

Heirloom includes AI-powered features that work out of the box:

  • Cookbook Scanner: Snap photos of cookbook recipes and AI extracts ingredients, instructions, and details automatically
  • Smart Ingredient Parsing: AI understands complex ingredient formats like "1-2 cups flour" or "2 tbsp (1/4 stick) butter"
  • Bulk URL Import: Import multiple recipe URLs at once, processed in parallel

Daily Quota

With the shared AI key, you can import up to 100 recipes per day. The counter resets at midnight local time. You can check your remaining quota in Settings → AI Features.

Unlimited AI Usage (Optional)

For unlimited AI-powered recipe imports:

  1. Open Heirloom → Settings → AI Features
  2. Tap "Add Your Own Key (Unlimited)"
  3. Visit console.anthropic.com to create a free account (includes $5 credit)
  4. Copy your API key and paste it in Heirloom
  5. Your badge will change to "Personal Key" and quota limits are removed

Core Features

Recipe Import

Import recipes from web URLs by tapping the + button and selecting "Import from URL". Heirloom supports 500+ recipe websites including AllRecipes, Serious Eats, King Arthur Baking, NY Times Cooking, and many more.

Cookbook Scanner

Digitize printed cookbook recipes:

  1. Tap + → "Scan Cookbook"
  2. Take a clear photo of the recipe page (well-lit, flat)
  3. AI automatically extracts and structures the recipe
  4. Review and save to your collection

Shopping List

  • Add recipes to your shopping list from any recipe detail page
  • Ingredients are automatically combined (e.g., 2 cups + 3 cups = 5 cups flour)
  • Export to iOS Reminders to check off items while shopping
  • Group by grocery category for efficient shopping

Cooking Mode

Enter distraction-free cooking mode for step-by-step guidance:

  • Large, readable text visible from across the kitchen
  • Mark steps complete as you go
  • Tracks how many times you've made each recipe
  • Swipe between steps easily

Recipe Scaling

Adjust serving sizes on the fly. All ingredient quantities recalculate automatically with proper fractions (½, ¾, etc.). Scale from 0.5x to 10x the original recipe.

iCloud Sync

Your recipes automatically sync across all your Apple devices via iCloud. Changes on one device appear on all others within seconds.

Troubleshooting

Recipe Import Issues

Recipe import fails or shows incomplete data

Some websites don't provide structured recipe data. Try:

  • Using the cookbook scanner to photograph the recipe on screen
  • Manually entering the recipe
  • Checking your internet connection

Cookbook scanner doesn't recognize text

For best results:

  • Ensure good lighting (natural light works best)
  • Keep the page flat and the camera steady
  • Make sure text is in focus
  • Handwritten recipes may have reduced accuracy

AI Feature Issues

AI features not working

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify you haven't exceeded the 100/day limit (check Settings → AI Features)
  • If you added a personal API key, verify it's correct
  • The app will automatically fall back to regex parsing if AI is unavailable

Hit the 100/day limit

Your daily quota resets at midnight local time. You can either:

  • Wait until midnight for the counter to reset
  • Add your personal Anthropic API key for unlimited usage

iCloud Sync Issues

Recipes not syncing between devices

  • Verify iCloud is enabled: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud
  • Check that Heirloom has iCloud access
  • Ensure both devices have internet connection
  • First sync can take a few moments
  • Try force-quitting and reopening the app

Shopping List Issues

Ingredients not combining correctly

Heirloom combines ingredients when they have the same name and compatible units. If ingredients don't combine:

  • Check that ingredient names match exactly
  • Units must be compatible (cups with cups, not cups with ounces)
  • You can manually edit ingredient quantities in the shopping list

Can't export to Reminders

  • Grant Reminders permission: iOS Settings → Heirloom → Reminders
  • Ensure you have at least one Reminders list created
  • Try creating a new list specifically for groceries

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Heirloom free?

Heirloom is live on the App Store. The core app is free; AI-assisted import includes 100 free imports per day.

Can I export my recipes?

You can share individual recipes as text or images. Full recipe export/import functionality is planned for a future update.

Does Heirloom work offline?

Once recipes are imported, you can view, edit, and cook from them offline. However, importing new recipes from URLs and AI features require an internet connection.

How many recipes can I store?

There's no artificial limit on recipe count. Storage is limited only by your device's available space and iCloud quota.

What recipe websites are supported?

Heirloom supports 500+ recipe websites that use standard schema.org recipe markup, including AllRecipes, Serious Eats, King Arthur Baking, NY Times Cooking, Bon Appétit, Food Network, and many more.

Can I share recipes with family?

You can share recipes as text or images via iOS share sheet. CloudKit sharing for collaborative recipe collections is planned for a future update.

Privacy & Security

Data Collection

Heirloom uses Mixpanel for anonymous analytics:

  • Feature usage patterns (which features are used most)
  • Crash reports (to fix bugs)
  • No personal information is collected
  • No recipe content is sent to analytics

Data Storage

  • All recipe data is stored locally on your device
  • iCloud sync uses your personal Apple ID (end-to-end encrypted)
  • Recipe photos stored locally (not synced to save iCloud space)
  • No third parties can access your recipes

AI Privacy

  • AI processing via Anthropic's secure API
  • Your recipes are NOT used for AI training (Anthropic policy)
  • Only recipe text is sent to Anthropic (not photos)
  • Personal API keys stored securely in iOS Keychain
  • Shared API key embedded in app (read-only)

Permissions

Heirloom requests the following optional permissions:

  • Camera: To photograph cookbook recipes
  • Photo Library: To add recipe images from your photos
  • Reminders: To export shopping lists

All permissions are optional. You can use Heirloom without granting any of these.

Contact & Feedback

Need Help?

We're here to help! Contact us through:

  • In-App: Settings → Send Feedback
  • TestFlight: Use the feedback form in the TestFlight app
  • Email: support@rationale.work

We typically respond within 48 hours. For TestFlight issues, please include your iOS version and build number (found in Settings → About).

Feature Requests

Have an idea for improving Heirloom? We'd love to hear it! Submit feature requests through the in-app feedback form or email us. Popular requests will be prioritized for future releases.

Useful Links

Current Version: 1.1.0 (Build 3)

Last Updated: December 2024

Compatibility: iOS 17.0+