How do I start a subscription or check if you already have access?

Go to cooking.nytimes.com. If you already subscribe to New York Times News or another NYT bundle, log in and check whether Cooking is included in your plan — many bundles include it. If not, subscribe to NYT Cooking standalone for around $40/year. A 14-day free trial is typically available.

How do I explore collections to find recipes?

Instead of searching, start by browsing the Collections tab. You will find themed sets like "Best Pasta Recipes," "Thanksgiving Menus," and "30-Minute Weeknight Dinners." Tapping into a collection shows several recipes organized around that theme — a more enjoyable way to discover new dishes than searching from scratch.

How do I save recipes to your recipe box?

When you find a recipe you want to return to, tap the bookmark icon to save it to your Recipe Box. Inside the Recipe Box, you can organize recipes into folders you name yourself. Suggested folders: "Want to Make," "Made and Loved," "Weeknight Staples," and "For Special Occasions."

How do I read the cooking notes before you start cooking?

Open any recipe and scroll to the bottom to find the Cooking Notes section. These are tips left by other subscribers who have made the dish. Look for notes about adjusting salt levels, substituting ingredients, or technique clarifications. Experienced cooks often leave very useful guidance here that improves the recipe.

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NYT Cooking is the recipe platform from the New York Times, and it has a different character than community-focused apps like Allrecipes. Every recipe has been developed and tested by professional food editors and recipe developers — people whose job is to ensure a recipe works reliably before it gets published. If a NYT Cooking recipe says to roast a chicken at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, that instruction has been tested multiple times in multiple ovens.

The platform currently offers more than 25,000 recipes covering every cuisine, skill level, and occasion. Subscriptions run around $40 per year (often discounted, especially for existing NYT News subscribers). If you subscribe to the NYT News package, check your account settings — NYT Cooking access may already be included.

Browsing the platform is a pleasure. Recipes are organized into themed collections: "Weeknight Dinners Under 30 Minutes," "Classic Italian," "Sichuan Recipes from Eric Kim," "Sheet Pan Dinners," and hundreds more. Each collection is curated rather than algorithm-generated, which makes discovery feel more like getting a recommendation from a knowledgeable friend than scrolling a feed.

The Recipe Box is where you save recipes you want to make. Within your Recipe Box, you can create folders to organize by category, occasion, or however you prefer to sort things.

One of the most valuable features on NYT Cooking is the Cooking Notes section at the bottom of each recipe. Other subscribers leave notes about what worked, what did not, substitutions that improved the dish, and clarifications on technique. For complex recipes especially, reading the notes before you start can save you from common pitfalls.

NYT Cooking also sends a weekly newsletter with seasonal recipe picks and a suggested menu — a useful prompt if you have been stuck in the same dinner rotation.

Without a subscription, you can preview recipe titles and photos, and access a limited number of full recipes through Google search results.

How to Use NYT Cooking for Recipes and Meal Ideas

Start a subscription or check if you already have access

Explore collections to find recipes

Save recipes to your Recipe Box

Read the Cooking Notes before you start cooking

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