Recipe App Picks

No more printing recipes onto sticky paper.

Paprika 3 Recipe Manager

$5 one-time

Save recipes from ANY website. Meal planner. Grocery list. No subscription.

Best overall.

NYT Cooking

$5/mo (or free with subscription)

Highest-quality tested recipes. Recipe boxes, notes from other cooks.

Best premium.

Allrecipes

FREE

Crowdsourced. Real cooks rate recipes. Best for "what to cook with [ingredient]".

Best free.

Yummly

FREE / $5/mo Premium

Filter by diet — diabetic, low sodium, gluten-free, low-cholesterol.

Best for dietary restrictions.

BigOven

FREE / $30/year Pro

Use up leftovers — type 3 ingredients you have, get recipe.

Best for leftovers.

America's Test Kitchen

$50/year

Most carefully tested. Best for "I want this to turn out right".

Best for serious cooks.

Quick decision

Want to save recipes from any website → Paprika ($5 once).
Best free option → Allrecipes.
Health-conscious cooking → Yummly.
Highest quality recipes → NYT Cooking or America's Test Kitchen.
Already have iPhone → Apple Notes works fine for storing recipes.

Senior-friendly tips

iPad in kitchen on stand — bigger text, splatter-proof case.
Voice "Hey Siri, set timer for 15 min" while hands are floury.
Print recipes you make weekly — laminate them for a permanent kitchen binder.
Settings → Display → bump text size to "Large" or larger.
Read recipe ALL the way through before starting.

Save grandma's recipes

Family recipes on index cards? Take photos. Type into Paprika or Notes. Add stories. Share with grandkids. Recipes vanish faster than people. Save them while you're here to explain "a pinch of salt".

Senior-friendly recipe sources

National Council on Aging, AARP, NIH all publish free senior recipe collections — heart-healthy, low-sodium, diabetic-friendly. Search "senior recipe" + condition. Beats sketchy weight-loss sites.