Caren's Cookbook
AI-Powered Recipe Management Platform - Transform how you collect, organize, and manage recipes with intelligent extraction from URLs and images, smart categorization, and personalized digital cookbook experience.
🍳 What is Caren's Cookbook?
Caren's Cookbook is a Next.js-based web application that leverages AI to transform how users collect, organize, and manage their recipes. The platform uses advanced computer vision and natural language processing to automatically extract recipe data from multiple sources, then intelligently categorizes and organizes them in a personalized digital cookbook.
🏗️ Technical Architecture
Frontend (Next.js 15)
- • Next.js 15 with TypeScript
- • Clerk for secure user authentication
- • Tailwind CSS with custom components
- • Framer Motion for smooth animations
- • React Query for data fetching
- • Radix UI for accessible components
Backend & Database
- • PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
- • RESTful API routes
- • Redis for caching
- • Image processing pipeline
- • Web scraping with Cheerio
- • Zod for runtime validation
🤖 AI-Powered Features
Multi-Modal Recipe Extraction
- • Extract from URLs with HTML parsing
- • Process single or multiple images (up to 5)
- • Support for HEIC, JPEG, PNG, WebP formats
- • Dual AI processing (OpenAI GPT-4.1-mini & Google Gemini)
Smart Categorization
- • 18 predefined recipe categories
- • AI-powered auto-categorization
- • Custom category creation
- • Confidence scoring and source tracking
Personalized Experience
- • 7-step progressive onboarding
- • 12 dietary preference options
- • Skill-based customization
- • Household size optimization
Advanced Organization
- • Intelligent search and filtering
- • Recipe versioning and source tracking
- • Favorites and bookmarking system
- • Multiple image support per recipe
🎯 Core User Features
Recipe Collection Workflow
- 1. Input Sources: Add recipes via URL, single image, or multiple images
- 2. AI Processing: Choose between OpenAI or Google Gemini for extraction
- 3. Smart Parsing: Advanced HTML parsing and computer vision recognition
- 4. Auto-Categorization: AI assigns categories with confidence scoring
- 5. Review & Edit: User validation with easy editing capabilities
- 6. Organization: Intelligent filing in personalized digital cookbook
- 7. Access & Share: Searchable, filterable recipe collection
Data Management
- • Secure user authentication with Clerk
- • Recipe versioning and source tracking
- • Comprehensive error handling
- • Data validation with Zod schemas
Performance Features
- • Redis caching for improved response times
- • Image optimization and compression
- • Strategic database indexing
- • Lazy loading for better UX
🎨 User Experience Design
Mobile-First Design
- • Responsive design for all devices
- • Touch-optimized interactions
- • Progressive web app capabilities
- • Offline recipe access
Intuitive Navigation
- • Clean, cookbook-inspired interface
- • Smart search with filters
- • Visual recipe cards with images
- • Easy category management
🚀 Development Roadmap
Phase 1: Core Platform (Months 1-2)
✅ Foundation
- • Next.js 15 project setup
- • Database schema design
- • User authentication system
- • Basic UI components
🔄 In Progress
- • AI recipe extraction pipeline
- • Category management system
- • Image processing workflow
- • Onboarding flow
Phase 2: Advanced Features (Months 3-4)
📋 Planned
- • Advanced search and filtering
- • Recipe sharing capabilities
- • Meal planning integration
- • Shopping list generation
🔮 Future
- • Recipe recommendations
- • Nutritional analysis
- • Social features
- • Mobile app development
🎯 Target Audience
🍳 Home Cooking Enthusiasts
Passionate cooks who collect recipes from multiple sources and want a centralized, organized digital cookbook with AI-powered categorization and smart recipe extraction from photos and websites.
👨👩👧👦 Busy Families
Parents and caregivers who need quick access to organized meal planning with dietary preference filtering, household size optimization, and the ability to quickly digitize family recipes from handwritten notes or cookbook photos.
📱 Digital-First Millennials & Gen Z
Tech-savvy users who prefer mobile-first experiences and want to seamlessly capture and organize recipes from social media, food blogs, and cooking videos using AI-powered extraction and intelligent categorization.