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Help Account

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Is Cookbooker really free?

Yes — Cookbooker is free to use. It isn't free to run, so we'll be exploring some non-awful ways to keep the lights on as we go. At the moment, we do appreciate donations/tips through Ko-fi — it helps cover hosting costs and keeps the project sustainable.

Can I make my bookshelf private?

Not currently — all bookshelves are public. We will consider private or custom features for potential future upgrades if there's a demand.

Cookbooks & catalogue

Why can't I find my cookbook?

It may not be in the Cookbooker catalogue yet. Try searching by ISBN for the most accurate results. If it genuinely isn't there, you can add it yourself — it'll be available to everyone once you do.

What's the difference between a cookbook, a website, and a magazine issue?

Cookbooker supports three source types for recipes:

  • Cookbook — a physical or digital book with an ISBN.
  • Website — a recipe website or blog (e.g. Smitten Kitchen).
  • Magazine issue — a specific dated issue of a food magazine.

Each type has its own fields. Recipes are always attached to one of these sources.

Why do some cookbooks have a summary paragraph?

Cookbooks with three or more member reviews get an automatically generated summary — a short description based on those reviews.

Reviews & ratings

What's the difference between a cookbook rating and a recipe rating?

They're separate. A cookbook rating is your overall assessment of the book. A recipe rating is for a specific recipe within it. Both are visible on the cookbook's page.

Are my reviews public?

Yes — cookbook and recipe reviews are visible to all visitors. Reviews imported from other services are only published if you check the consent box during import.

Can I edit or delete my review?

Yes. Find the review on your bookshelf or on the cookbook's page and click Edit. You can update or delete it at any time.

Importing

My books didn't import — what happened?

The most common reasons:

  • The book doesn't have an ISBN in your export file.
  • The ISBN doesn't match any entry in the Cookbooker catalogue — it will appear in the "Not in Cookbooker yet" section, where you can opt to create a new entry.
  • You selected the wrong source type (e.g. LibraryThing file uploaded as Goodreads).

My ratings didn't import from Eat Your Books.

Eat Your Books exports don't include ratings — only the book list. To import ratings, use a LibraryThing or Goodreads export. If you have substantial ratings on Eat Your Books, you will need to manually copy and paste them after importing the book list.

Can I import the same file twice?

Yes — Cookbooker skips books already on your shelf. They appear in an "Already on your shelf" section so you can see them, but they won't be duplicated.

Getting help

I found a problem with a cookbook/recipe/other entry — how do I report it?

Use the contact form and include the URL of the cookbook page. We'll review and correct it.

I have a question that isn't answered here.

Contact us — we're happy to help.