How to save recipes from Instagram

You have found a promising reel, and the recipe is somewhere between the caption, a fast-moving video and a link in the creator's profile. The easiest way to save it in Zimmer depends on where the creator has put the recipe.

• In the caption: Share or paste the post link.
• On a blog: Use the link to the recipe page itself.
• Written on images: Choose screenshots of the recipe.
• Only in the video: Choose a saved video file in the iPhone app.

Share or paste the link

On iPhone, open the post's share menu and choose Zimmer if it appears in the share sheet. You can also copy the link, open Zimmer, tap Add and paste it.

Zimmer tries to read the caption Instagram makes available without access to your account. A public post with the full recipe in its caption is the best starting point. Sharing a link does not let Zimmer inspect the video frames or hear the audio.

The recipe opens as a draft on the recipe page. Tap the pencil if you need to edit the title, ingredients or steps. Next to the save button, you can choose a book or save without one. Check the selected destination, then tap the save button. For example, it reads Save to My favourites when that book is selected.

Instagram may put a login wall in front of a post or leave out parts of the caption. If it only says “recipe through the link in bio”, open the profile link and find the full recipe first. Copy the address of the recipe page itself and paste it into Zimmer.

If the link does not produce a recipe

When an import fails, you can choose Paste text. If you have a copyable version of the recipe, paste it there. This is particularly useful when a blog blocks automated reading. If you can see the text in Instagram but cannot copy it, use screenshots.

Save the recipe from screenshots

If the recipe is spread across a carousel, take screenshots that include complete ingredient lines and instructions. Several clear images are easier to read than one long screenshot with tiny text.

In Zimmer, choose Add → Photo → Screenshots or photos. You can select up to six images at a time. Zimmer gathers the readable text into a recipe for you to check and edit before saving. Pay particular attention to the order, quantities and oven temperature.

Screenshots selected directly through Add do not automatically save the Instagram link. If Zimmer offers screenshots after a failed link import, that option can keep the address. Otherwise, add the link or the creator's name under Notes once you have saved the recipe.

If the recipe only exists in the video

In the iPhone app, choose Add → Video/audio → A video and select a video file already stored on your phone. The phone reads visible text and passes the audio track on for import. The video file itself is not sent to the server.

You need to have the file on your iPhone first (a video you recorded yourself, for example). Sharing a reel link only gives Zimmer access to the caption Instagram provides.

Music may drown out the voice, and quantities can flash past too quickly to be picked up. If the ingredients can be read but the method is missing, Zimmer can write a possible method from them. That method is written by Zimmer rather than taken from the creator's recipe.

Check the recipe before saving

Keep the original open while you check the draft. Look for missing units, the number of servings and ingredients mentioned in the method but absent from the list. It is easier to make corrections while you still have the post to hand.

Keep the creator's link in your collection when you can, so you can return to the original if a question comes up while cooking.