Minthee
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Topic 11•Cooking•5 min read

Hands-Free Cooking Mode & Step Timers

Master multi-step recipes with large countertop typography, docked step navigation, precision 10-second timers, and ingredient checklists.

Cooking with messy hands and checking a tiny phone screen across a kitchen counter is frustrating. Minthee features a dedicated, distraction-free Cooking Mode engineered specifically for the active kitchen environment.

1. Entering Cooking Mode

To launch Cooking Mode:

  1. Open any dish from your collection or weekly planner.
  2. Tap the Start Cooking button at the bottom of the dish detail screen.
  3. The app enters a distraction-free, full-screen cooking session designed to keep your screen awake while preparing your meal.

2. Large Cooking Text for Countertop Readability

When your phone is propped up on a stand or resting across the countertop, standard mobile body text can be hard to read. Minthee includes built-in typography scaling:

  • In-Session Quick Toggle: Tap the text scaling icon (Aa) in the top navigation bar at any point during cooking to instantly enlarge recipe text and ingredients.
  • Global Preference: Set large text as your permanent default by navigating to Settings > Cooking & Recipes > toggle Large cooking text.
  • Dynamic Type Hierarchy: Step numbers, ingredient measurements, and temperature warnings expand proportionally with high-contrast text tokens, ensuring legibility from several feet away.

3. Docked Step Navigation & Ingredients Checklist

Cooking Mode organizes recipes into clear, sequential action steps:

  • Docked Navigation Bar: Next and Previous step buttons remain anchored at the bottom of the screen with fluid transitions, ensuring you can advance steps with a quick thumb tap.
  • Step-Specific Ingredients: In addition to the master recipe ingredient overview, each step highlights the exact ingredients and quantities needed for that specific action.
  • Completed Step Checks: Mark individual sub-tasks or steps as completed to maintain your place without losing your train of thought.

4. Precision Timers with 10-Second Stepping

Timing pasta, searing meat, or reducing sauces requires exact intervals:

  • Concurrent Timers: Run multiple timers simultaneously for different pans and ovens. Each timer displays an identifiable label (e.g. Boil Penne, Rest Steak).
  • Sub-Minute Precision: When adjusting timers under 1 minute, the time picker shifts to 10-second increments (10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s) instead of coarse full-minute jumps.
  • Dial Watch & Stopwatch: Choose between a modern digital countdown, an analog dial watch display, or a forward-counting stopwatch depending on whether you are following a recipe or timing an experimental reduction.
  • Background Kitchen Alerts: Receive persistent audio and vibration alerts when timers expire, even if you switch apps or lock your phone.

5. Live Allergen Alerts & Spoken Audio Warnings

If any recipe step introduces an ingredient flagged as an allergen in your pantry inventory:

  • Cross-Contamination Caution Card: A prominent amber alert box appears directly above the step instruction with guidance to sanitize prep surfaces and keep utensils separate.
  • Hands-Free Spoken Announcements: Minthee’s voice engine speaks a proactive audible alert (“Caution: this step uses [Allergen]. Take allergy precautions.”) as you advance to the step.
  • See the dedicated Pantry Allergen Tracking & Cross-Contamination Guide for complete details on word-boundary matching and household allergen flagging.