HowToCook — Programmer’s Guide to Home Cooking

Opening

Ever opened a recipe and felt it was written in a different language? For developers used to precision, ambiguous cooking instructions can turn a simple dinner into an exercise in debugging. HowToCook aims to bridge that gap: it’s an open-source, community-driven cookbook written with programmers in mind, using clear structure, reproducible steps, and templates that make recipes easy to follow and contribute to.

Note: The repository and its primary content are written in Simplified Chinese. If you don’t read Chinese, the structure and approach are still useful as a model for organizing recipes programmatically.

What It Does

HowToCook is a curated collection of home-cooking recipes and tips, organized to be readable, consistent, and friendly to people who think in structured steps. Rather than a blog or free-form recipe list, this repository provides:

  • Clear, templated recipes in Markdown inside a well-organized folder structure (dishes/, tips/).
  • Guidance and templates for contributors so entries are consistent and machine-friendly.
  • Badges and packaging that indicate it publishes an npm package and Docker image, plus a PDF export for offline reading.
  • Tools and auxiliary files (Dockerfile, package.json, requirements.txt) that support local hosting or building delivery artifacts such as PDFs or a web frontend.

Problems it solves: inconsistent recipe formats, unclear ingredient lists, and poorly structured instructions that trip up methodical people. It also provides an easy way for the community to grow a single, high-quality cookbook repository.

Who It’s For

This project is targeted at:

  • Developers who want straightforward, unambiguous recipes written in a structured way.
  • Technical people interested in translating cooking knowledge into reusable, version-controlled content.
  • Open-source contributors who want to help curate and improve a community cookbook.
  • Educators or technical writers looking for a template-based approach to documenting processes (the recipe format is a transferable pattern).

Skill level: basic cooking ability (many recipes include beginner-friendly sections) and basic familiarity with Git/GitHub for contributing. If you want to host the site locally you’ll need some developer tooling (Docker, Node.js or Python tooling depending on how you choose to build/run).

How It Works

At a high level the repository functions like a documentation site organized around recipes. Key points:

  • Content organization: recipes are stored under dishes/ and follow a template system so each recipe contains consistent sections (ingredients, steps, tips, difficulty).
  • Packaging & delivery: the repo includes a Dockerfile, package.json, and requirements.txt, which implies multiple ways to build or serve the content (node-based tooling and Python scripts are possible).
  • Export & distribution: a generated PDF is available at /document.pdf on the hosted site (the README mentions this), and Docker packaging and an npm package are present for distribution.
  • Community-driven: the repository shows strong contribution metadata (thousands of commits and hundreds of contributors), and an established template for adding new recipes.

Architecture (accessible overview)

Think of the repository as a static documentation site generator workflow:

  • Markdown source files (one per recipe) are the primary data.
  • Build scripts (Node/Python) transform Markdown into HTML or PDF.
  • Docker is used to provide a reproducible build/runtime environment for serving the generated site.

Getting Started

Below are practical ways to get a local copy and run or inspect the project. The repository includes a Dockerfile for local hosting, and also contains Node and Python manifest files — use the option that fits your environment.

<!-- Clone the repository and basic local steps -->
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Anduin2017/HowToCook.git
cd HowToCook

# Option A: Run with Docker (recommended for reproducible builds)
# Build the image
docker build -t how-to-cook:local .

# Run a container serving the site (adjust port as needed)
docker run -it --rm -p 8080:80 how-to-cook:local

# Option B: If you prefer Node (repository contains package.json)
# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the app (if package.json provides a start script)
npm start

# Option C: If Python tooling is used (requirements.txt exists)
# Create a virtual environment and install
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Open the generated or hosted document in your browser
# If the repo provides a PDF build, it may be available at /document.pdf when served.

If specific start/build scripts are missing or differ from the examples above, check package.json, the Dockerfile, or the repo README for the exact commands. The project’s README mentions Docker local deployment and a document.pdf download link; however detailed startup scripts may vary by version.

Key Features

  • Structured recipe templates (makes recipes consistent and machine-readable).
  • Community-driven contributions — the project lists ~2,450 commits and 406 contributors in its metadata.
  • Multiple distribution channels — badges indicate an npm package and Docker images are available, and a PDF export is published.
  • Clear contributor guidelines — the repo contains CONTRIBUTING.md and a CODE_OF_CONDUCT.
  • Language-focused — content is curated in Simplified Chinese, which keeps the scope focused and high-quality for Chinese-speaking audiences.

Why It’s Worth Trying

For developers who want a cookbook that respects the same principles as good code — clarity, reproducibility, peer review — HowToCook fills a niche. It reduces the friction of following recipes by using templates, and a strong contributor base means the content is actively curated and improved.

Community signals: the repository shows extensive contributor activity and many commits; badges indicate CI builds, an npm package, Docker packaging, and a published PDF.

Real-world benefits:

  • Save time following recipes — consistent formats mean less guessing about quantities and steps.
  • Learn to document processes well — the repo is a good example of applying software documentation practices to everyday tasks.
  • Contribute easily — copying a recipe template makes adding new entries straightforward.

Notes on Contribution and Local Use

To contribute: fork, edit or add a new recipe using the provided template (see dishes/template/示例菜/示例菜.md), and open a pull request. The repository includes a CONTRIBUTING.md and a Code of Conduct to guide community behavior.

view on github

Final thoughts

HowToCook is a thoughtful experiment in applying developer workflows to home cooking. If you value consistency and reproducibility, and especially if you read Simplified Chinese or want to contribute templates and recipes, it’s an excellent repository to explore. Clone it, inspect the recipes, and if you like the format — add your own.

Useful links: Project on GitHub • Template example: 示例菜.md