Apple HomeView raises a new threat to online recipe writers’ livelihoods
A simpler way to cook
Apple introduced HomeView in an ad showing a busy family using the smart display to manage calendars, send messages and bring up a French toast recipe. The cooking instructions appeared as brief, sequential steps.
The device reflects a wider trend among websites, browser extensions and smart home gadgets: extracting ingredients and directions from longer recipe pages. Voice controls and timers can make those instructions easier to follow while cooking.
What writers stand to lose
Food writers say stripping recipes down can also remove the context and revenue sources that support their work. Many rely on advertising and affiliate links, even when readers can access the recipes without paying.
The article’s writer, who publishes a food newsletter, says recipes take time to create. Eater senior reporter Bettina Makalintal said tools that extract recipes disrupt an understood relationship between recipe developers and their audiences.
A varied recipe landscape
Online recipes come from large platforms such as Allrecipes and NYT Cooking, food publications and independent creators. Their work appears on blogs, newsletters, YouTube and TikTok, and includes both professional chefs and home cooks.
The writing around a recipe can offer more than personal stories. Makalintal said it may help readers address cooking problems or consider ingredient substitutions. The article also notes that the written material may be the part of a recipe a writer can copyright, while the instructions themselves are generally treated as facts.
A visit, but fewer impressions
HomeView requires users to open a recipe first on an iPhone or through Safari on the device. That means the original page and its ads are seen at least once.
But recipe writers may miss out on the further advertising impressions generated when readers remain on a page while cooking. The article also points out that food blogs commonly offer a “jump to recipe” button near the top, allowing readers to skip the longer text.
Key points
- HomeView presents online recipes as hands-free, step-by-step instructions.
- Recipe writers say extraction can remove advertising, affiliate links and useful context.
- Users must open the original recipe before loading it onto HomeView.
- Writers may receive fewer repeated ad impressions while readers cook.