Open the recipe, then press play
Cook Mode is the play button on a recipe. It is the centre action in the recipe detail view, which is the one saturated orange thing on that screen, so it is hard to miss and hard to hit by accident.
Scale the servings first if you are cooking for a different number. Do it before you start, not halfway through.
The screen switches to one step at a time and stops dimming. You can put the phone down on the counter and it will still be showing your step in ten minutes.
Scaling changes quantities. It does not change times, and the app says so where it matters: a doubled tray still needs the oven it always needed, but it may need longer, and only you can see that.
One step, and only the parts of it you need
Each step shows a step counter, the direction itself at reading size, and the ingredients that step actually uses. The full ingredient list is one tap away, but you rarely want it: what you want is the three things going into the pan now.
Ingredient names inside a direction are tappable. Tap one and the amount comes up in place, which saves scrolling back to check whether it was two cloves or four.
Timers that belong to the step that needs them
A direction that mentions a duration gets a timer chip next to the step label. Tap it and the timer starts, named after the step, so a screen with three timers running tells you what each one is for.
Running timers collapse into a tray you can see from any step. They keep running while you move ahead, which is the whole point: you start the rest while the first thing reduces.
It takes its duration from the direction, so you are not typing numbers with wet hands.
Go to the next step. The tray keeps every running timer visible, and finishing one brings you back.
Talking to it instead of touching it
If your hands are in the middle of something, you can move through the steps by voice. There is an indicator on screen when it is listening, so you are never wondering whether it heard you.
It is deliberately narrow. Next, back, repeat, and how long. Anything more elaborate belongs to Cheffry, which you can also reach without leaving Cook Mode.
Voice is the feature most worth trying once before you need it. Two minutes with it on a quiet evening means you already trust it on the night you have raw chicken on both hands.