The short answer
Open the website in Safari, tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up), scroll down and tap 'Add to Home Screen', then tap 'Add'. The site gets its own icon on your home screen and opens with one tap — sites built as web apps (like Culinary Card) open full-screen without the browser bars.
Step-by-step
- 1
Open the website in Safari
Safari is the reliable route on iPhone, and it is the one that produces a proper full-screen web app rather than a shortcut that reopens in a browser tab. Some other iOS browsers now offer their own version of this in the share menu, with varying results. Navigate to the site you want to save, for example culinarycard.app.
- 2
Tap the Share button
It's the square with an upward arrow at the bottom of the screen (or next to the address bar on iPad). This opens the share sheet.
- 3
Tap "Add to Home Screen"
Scroll down the list of actions until you see "Add to Home Screen" with a plus icon. If you don't see it, scroll further — it's below the app row and the first few actions.
- 4
Name it and tap Add
You can shorten the name so it fits neatly under the icon, just like an app. Tap "Add" in the top-right corner and the icon appears on your home screen.
- 5
Move it where you'll actually use it
Press and hold the new icon to drag it into your dock, a folder, or your first page — wherever you'd put a regular app. From now on it opens with a single tap.
Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕
Pinning the homepage when you wanted a page inside the site
The icon remembers whichever page you were on when you added it, and this is more useful than it first sounds. If what you open every day is your recipe list, navigate there first and pin that. Otherwise every launch starts you at the front door and asks you to walk in again.
- ✕
Expecting every site to feel like an app
Any site can be pinned, but only sites built as web apps open full-screen with their own splash screen and icon. Others open as a regular Safari tab — still one tap away, just less app-like.
- ✕
Confusing it with a bookmark
A bookmark is buried inside the browser. A home screen icon sits next to your real apps, gets its own icon and name, and for web apps it even shows up in the App Switcher as its own window.
- ✕
Assuming it uses storage or needs updates
The icon is just a fast door to the live website — it takes essentially no storage, and you always get the latest version without ever visiting an app store to update.
Why Culinary Card works for this
Culinary Card is built as a proper web app, so adding it to your home screen gets you the full app experience: its own icon, full-screen launch with no browser bars, and instant access to your recipe collection while you cook. It's the fastest way to make your recipe book feel like it shipped with your phone.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work on Android too?
Yes — open the site in Chrome on Android, tap the three-dot menu, and choose "Add to Home screen" (on newer versions it may say "Install app"). It works the same way: one icon, one tap.
Will the site work offline?
That depends on the site. Web apps can cache some content for offline use, but most need a connection — same as opening them in the browser.
How do I remove it later?
Press and hold the icon and choose "Delete Bookmark" (or "Remove App" for web apps). It only removes the icon — nothing about your account or data changes.
Why does Culinary Card open without the Safari address bar?
Because it ships a web app manifest that tells iOS to launch it standalone — full-screen, with its own icon and theme color. That's what makes a pinned web app feel like a native one.