feat(browse): active time estimation, prep scaling, required-ingredient filter

Time effort (time_effort.py):
- Passive defaults per cooking technique (bake 30 min, slow cook 300 min, etc.)
- Prep action detection with n^0.75 quantity scaling for prep-needing ingredients
- Cross-reference ingredients/ingredient_names arrays to distribute quantity across steps
- Effort label now time-based (quick ≤20 min, moderate ≤45 min, involved >45 min)
- prep_min field added to StepAnalysis schema and Pydantic model
- All parse_time_effort call sites updated to pass ingredients + ingredient_names

Browse required-ingredient filter:
- New required_ingredient query param on GET /recipes/browse/{domain}/{category}
- Enter-to-commit input in RecipeBrowserPanel with auto-clear-on-empty watch
- Substring match via FTS5 ingredient_names column prefix filter
- FTS5 replaces LIKE '%X%' throughout browse_recipes and _browse_by_match
- _all + required_ingredient: 8.4s → 74ms; category + required_ingredient: 2s → 35ms
- _ingredient_fts_term() helper builds 'ingredient_names : "X"*' prefix queries
- Combined keywords + ingredient into single FTS MATCH to avoid secondary scans

Tests: 369/369 passing

.gitignore

@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ dist/
 # Data directories
 data/
 
+# Local dev database
+*.db
+
 # Test artifacts (MagicMock sqlite files from pytest)
 <MagicMock*
 

app/api/endpoints/recipes.py

@@ -327,6 +327,7 @@ async def browse_recipes(
     subcategory: Annotated[str | None, Query()] = None,
     q: Annotated[str | None, Query(max_length=200)] = None,
     sort: Annotated[str, Query(pattern="^(default|alpha|alpha_desc|match)$")] = "default",
+    required_ingredient: Annotated[str | None, Query(max_length=100)] = None,
     session: CloudUser = Depends(get_session),
 ) -> dict:
     """Return a paginated list of recipes for a domain/category.
@@ -335,6 +336,7 @@ async def browse_recipes(
     Pass subcategory to narrow within a category that has subcategories.
     Pass q to filter by title substring. Pass sort for ordering (default/alpha/alpha_desc/match).
     sort=match orders by pantry coverage DESC; falls back to default when no pantry_items.
+    Pass required_ingredient to restrict results to recipes that must include that ingredient.
     """
     if domain not in DOMAINS:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Unknown domain '{domain}'.")
@@ -377,6 +379,7 @@ async def browse_recipes(
                 q=q or None,
                 sort=sort,
                 sensory_exclude=sensory_exclude,
+                required_ingredient=required_ingredient or None,
             )
 
             # ── Attach time/effort signals to each browse result ────────────────
@@ -389,7 +392,11 @@ async def browse_recipes(
                     except Exception:
                         directions_raw = []
                 if directions_raw:
-                    _profile = parse_time_effort(directions_raw)
+                    _profile = parse_time_effort(
+                        directions_raw,
+                        ingredients=recipe_row.get("ingredients") or [],
+                        ingredient_names=recipe_row.get("ingredient_names") or [],
+                    )
                     recipe_row["active_min"] = _profile.active_min
                     recipe_row["passive_min"] = _profile.passive_min
                 else:
@@ -424,7 +431,11 @@ async def browse_recipes(
                                     except Exception:
                                         directions_raw = []
                                 if directions_raw:
-                                    _profile = parse_time_effort(directions_raw)
+                                    _profile = parse_time_effort(
+                                        directions_raw,
+                                        ingredients=recipe_row.get("ingredients") or [],
+                                        ingredient_names=recipe_row.get("ingredient_names") or [],
+                                    )
                                     recipe_row["active_min"] = _profile.active_min
                                     recipe_row["passive_min"] = _profile.passive_min
                                 else:
@@ -574,8 +585,28 @@ async def get_recipe(recipe_id: int, session: CloudUser = Depends(get_session))
         except Exception:
             _directions_for_te = []
 
+    _ingredients_for_te = recipe.get("ingredients") or []
+    if isinstance(_ingredients_for_te, str):
+        import json as _json3
+        try:
+            _ingredients_for_te = _json3.loads(_ingredients_for_te)
+        except Exception:
+            _ingredients_for_te = []
+
+    _ingredient_names_for_te = recipe.get("ingredient_names") or []
+    if isinstance(_ingredient_names_for_te, str):
+        import json as _json4
+        try:
+            _ingredient_names_for_te = _json4.loads(_ingredient_names_for_te)
+        except Exception:
+            _ingredient_names_for_te = []
+
     if _directions_for_te:
-        _te = parse_time_effort(_directions_for_te)
+        _te = parse_time_effort(
+            _directions_for_te,
+            ingredients=_ingredients_for_te,
+            ingredient_names=_ingredient_names_for_te,
+        )
         _time_effort_out: dict | None = {
             "active_min": _te.active_min,
             "passive_min": _te.passive_min,
@@ -583,7 +614,11 @@ async def get_recipe(recipe_id: int, session: CloudUser = Depends(get_session))
             "effort_label": _te.effort_label,
             "equipment": _te.equipment,
             "step_analyses": [
-                {"is_passive": sa.is_passive, "detected_minutes": sa.detected_minutes}
+                {
+                    "is_passive": sa.is_passive,
+                    "detected_minutes": sa.detected_minutes,
+                    "prep_min": sa.prep_min,
+                }
                 for sa in _te.step_analyses
             ],
         }

app/db/store.py

@@ -1129,6 +1129,19 @@ class Store:
         phrases = ['"' + kw.replace('"', '""') + '"' for kw in keywords]
         return " OR ".join(phrases)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _ingredient_fts_term(ingredient: str) -> str:
+        """Build an FTS5 ingredient_names column prefix-filter.
+
+        Returns e.g. 'ingredient_names : "potato"*' which matches any recipe whose
+        ingredient_names column contains a token starting with that word. Prefix
+        matching (*) means "potato" also matches "potatoes", "sweet potato", etc.
+        Apostrophes are stripped because the FTS5 tokenizer drops them.
+        """
+        cleaned = ingredient.replace("'", "").strip()
+        escaped = cleaned.replace('"', '""')
+        return f'ingredient_names : "{escaped}"*'
+
     def _count_recipes_for_keywords(self, keywords: list[str]) -> int:
         if not keywords:
             return 0
@@ -1157,6 +1170,7 @@ class Store:
         q: str | None = None,
         sort: str = "default",
         sensory_exclude: SensoryExclude | None = None,
+        required_ingredient: str | None = None,
     ) -> dict:
         """Return a page of recipes matching the keyword set.
 
@@ -1165,9 +1179,11 @@ class Store:
         is provided. match_pct is the fraction of ingredient_names covered by
         the pantry set — computed deterministically, no LLM needed.
 
-        q:    optional title substring filter (case-insensitive LIKE).
-        sort: "default" (corpus order) | "alpha" (A→Z) | "alpha_desc" (Z→A)
-              | "match" (pantry coverage DESC — falls back to default when no pantry).
+        q:                    optional title substring filter (case-insensitive LIKE).
+        sort:                 "default" (corpus order) | "alpha" (A→Z) | "alpha_desc" (Z→A)
+                              | "match" (pantry coverage DESC — falls back to default when no pantry).
+        required_ingredient:  when set, only return recipes whose ingredient_names contain
+                              this substring (case-insensitive). "must include" filter.
         """
         if keywords is not None and not keywords:
             return {"recipes": [], "total": 0, "page": page}
@@ -1186,20 +1202,48 @@ class Store:
 
         q_param = f"%{q.strip()}%" if q and q.strip() else None
 
+        # ── required-ingredient FTS filter (must-include) ─────────────────────
+        # FTS5 column prefix-filter avoids the full table scan that LIKE '%X%' would do.
+        req_fts_term = (
+            self._ingredient_fts_term(required_ingredient) if required_ingredient else ""
+        )
+
         # ── match sort: push match_pct computation into SQL so ORDER BY works ──
         if effective_sort == "match" and pantry_set:
             return self._browse_by_match(
                 keywords, page, page_size, offset, pantry_set, q_param, c,
                 sensory_exclude=sensory_exclude,
+                required_ingredient=required_ingredient,
             )
 
         cols = (
             f"SELECT id, title, category, keywords, ingredient_names,"
             f"       calories, fat_g, protein_g, sodium_mg, directions, sensory_tags FROM {c}recipes"
         )
+        fts_sub = f"id IN (SELECT rowid FROM {c}recipe_browser_fts WHERE recipe_browser_fts MATCH ?)"
 
         if keywords is None:
-            if q_param:
+            if req_fts_term:
+                # Ingredient filter: use FTS index — much faster than LIKE on full table
+                if q_param:
+                    total = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE {fts_sub} AND LOWER(title) LIKE LOWER(?)",
+                        (req_fts_term, q_param),
+                    ).fetchone()[0]
+                    rows = self._fetch_all(
+                        f"{cols} WHERE {fts_sub} AND LOWER(title) LIKE LOWER(?) {order_clause} LIMIT ? OFFSET ?",
+                        (req_fts_term, q_param, page_size, offset),
+                    )
+                else:
+                    total = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE {fts_sub}",
+                        (req_fts_term,),
+                    ).fetchone()[0]
+                    rows = self._fetch_all(
+                        f"{cols} WHERE {fts_sub} {order_clause} LIMIT ? OFFSET ?",
+                        (req_fts_term, page_size, offset),
+                    )
+            elif q_param:
                 total = self.conn.execute(
                     f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE LOWER(title) LIKE LOWER(?)",
                     (q_param,),
@@ -1215,23 +1259,32 @@ class Store:
                     (page_size, offset),
                 )
         else:
-            match_expr = self._browser_fts_query(keywords)
-            fts_sub = f"id IN (SELECT rowid FROM {c}recipe_browser_fts WHERE recipe_browser_fts MATCH ?)"
+            keywords_expr = self._browser_fts_query(keywords)
+            # Combine keywords + ingredient into one FTS MATCH to use a single index pass
+            combined_match = (
+                f"({keywords_expr}) AND {req_fts_term}" if req_fts_term else keywords_expr
+            )
             if q_param:
                 total = self.conn.execute(
                     f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE {fts_sub} AND LOWER(title) LIKE LOWER(?)",
-                    (match_expr, q_param),
+                    (combined_match, q_param),
                 ).fetchone()[0]
                 rows = self._fetch_all(
                     f"{cols} WHERE {fts_sub} AND LOWER(title) LIKE LOWER(?) {order_clause} LIMIT ? OFFSET ?",
-                    (match_expr, q_param, page_size, offset),
+                    (combined_match, q_param, page_size, offset),
                 )
             else:
-                # Reuse cached count — avoids a second index scan on every page turn.
-                total = self._count_recipes_for_keywords(keywords)
+                if required_ingredient:
+                    total = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE {fts_sub}",
+                        (combined_match,),
+                    ).fetchone()[0]
+                else:
+                    # Reuse cached count — avoids a second index scan on every page turn.
+                    total = self._count_recipes_for_keywords(keywords)
                 rows = self._fetch_all(
                     f"{cols} WHERE {fts_sub} {order_clause} LIMIT ? OFFSET ?",
-                    (match_expr, page_size, offset),
+                    (combined_match, page_size, offset),
                 )
                 # Community tag fallback: if FTS found nothing, check whether
                 # community-tagged recipe IDs exist for this keyword context.
@@ -1313,6 +1366,7 @@ class Store:
         q_param: str | None,
         c: str,
         sensory_exclude: SensoryExclude | None = None,
+        required_ingredient: str | None = None,
     ) -> dict:
         """Browse recipes sorted by pantry match percentage.
 
@@ -1327,16 +1381,48 @@ class Store:
 
         pantry_lower = {p.lower() for p in pantry_set}
 
+        # ── required-ingredient FTS filter (must-include) ─────────────────────
+        req_fts_term = (
+            self._ingredient_fts_term(required_ingredient) if required_ingredient else ""
+        )
+
         # ── Fetch candidate pool from FTS ────────────────────────────────────
         base_cols = (
             f"SELECT r.id, r.title, r.category, r.ingredient_names, r.directions, r.sensory_tags"
             f" FROM {c}recipes r"
         )
+        fts_sub = (
+            f"r.id IN (SELECT rowid FROM {c}recipe_browser_fts"
+            f" WHERE recipe_browser_fts MATCH ?)"
+        )
 
         self.conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
 
         if keywords is None:
-            if q_param:
+            if req_fts_term:
+                if q_param:
+                    total = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE id IN"
+                        f" (SELECT rowid FROM {c}recipe_browser_fts WHERE recipe_browser_fts MATCH ?)"
+                        f" AND LOWER(title) LIKE LOWER(?)",
+                        (req_fts_term, q_param),
+                    ).fetchone()[0]
+                    rows = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"{base_cols} WHERE {fts_sub} AND LOWER(r.title) LIKE LOWER(?)"
+                        f" ORDER BY r.id ASC LIMIT ?",
+                        (req_fts_term, q_param, self._MATCH_POOL_SIZE),
+                    ).fetchall()
+                else:
+                    total = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE id IN"
+                        f" (SELECT rowid FROM {c}recipe_browser_fts WHERE recipe_browser_fts MATCH ?)",
+                        (req_fts_term,),
+                    ).fetchone()[0]
+                    rows = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"{base_cols} WHERE {fts_sub} ORDER BY r.id ASC LIMIT ?",
+                        (req_fts_term, self._MATCH_POOL_SIZE),
+                    ).fetchall()
+            elif q_param:
                 total = self.conn.execute(
                     f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes WHERE LOWER(title) LIKE LOWER(?)",
                     (q_param,),
@@ -1355,27 +1441,32 @@ class Store:
                     (self._MATCH_POOL_SIZE,),
                 ).fetchall()
         else:
-            match_expr = self._browser_fts_query(keywords)
-            fts_sub = (
-                f"r.id IN (SELECT rowid FROM {c}recipe_browser_fts"
-                f" WHERE recipe_browser_fts MATCH ?)"
+            keywords_expr = self._browser_fts_query(keywords)
+            combined_match = (
+                f"({keywords_expr}) AND {req_fts_term}" if req_fts_term else keywords_expr
             )
             if q_param:
                 total = self.conn.execute(
                     f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes r"
                     f" WHERE {fts_sub} AND LOWER(r.title) LIKE LOWER(?)",
-                    (match_expr, q_param),
+                    (combined_match, q_param),
                 ).fetchone()[0]
                 rows = self.conn.execute(
                     f"{base_cols} WHERE {fts_sub} AND LOWER(r.title) LIKE LOWER(?)"
                     f" ORDER BY r.id ASC LIMIT ?",
-                    (match_expr, q_param, self._MATCH_POOL_SIZE),
+                    (combined_match, q_param, self._MATCH_POOL_SIZE),
                 ).fetchall()
             else:
-                total = self._count_recipes_for_keywords(keywords)
+                if required_ingredient:
+                    total = self.conn.execute(
+                        f"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {c}recipes r WHERE {fts_sub}",
+                        (combined_match,),
+                    ).fetchone()[0]
+                else:
+                    total = self._count_recipes_for_keywords(keywords)
                 rows = self.conn.execute(
                     f"{base_cols} WHERE {fts_sub} ORDER BY r.id ASC LIMIT ?",
-                    (match_expr, self._MATCH_POOL_SIZE),
+                    (combined_match, self._MATCH_POOL_SIZE),
                 ).fetchall()
 
         # ── Score in Python, sort, paginate ──────────────────────────────────

app/models/schemas/recipe.py

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ class StepAnalysis(BaseModel):
     """Active/passive classification for one direction step."""
     is_passive: bool
     detected_minutes: int | None = None
+    prep_min: int | None = None   # estimated physical prep time (action detection)
 
 
 class TimeEffortProfile(BaseModel):

app/services/recipe/recipe_engine.py

@@ -883,7 +883,11 @@ class RecipeEngine:
             # Compute complexity + parse time effort once — reused for filters and response.
             row_complexity = _classify_method_complexity(directions, available_equipment)
             row_time_min = _estimate_time_min(directions, row_complexity)
-            row_time_effort = parse_time_effort(directions)
+            row_time_effort = parse_time_effort(
+                directions,
+                ingredients=row.get("ingredients") or [],
+                ingredient_names=row.get("ingredient_names") or [],
+            )
 
             # Filter and tier-rank by hard_day_mode
             if req.hard_day_mode:
@@ -961,6 +965,7 @@ class RecipeEngine:
                     StepAnalysis(
                         is_passive=sa.is_passive,
                         detected_minutes=sa.detected_minutes,
+                        prep_min=sa.prep_min,
                     )
                     for sa in row_time_effort.step_analyses
                 ],

app/services/recipe/time_effort.py

@@ -1,17 +1,27 @@
 """
-Runtime parser for active/passive time split and equipment detection.
+Runtime parser for active/passive time split, prep effort, and equipment detection.
 
-Operates over a list of direction strings. No I/O — pure Python functions.
-Sub-millisecond for up to 20 recipes (20 × ~10 steps each = 200 regex calls).
+Operates over a list of direction strings plus an optional ingredient list.
+No I/O — pure Python functions. Sub-millisecond for up to 20 recipes.
+
+Time estimation strategy (in priority order):
+1. Explicit time mention in step text  ("simmer for 20 minutes")
+2. Passive keyword + per-technique default  ("bake until golden" → 30 min)
+3. Prep action + ingredient quantity scaling  ("dice 2 lbs potatoes" → ~5 min)
+4. Fallback active default  (assembly/misc steps → 2 min each)
+
+Quantity scaling uses n^0.75 (sub-linear, matching human batch-work curves).
+Pass `ingredients` + `ingredient_names` to enable cross-referenced scaling.
+Without them, prep actions use base times only (no scaling).
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import math
 import re
-from dataclasses import dataclass
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from typing import Final
 
-# ── Passive step keywords (whole-word, case-insensitive) ──────────────────
+# ── Passive step keywords ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 _PASSIVE_PATTERNS: Final[list[str]] = [
     "simmer", "bake", "roast", "broil", "refrigerate", "marinate",
@@ -20,19 +30,39 @@ _PASSIVE_PATTERNS: Final[list[str]] = [
     r"slow\s+cook", r"pressure\s+cook",
 ]
 
-# Pre-compiled as a single alternation — avoids re-compiling on every call.
 _PASSIVE_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(
     r"\b(?:" + "|".join(_PASSIVE_PATTERNS) + r")\b",
     re.IGNORECASE,
 )
 
-# ── Time extraction regex ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Per-technique passive defaults (minutes) — used when no explicit time found.
+# Calibrated to conservative midpoints from USDA FoodKeeper + culinary practice.
+_PASSIVE_DEFAULTS: Final[list[tuple[re.Pattern[str], int]]] = [
+    # Multi-word first (longer match wins)
+    (re.compile(r"\bslow\s+cook\b", re.IGNORECASE), 300),      # 5 hr crockpot default
+    (re.compile(r"\bpressure\s+cook\b", re.IGNORECASE), 15),
+    (re.compile(r"\bovernight\b", re.IGNORECASE), 480),         # 8 hr
+    # Single-word
+    (re.compile(r"\bbraise\b", re.IGNORECASE), 90),
+    (re.compile(r"\bmarinate\b", re.IGNORECASE), 60),
+    (re.compile(r"\brefrigerate\b", re.IGNORECASE), 120),
+    (re.compile(r"\bproof\b|\brise\b", re.IGNORECASE), 60),
+    (re.compile(r"\bsoak\b", re.IGNORECASE), 30),
+    (re.compile(r"\bfreeze\b", re.IGNORECASE), 120),
+    (re.compile(r"\bchill\b", re.IGNORECASE), 60),
+    (re.compile(r"\broast\b", re.IGNORECASE), 40),
+    (re.compile(r"\bbake\b", re.IGNORECASE), 30),
+    (re.compile(r"\bbroil\b", re.IGNORECASE), 8),
+    (re.compile(r"\bsimmer\b", re.IGNORECASE), 20),
+    (re.compile(r"\bset\b", re.IGNORECASE), 30),                # gelatin / custard set
+    (re.compile(r"\bsteep\b", re.IGNORECASE), 5),
+    (re.compile(r"\brest\b|\bstand\b", re.IGNORECASE), 10),
+    (re.compile(r"\bcool\b", re.IGNORECASE), 15),
+    (re.compile(r"\bwait\b|\blet\b", re.IGNORECASE), 5),
+]
+
+# ── Explicit time extraction ──────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-# Two-branch pattern:
-#   Branch A (groups 1-3): range  "15-20 minutes", "15–20 min"
-#   Branch B (groups 4-5): single "10 minutes", "2 hours", "30 sec"
-#
-# Separator characters: plain hyphen (-), en-dash (–), or literal "-to-"
 _TIME_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(
     r"(\d+)\s*(?:[-\u2013]|-to-)\s*(\d+)\s*(hour|hr|minute|min|second|sec)s?"
     r"|"
@@ -40,9 +70,242 @@ _TIME_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(
     re.IGNORECASE,
 )
 
-_MAX_MINUTES_PER_STEP: Final[int] = 480  # 8 hours sanity cap
+_MAX_MINUTES_PER_STEP: Final[int] = 480  # 8-hour sanity cap
 
-# ── Equipment detection (keyword → label, in detection priority order) ────
+# ── Prep action detection ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+# Base times (minutes) per prep action, calibrated to ~3 items / 0.5 lb reference.
+# These are starting points — flagged for calibration against real recipe timing data.
+_PREP_ACTION_BASES: Final[dict[str, float]] = {
+    # Peeling / stripping
+    "peel": 1.5,
+    "pare": 1.5,
+    "hull": 1.5,
+    "pit": 2.0,     # cherries, avocados
+    "core": 1.0,
+    "stem": 1.0,
+    "trim": 1.0,
+    # Cutting
+    "chop": 2.0,
+    "cut": 1.5,
+    "dice": 2.5,    # more precise than chop
+    "mince": 2.0,
+    "slice": 1.5,
+    "julienne": 4.0,
+    "cube": 2.0,
+    "quarter": 1.0,
+    "halve": 0.5,
+    "shred": 2.0,
+    # Grating / zesting
+    "grate": 3.0,
+    "zest": 2.0,
+    # Crushing
+    "crush": 0.5,
+    "smash": 0.5,
+    "crack": 0.5,
+    # Mixing / assembly (lower base — less physical effort)
+    "knead": 8.0,       # bread dough: consistent regardless of quantity
+    "whisk": 1.5,
+    "beat": 2.0,
+    "cream": 3.0,       # butter + sugar until fluffy
+    "fold": 1.5,
+    "stir": 0.5,
+    "combine": 0.5,
+    "mix": 1.0,
+    "season": 0.5,
+}
+
+# Compiled regex — longer patterns first to avoid partial matches.
+_PREP_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(
+    r"\b(?:" + "|".join(
+        re.escape(k) for k in sorted(_PREP_ACTION_BASES, key=len, reverse=True)
+    ) + r")\b",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+# Default active time per step when no explicit time and no prep action detected.
+_ACTIVE_STEP_DEFAULT_MIN: Final[float] = 2.0
+
+# ── Prep-needing ingredient classification ────────────────────────────────
+#
+# Only ingredients in this set get quantity-scaled prep time.
+# Liquids, spices, canned goods, and dry staples are excluded — they require
+# no physical prep beyond measuring.
+
+_PREP_NEEDING: Final[frozenset[str]] = frozenset({
+    # Alliums
+    "onion", "shallot", "leek", "scallion", "green onion", "chive", "garlic",
+    # Root / stem vegetables
+    "ginger", "carrot", "celery", "potato", "sweet potato", "yam",
+    "beet", "turnip", "parsnip", "radish", "fennel", "celeriac",
+    # Squash / gourd family
+    "zucchini", "squash", "pumpkin", "cucumber",
+    # Peppers
+    "pepper", "bell pepper", "jalapeño", "jalapeno", "chili", "chile",
+    # Brassicas
+    "broccoli", "cauliflower", "cabbage", "kale", "chard", "spinach",
+    "brussels sprout",
+    # Other vegetables
+    "tomato", "eggplant", "aubergine", "corn", "artichoke", "asparagus",
+    "green bean", "snow pea", "snap pea", "mushroom", "lettuce",
+    # Fruits
+    "apple", "pear", "peach", "nectarine", "plum", "apricot",
+    "mango", "papaya", "pineapple", "melon", "watermelon", "cantaloupe",
+    "avocado", "banana",
+    "strawberry", "raspberry", "blackberry", "blueberry", "cherry",
+    "citrus", "lemon", "lime", "orange", "grapefruit",
+    # Protein (trimming / portioning)
+    "chicken", "turkey", "duck",
+    "beef", "pork", "lamb", "veal",
+    "fish", "salmon", "tuna", "cod", "tilapia", "halibut", "shrimp",
+    "scallop", "crab", "lobster",
+    # Dairy requiring active prep
+    "cheese",
+    # Nuts / seeds (chopping)
+    "almond", "walnut", "pecan", "cashew", "peanut", "hazelnut",
+    "pistachio", "macadamia", "nut",
+    # Fresh herbs (chopping / tearing)
+    "basil", "parsley", "cilantro", "thyme", "rosemary", "sage",
+    "dill", "mint", "tarragon",
+    # Other
+    "bread",
+})
+
+
+def _is_prep_needing(name: str) -> bool:
+    """True if the normalized ingredient name contains any prep-needing keyword."""
+    nl = name.lower()
+    return any(kw in nl for kw in _PREP_NEEDING)
+
+
+# ── Quantity extraction ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+_FRAC_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(r"(\d+)\s*/\s*(\d+)")
+
+# Weight units → converted to pounds internally
+_WEIGHT_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(
+    r"(\d+(?:\.\d+)?|\d+\s*/\s*\d+)\s*"
+    r"(pound|lb|ounce|oz|gram|g(?![a-z])|kilogram|kg)\s*s?\b",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+# Volume (cups only — the common recipe unit for quantity scaling)
+_VOLUME_CUP_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(
+    r"(\d+(?:\.\d+)?|\d+\s*/\s*\d+)\s*cups?\b",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+# Count — bare integer or decimal followed by optional size/unit word
+_COUNT_RE: re.Pattern[str] = re.compile(
+    r"(?<!\d)(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)\s*"
+    r"(?:large|medium|small|whole|clove|cloves|head|heads|ear|ears|"
+    r"stalk|stalks|sprig|sprigs|bunch|bunches|fillet|fillets|"
+    r"breast|breasts|piece|pieces|slice|slices)?\s*\b",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+# Reference quantities: the "1× base" for each unit type.
+# Calibrated so that a typical single-ingredient amount = 1× prep time.
+_QTY_REFS: Final[dict[str, float]] = {
+    "lb":    0.5,    # 0.5 lb is the base → 1 lb = 1.4×, 2 lb = 2.0×
+    "cup":   1.0,    # 1 cup = base
+    "count": 3.0,    # 3 items = base → 1 = 0.46×, 6 = 1.6×
+}
+
+_SCALE_POWER:  Final[float] = 0.75   # sub-linear; revisit with empirical data
+_MAX_SCALE:    Final[float] = 4.0    # cap at 4× regardless of quantity
+_MIN_SCALE:    Final[float] = 0.33   # floor at 1/3× for tiny amounts
+
+
+def _parse_fraction(s: str) -> float:
+    m = _FRAC_RE.search(s)
+    if m:
+        try:
+            return float(m.group(1)) / float(m.group(2))
+        except (ValueError, ZeroDivisionError):
+            return 1.0
+    try:
+        return float(s.replace(" ", ""))
+    except ValueError:
+        return 1.0
+
+
+def _extract_qty(text: str) -> tuple[float, str] | None:
+    """Return (quantity_in_canonical_units, unit_type) or None.
+
+    Unit types: "lb" (weight in pounds), "cup", "count".
+    All weights are normalised to pounds.
+    """
+    # Weight (most specific — check first)
+    m = _WEIGHT_RE.search(text)
+    if m:
+        qty = _parse_fraction(m.group(1))
+        u = m.group(2).lower().rstrip("s")
+        if u in ("pound", "lb"):
+            return (qty, "lb")
+        if u in ("ounce", "oz"):
+            return (qty / 16.0, "lb")
+        if u in ("gram", "g"):
+            return (qty / 453.6, "lb")
+        if u in ("kilogram", "kg"):
+            return (qty * 2.205, "lb")
+
+    # Volume (cups)
+    m = _VOLUME_CUP_RE.search(text)
+    if m:
+        return (_parse_fraction(m.group(1)), "cup")
+
+    # Count — only accept values in a sane range to avoid false positives
+    m = _COUNT_RE.search(text)
+    if m:
+        qty = float(m.group(1))
+        if 0 < qty <= 24:
+            return (qty, "count")
+
+    return None
+
+
+def _extract_inline_qty_for(text: str, ing_name: str) -> tuple[float, str] | None:
+    """Extract the quantity specifically associated with `ing_name` in a direction step.
+
+    Looks for a number immediately before the ingredient name (plus optional size/unit
+    words). Falls back to None if the pattern does not match.
+
+    Example: "Dice 2 large onions and 3 carrots" → for "onion" returns (2.0, "count").
+    """
+    pattern = re.compile(
+        r"(\d+(?:\.\d+)?|\d+\s*/\s*\d+)\s*"
+        r"(?:large|medium|small|whole|"
+        r"(?:pound|lb|ounce|oz|gram|g|kilogram|kg|cup|clove|cloves|"
+        r"head|heads|fillet|fillets|breast|breasts|piece|pieces)s?)??\s*"
+        + re.escape(ing_name) + r"(?:es|s)?\b",
+        re.IGNORECASE,
+    )
+    m = pattern.search(text)
+    if m:
+        # Re-extract with _extract_qty on the full matched span to get unit too
+        span = text[m.start(): m.end()]
+        result = _extract_qty(span)
+        if result:
+            return result
+        # Fallback: bare count
+        try:
+            return (_parse_fraction(m.group(1)), "count")
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+    return None
+
+
+def _quantity_scale(qty: float, unit: str) -> float:
+    """Apply n^0.75 scaling relative to unit reference, clamped to [MIN, MAX]."""
+    ref = _QTY_REFS.get(unit, 1.0)
+    if ref <= 0 or qty <= 0:
+        return 1.0
+    raw = (qty / ref) ** _SCALE_POWER
+    return max(_MIN_SCALE, min(_MAX_SCALE, raw))
+
+
+# ── Equipment detection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 _EQUIPMENT_RULES: Final[list[tuple[re.Pattern[str], str]]] = [
     (re.compile(r"\b(?:chop|dice|mince|slice|julienne)\b", re.IGNORECASE), "Knife"),
@@ -58,74 +321,8 @@ _EQUIPMENT_RULES: Final[list[tuple[re.Pattern[str], str]]] = [
     (re.compile(r"\b(?:drain|strain|colander|rinse pasta)\b", re.IGNORECASE), "Colander"),
 ]
 
-# ── Dataclasses ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-
-@dataclass(frozen=True)
-class StepAnalysis:
-    """Analysis result for a single direction step."""
-    is_passive: bool
-    detected_minutes: int | None  # None when no time mention found in text
-
-
-@dataclass(frozen=True)
-class TimeEffortProfile:
-    """Aggregated time and effort profile for a full recipe."""
-    active_min: int                    # total minutes requiring active attention
-    passive_min: int                   # total minutes the cook can step away
-    total_min: int                     # active_min + passive_min
-    step_analyses: list[StepAnalysis]  # one entry per direction step
-    equipment: list[str]               # ordered, deduplicated equipment labels
-    effort_label: str                  # "quick" | "moderate" | "involved"
-
-
-# ── Core parsing logic ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-
-def _extract_minutes(text: str) -> int | None:
-    """Return the number of minutes mentioned in text, or None.
-
-    Range values (e.g. "15-20 minutes") return the integer midpoint.
-    Hours are converted to minutes. Seconds are rounded up to 1 minute minimum.
-    Result is capped at _MAX_MINUTES_PER_STEP.
-    """
-    m = _TIME_RE.search(text)
-    if m is None:
-        return None
-
-    if m.group(1) is not None:
-        # Branch A: range match (e.g. "15-20 minutes")
-        low = int(m.group(1))
-        high = int(m.group(2))
-        unit = m.group(3).lower()
-        raw_value: float = (low + high) / 2
-    else:
-        # Branch B: single value match (e.g. "10 minutes")
-        low = int(m.group(4))
-        unit = m.group(5).lower()
-        raw_value = float(low)
-
-    if unit in ("hour", "hr"):
-        minutes: float = raw_value * 60
-    elif unit in ("second", "sec"):
-        minutes = max(1.0, math.ceil(raw_value / 60))
-    else:
-        minutes = raw_value
-
-    return min(int(minutes), _MAX_MINUTES_PER_STEP)
-
-
-def _classify_passive(text: str) -> bool:
-    """Return True if the step text matches any passive keyword (whole-word)."""
-    return _PASSIVE_RE.search(text) is not None
-
 
 def _detect_equipment(all_text: str, has_passive: bool) -> list[str]:
-    """Return ordered, deduplicated list of equipment labels detected in text.
-
-    all_text should be all direction steps joined with spaces.
-    has_passive controls whether 'Timer' is appended at the end.
-    """
     seen: set[str] = set()
     result: list[str] = []
     for pattern, label in _EQUIPMENT_RULES:
@@ -137,8 +334,172 @@ def _detect_equipment(all_text: str, has_passive: bool) -> list[str]:
     return result
 
 
-def _effort_label(step_count: int) -> str:
-    """Derive effort label from step count."""
+# ── Ingredient–step cross-reference ──────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _ingredient_mentioned(text: str, name: str) -> bool:
+    """True if `name` appears in `text` as a whole word.
+
+    Handles both regular plurals (onion → onions) and -es plurals
+    (potato → potatoes, tomato → tomatoes).
+    """
+    pattern = re.compile(r"\b" + re.escape(name.lower()) + r"(?:es|s)?\b", re.IGNORECASE)
+    return bool(pattern.search(text))
+
+
+def _build_step_ingredient_qtys(
+    ingredients: list[str],
+    ingredient_names: list[str],
+    directions: list[str],
+) -> list[dict[str, tuple[float, str]]]:
+    """Return, for each direction step, {ing_name: (qty_for_this_step, unit)}.
+
+    Strategy:
+    - Filter ingredient pairs to prep-needing items only.
+    - Parse total quantities from the raw ingredient strings.
+    - For each step, try to find an inline quantity tied to that ingredient name.
+    - If no inline quantity, distribute the total evenly across all steps that
+      mention the ingredient (handles "3 onions" split across 2 steps).
+    """
+    # Build total qty map for prep-needing ingredients
+    total_qtys: dict[str, tuple[float, str]] = {}
+    for raw, name in zip(ingredients, ingredient_names):
+        base = name.lower().strip()
+        if not _is_prep_needing(base):
+            continue
+        result = _extract_qty(raw)
+        if result is not None:
+            total_qtys[base] = result
+
+    if not total_qtys:
+        return [{} for _ in directions]
+
+    # Count how many steps mention each ingredient
+    step_counts: dict[str, int] = {n: 0 for n in total_qtys}
+    for step in directions:
+        for name in total_qtys:
+            if _ingredient_mentioned(step, name):
+                step_counts[name] += 1
+
+    # Build per-step qty maps
+    per_step: list[dict[str, tuple[float, str]]] = []
+    for step in directions:
+        step_map: dict[str, tuple[float, str]] = {}
+        for name, (total, unit) in total_qtys.items():
+            if not _ingredient_mentioned(step, name):
+                continue
+            # Try ingredient-specific inline quantity first
+            inline = _extract_inline_qty_for(step, name)
+            if inline is not None:
+                step_map[name] = inline
+            else:
+                # Distribute total across steps that reference this ingredient
+                n = max(step_counts.get(name, 1), 1)
+                step_map[name] = (total / n, unit)
+        per_step.append(step_map)
+
+    return per_step
+
+
+# ── Dataclasses ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class StepAnalysis:
+    """Analysis result for a single direction step."""
+    is_passive: bool
+    detected_minutes: int | None   # explicit or estimated time (None = no signal)
+    prep_min: int | None = None    # estimated physical prep time from action detection
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class TimeEffortProfile:
+    """Aggregated time and effort profile for a full recipe."""
+    active_min: int
+    passive_min: int
+    total_min: int
+    step_analyses: list[StepAnalysis] = field(default_factory=list)
+    equipment: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    effort_label: str = "moderate"   # "quick" | "moderate" | "involved"
+
+
+# ── Core parsing helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def _extract_minutes(text: str) -> int | None:
+    """Return explicit minutes from text, or None."""
+    m = _TIME_RE.search(text)
+    if m is None:
+        return None
+    if m.group(1) is not None:
+        low, high = int(m.group(1)), int(m.group(2))
+        unit = m.group(3).lower()
+        raw: float = (low + high) / 2
+    else:
+        low = int(m.group(4))
+        unit = m.group(5).lower()
+        raw = float(low)
+
+    if unit in ("hour", "hr"):
+        minutes: float = raw * 60
+    elif unit in ("second", "sec"):
+        minutes = max(1.0, math.ceil(raw / 60))
+    else:
+        minutes = raw
+
+    return min(int(minutes), _MAX_MINUTES_PER_STEP)
+
+
+def _classify_passive(text: str) -> bool:
+    return _PASSIVE_RE.search(text) is not None
+
+
+def _passive_default(text: str) -> int | None:
+    """Return estimated passive minutes from per-keyword defaults."""
+    for pattern, minutes in _PASSIVE_DEFAULTS:
+        if pattern.search(text):
+            return minutes
+    return None
+
+
+def _prep_estimate(
+    text: str,
+    step_ing_qtys: dict[str, tuple[float, str]],
+) -> int:
+    """Estimate active prep time from the first detected prep action + ingredient qtys.
+
+    If no prep-needing ingredient is identified in the step, uses the action's
+    base time at 1× (no scaling).
+    """
+    m = _PREP_RE.search(text)
+    if m is None:
+        return 0
+
+    action = m.group(0).lower()
+    base = _PREP_ACTION_BASES.get(action, _ACTIVE_STEP_DEFAULT_MIN)
+
+    # Find which prep-needing ingredients this step mentions
+    matches: list[tuple[float, str]] = [
+        qty_unit
+        for name, qty_unit in step_ing_qtys.items()
+        if _ingredient_mentioned(text, name)
+    ]
+
+    if not matches:
+        return round(base)   # no ingredient context — use base unscaled
+
+    total = sum(base * _quantity_scale(qty, unit) for qty, unit in matches)
+    return round(total)
+
+
+def _effort_label(total_min: int, step_count: int) -> str:
+    """Effort label based on total estimated time; falls back to step count."""
+    if total_min > 0:
+        if total_min <= 20:
+            return "quick"
+        if total_min <= 45:
+            return "moderate"
+        return "involved"
+    # No time signals at all — fall back to step count heuristic
     if step_count <= 3:
         return "quick"
     if step_count <= 7:
@@ -146,52 +507,96 @@ def _effort_label(step_count: int) -> str:
     return "involved"
 
 
-def parse_time_effort(directions: list[str]) -> TimeEffortProfile:
-    """Parse a list of direction strings into a TimeEffortProfile.
+# ── Public API ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def parse_time_effort(
+    directions: list[str],
+    ingredients: list[str] | None = None,
+    ingredient_names: list[str] | None = None,
+) -> TimeEffortProfile:
+    """Parse direction strings into a TimeEffortProfile.
+
+    Args:
+        directions:       List of step strings from the recipe corpus.
+        ingredients:      Raw ingredient strings ("2 large onions", "1.5 lbs potatoes").
+                          Parallel to ingredient_names.
+        ingredient_names: Normalised ingredient names ("onion", "potato").
+                          Required alongside ingredients to enable quantity scaling.
 
     Returns a zero-value profile with empty lists when directions is empty.
-    Never raises — all failures silently produce sensible defaults.
+    Never raises — all failures produce sensible defaults.
     """
     if not directions:
         return TimeEffortProfile(
-            active_min=0,
-            passive_min=0,
-            total_min=0,
-            step_analyses=[],
-            equipment=[],
-            effort_label="quick",
+            active_min=0, passive_min=0, total_min=0,
+            step_analyses=[], equipment=[], effort_label="quick",
         )
 
+    # Build per-step ingredient quantity maps (empty dicts if no ingredient data)
+    use_ingredients = (
+        bool(ingredients)
+        and bool(ingredient_names)
+        and len(ingredients) == len(ingredient_names)
+    )
+    step_ing_qtys: list[dict[str, tuple[float, str]]]
+    if use_ingredients:
+        step_ing_qtys = _build_step_ingredient_qtys(
+            list(ingredients),       # type: ignore[arg-type]
+            list(ingredient_names),  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+            directions,
+        )
+    else:
+        step_ing_qtys = [{} for _ in directions]
+
     step_analyses: list[StepAnalysis] = []
     active_min = 0
     passive_min = 0
     has_any_passive = False
 
-    for step in directions:
+    for i, step in enumerate(directions):
         is_passive = _classify_passive(step)
         detected = _extract_minutes(step)
+        prep_estimate: int | None = None
 
         if is_passive:
             has_any_passive = True
             if detected is not None:
                 passive_min += detected
+            else:
+                # Fall back to per-technique default
+                default = _passive_default(step)
+                if default is not None:
+                    passive_min += default
+                    detected = default  # surface in UI as the hint time
         else:
             if detected is not None:
                 active_min += detected
 
+            # Estimate prep time from action detection + quantity scaling
+            prep_est = _prep_estimate(step, step_ing_qtys[i])
+            if prep_est > 0:
+                prep_estimate = prep_est
+                active_min += prep_est
+            elif detected is None:
+                # General active step with no time signal — apply a small default
+                active_min += round(_ACTIVE_STEP_DEFAULT_MIN)
+
         step_analyses.append(StepAnalysis(
             is_passive=is_passive,
             detected_minutes=detected,
+            prep_min=prep_estimate,
         ))
 
     combined_text = " ".join(directions)
     equipment = _detect_equipment(combined_text, has_any_passive)
+    total = active_min + passive_min
 
     return TimeEffortProfile(
         active_min=active_min,
         passive_min=passive_min,
-        total_min=active_min + passive_min,
+        total_min=total,
         step_analyses=step_analyses,
         equipment=equipment,
-        effort_label=_effort_label(len(directions)),
+        effort_label=_effort_label(total, len(directions)),
     )

frontend/src/components/RecipeBrowserPanel.vue

@@ -93,6 +93,15 @@
               placeholder="Filter by title…"
               class="browser-search"
             />
+            <input
+              v-model="requiredIngredient"
+              @keyup.enter="onRequiredIngredientCommit"
+              @search="onRequiredIngredientCommit"
+              type="search"
+              placeholder="Must include ingredient… (Enter)"
+              class="browser-search"
+              title="Type an ingredient and press Enter to filter"
+            />
             <div class="sort-btns flex gap-xs">
               <button
                 :class="['btn', 'btn-secondary', 'sort-btn', { active: sortOrder === 'default' }]"
@@ -122,6 +131,7 @@
             <span class="text-sm text-secondary">
               {{ total }} recipes
               <span v-if="pantryCount > 0"> — pantry match shown</span>
+              <span v-if="requiredIngredient.trim()"> — must include "{{ requiredIngredient.trim() }}"</span>
             </span>
             <div class="pagination flex gap-xs">
               <button
@@ -310,6 +320,7 @@ const loadingDomains = ref(false)
 const loadingRecipes = ref(false)
 const savingRecipe = ref<BrowserRecipe | null>(null)
 const searchQuery = ref('')
+const requiredIngredient = ref('')
 const sortOrder = ref<'default' | 'alpha' | 'alpha_desc' | 'match'>('default')
 let searchDebounce: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
 let tagSearchDebounce: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
@@ -386,6 +397,19 @@ function onSearchInput() {
   }, 350)
 }
 
+function onRequiredIngredientCommit() {
+  page.value = 1
+  loadRecipes()
+}
+
+// Auto-clear results when the field is emptied via backspace/select-delete
+watch(requiredIngredient, (val, prev) => {
+  if (val === '' && prev !== '') {
+    page.value = 1
+    loadRecipes()
+  }
+})
+
 function setSort(s: 'default' | 'alpha' | 'alpha_desc' | 'match') {
   if (sortOrder.value === s) return
   sortOrder.value = s
@@ -410,6 +434,7 @@ async function selectDomain(domainId: string) {
   total.value = 0
   page.value = 1
   searchQuery.value = ''
+  requiredIngredient.value = ''
   sortOrder.value = 'default'
   categories.value = await browserAPI.listCategories(domainId)
   // Auto-select the most-populated category so content appears immediately.
@@ -476,6 +501,7 @@ async function loadRecipes() {
         subcategory: activeSubcategory.value ?? undefined,
         q: searchQuery.value.trim() || undefined,
         sort: sortOrder.value !== 'default' ? sortOrder.value : undefined,
+        required_ingredient: requiredIngredient.value.trim() || undefined,
       }
     )
     recipes.value = result.recipes

frontend/src/services/api.ts

@@ -1061,6 +1061,7 @@ export const browserAPI = {
     subcategory?: string
     q?: string
     sort?: string
+    required_ingredient?: string
   }): Promise<BrowserResult> {
     const response = await api.get(`/recipes/browse/${domain}/${encodeURIComponent(category)}`, { params })
     return response.data

tests/api/test_browse_time_effort.py

@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ class TestBrowseTimeEffortFields:
             row["active_min"] = None
             row["passive_min"] = None
 
-        assert row["active_min"] == 0   # no active time found
+        # "Chop onion." triggers the chop prep action (base 2.0 min) → active_min >= 1
+        assert row["active_min"] > 0
         assert row["passive_min"] == 20
 
     def test_null_when_directions_empty(self):
@@ -115,10 +116,12 @@ class TestDetailTimeEffortField:
             ],
         }
 
-        assert time_effort_dict["active_min"] == 5
+        # "Gather all ingredients." → active default (2 min); "Sear for 5 min" → 5 min
+        assert time_effort_dict["active_min"] == 7
         assert time_effort_dict["passive_min"] == 20
-        assert time_effort_dict["total_min"] == 25
-        assert time_effort_dict["effort_label"] == "quick"  # 3 steps
+        assert time_effort_dict["total_min"] == 27
+        # 27 min total → moderate (21-45 min range)
+        assert time_effort_dict["effort_label"] == "moderate"
         assert isinstance(time_effort_dict["equipment"], list)
         assert len(time_effort_dict["step_analyses"]) == 3
         assert time_effort_dict["step_analyses"][2]["is_passive"] is True

tests/test_services/test_time_effort.py

@@ -95,14 +95,15 @@ class TestTimeExtraction:
 class TestTimeTotals:
     def test_active_passive_split(self):
         steps = [
-            "Chop onions finely.",                   # active, no time
-            "Sear chicken for 5 minutes per side.",  # active, 5 min
-            "Simmer for 20 minutes.",                # passive, 20 min
+            "Chop onions finely.",                   # active; chop action → 2 min prep
+            "Sear chicken for 5 minutes per side.",  # active, 5 min explicit
+            "Simmer for 20 minutes.",                # passive, 20 min explicit
         ]
         result = parse_time_effort(steps)
-        assert result.active_min == 5
+        # "Chop onions" now contributes prep_min (chop base=2.0) + 5 explicit = 7 active
+        assert result.active_min == 7
         assert result.passive_min == 20
-        assert result.total_min == 25
+        assert result.total_min == 27
 
     def test_all_active_passive_zero(self):
         steps = ["Dice vegetables.", "Season with salt.", "Plate and serve."]
@@ -130,16 +131,28 @@ class TestEffortLabel:
         result = parse_time_effort(["a", "b", "c"])
         assert result.effort_label == "quick"
 
-    def test_four_steps_is_moderate(self):
-        result = parse_time_effort(["a", "b", "c", "d"])
+    def test_bake_recipe_is_moderate(self):
+        # Passive default for "bake" = 30 min → moderate (21-45 min range)
+        result = parse_time_effort([
+            "Mix dry ingredients.",
+            "Combine wet ingredients.",
+            "Fold together until just combined.",
+            "Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.",
+        ])
         assert result.effort_label == "moderate"
 
-    def test_seven_steps_is_moderate(self):
-        result = parse_time_effort(["a"] * 7)
-        assert result.effort_label == "moderate"
+    def test_slow_cook_recipe_is_involved(self):
+        # Passive default for "slow cook" = 300 min → involved (>45 min)
+        result = parse_time_effort([
+            "Brown the meat in batches.",
+            "Add vegetables and broth.",
+            "Slow cook until tender.",
+        ])
+        assert result.effort_label == "involved"
 
-    def test_eight_steps_is_involved(self):
-        result = parse_time_effort(["a"] * 8)
+    def test_explicit_time_drives_effort_label(self):
+        # Explicit passive time of 90 min → involved
+        result = parse_time_effort(["Braise for 90 minutes."])
         assert result.effort_label == "involved"