Apple released the first public beta of iOS 18.4 on Feb. 24, more than a month after the release of iOS 18.3. While beta versions of iOS updates might include features that don't make it to your iPhone, Apple announced on Feb. 21 that one feature in the beta will be available when iOS 18.4 is released in April: a new Apple News section called Food.Read more: An Expert's Guide to iOS 18The new section will feature recipes from publications like Good Housekeeping, Food & Wine and more. You'll be able to find other food and restaurant related stories there, too.Developers and beta testers can access this feature now, but since it's still in beta it could be buggy or have other issues. If you want to try the new feature now, before it's released to the general public in April, I recommend downloading the iOS 18.4 beta on something other than your primary device.Here's what you need to know about Apple News Food in iOS 18.4.What is Apple News Food?Apple News Food is a new section in the Apple News app that will be available on all iPhones in April upon the release of iOS 18.4."With the new Food feature, users will be able to find stories curated by Apple News editors, as well as browse, search, and filter tens of thousands of recipes in the Recipe Catalog -- with new recipes added every day," Apple wrote in an email.How do I access Apple News Food?1. Open News.2. Tap Following in the bottom-right corner of your screen.3. Tap Food. AppleYou'll see options for Recipe Catalog and Saved Recipes near the top of the page, and you can scroll down to see other recipes and articles. You can also tap the fork and knife symbol in the top-right corner of your screen at any time while in the Food section to access the Recipe Catalog. Once you're in Recipe Catalog, the fork and knife symbol will be replaced with a box symbol that you can tap to access your Saved Recipes.To save recipes, tap a recipe that you're interested in and then tap Save. The recipe will be stored in your Saved Recipes.How much does Apple News Food cost?The Food section is free to everyone, but the free version only gives you access to a few stories and recipes each day. With the free version of this section, I could access recipes like million dollar sausage balls and this cucumber-avocado-tomato sandwich. I'm not a picky eater and will gladly try both of these, but I couldn't access many other recipes I was interested in with the free version.However, if you subscribe to Apple News Plus ($13 a month) you get full access to the Food section. That means you can browse a catalog of thousands of recipes and articles, save recipes in your own digital cookbook and access recipes offline. The recipe catalog makes it easy to find dinner ideas, vegetarian recipes and even cocktails.Can you do anything else with Apple News Food?You'll also be able to access what Apple calls cook mode in Apple News Food, which will show step-by-step instructions in full screen on your device. You'll see one step at a time, but you'll have to swipe on your screen to go to the next step. I tried to ask Siri to go to the next step, and the digital assistant ignored my pleas. This could be a problem if you're cooking and your hands are covered in flour, grease or anything else you don't want to get on your phone, but you still have to go to the next step. AppleThis feature does prevent your iPhone from going to sleep or dimming the screen. Which is nice, because then you don't have to unlock your phone every minute to make sure you're following the directions (not that I've ever done that or anything).Cook mode can also show you a full list of ingredients for each recipe by tapping Ingredients near the top of your screen. That means you don't have to write down an ingredient list the next time you go to the store.However, you can't copy and paste these ingredients or directions from News into another app, like Notes. You can share a link to the recipe, or save it as a quick note, but if you want to ask your roommate or partner to pick up a few ingredients while they're out, you can't easily copy and paste those ingredients into a message.To access cook mode, tap a recipe in the app you want to try then tap Cook.Don't forget, this feature is still in beta so there's plenty of time for Apple to change or adjust it. I'm hoping Apple adds a Siri integration so I don't slather my phone in meatball grease. Developers and beta testers can try Apple News Food now, and everyone will get access to it in April when Apple releases iOS 18.4.For more on iOS 18, here's what you need to know about iOS 18.3.1 and iOS 18.3. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet. Watch this: iPhone 16E vs. iPhone 16: Spec Breakdown 05:44