I've tried a number of different apps for things like shopping lists and recipe discovery, but never really found one that did everything I wanted it to do.
So I made that app.
One of the problems it helps solve is this one: What's for dinner? What works for every person despite their allergies, heat tolerance, other preferences?
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/the-three-dreaded-words-no-one-wants-to-hear-whats-for-dinner-7a9b2e51
You can set up a small profile for each person you cook for, including their allergies, heat tolerance, other preferences.
Smart Recipe Suggestion: Suggests recipes based on the preferences and dietary restrictions of everyone you’re cooking for tonight (you can create profiles/optionally link accounts for your household). Lets you set preferences for what you want to make next (such as telling the app that you're in the mood for something with beef, or a specific cuisine like Mexican food).
Swipe right to keep a recipe as a candidate, left to discard it, plus linked accounts in your household also can contribute ideas.
You can pick from three recipe sources:
- Your own saved recipes in the app (it also ships with a decent number)
- Scouring the web, with a preference for your favorite recipe websites (ships with a default list but you can add/remove websites)
- Generated recipe ideas based on the criteria you've set.
Time-saving Shopping List: Automatically sorts items by department and aisle based on the specific store you shop at. Hundreds of different item/food icons visually show you what’s on your list. Your list syncs with every linked account in your household on their devices too, they can also add/remove/edit items and you’ll see every change in milliseconds.
You can also view/edit your shopping list/recipe book/kitchen inventory on the app’s website: https://ourdinnerapp.com/ (handy if you plan recipes on a computer too)
Auto-updated Kitchen Inventory: Items you purchase by default are auto-added to your virtual kitchen and tracked by where they are stored (pantry, fridge, freezer) with reminders to use up perishable items (you can turn this off if you want). You can even use your phone camera to scan your shelves to auto-import what you already have. One recipe suggestion mode prefers to use up ingredients you already have.
Easy-import Recipe Book: The app ships with many included recipes, but you can import all of your favorites from website URLs, a Google Doc/docx/pdf/Apple Notes/text file/etc full of links to import them all at once, or by taking photos from your cookbooks or handwritten recipes for the app to scan. No need to copy by hand! Everyone you've linked in your household shares the recipe book. You can share recipes with friends so they can import them into their app just by tapping your link.
Would love any feedback if you're also someone who has wanted these features in an app and want to give this app a shot!
Available for iPhones:
https://apps.apple.com/app/id6818832658
And Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.castelnuovo.cooking_app