Recipe finder
What to cook with what you have
Tick what is in your fridge and cupboard. We show dishes you can cook right now and those missing just one or two things. Salt, pepper, oil and water are assumed.
Matching dishes
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How to use the finder to plan a whole week
The finder is not only for tonight. Try this on a Sunday: tick everything in your fridge and cupboard, then look at the dishes that are missing one or two items. Those gaps become your shopping list, and you end up buying five things instead of fifty.
Then sort what comes up into three piles: something quick for weeknights, something that makes leftovers, and one dish that uses the most perishable item first (herbs, fish, soft tomatoes). Cook the perishable dish early in the week and the pantry dishes later.
Tips for cooking from what you have
- Keep a small base pantry: onions, carrots, eggs, pasta, rice or buckwheat, canned tomatoes and canned chickpeas. With these, a surprising share of our recipes becomes possible.
- Swap like for like. Pork and beef mince are interchangeable in most cutlet and pasta recipes; any white fish works in place of cod.
- Start from the vegetable that will spoil first and build the meal around it.
- Check the collections below the finder when one ingredient is in excess, such as a big bag of potatoes or a dozen eggs.
A useful question when the fridge looks empty: what is the one thing I have plenty of? Eggs, potatoes or pasta alone already open a whole collection of dishes, and the rest can be improvised around them.
A fridge-clearing week
- Monday: leftover vegetables and eggs become a shakshuka.
- Tuesday: navy-style pasta with mince from the pantry and freezer.
- Wednesday: chickpea curry from cans and a handful of spinach.
- Thursday: lazy cabbage rolls from half a cabbage and rice.
- Friday: sharlotka with the apples that have gone soft.
Leftovers and budget
Cooking from what you have is the easiest way to spend less and throw away less. Keep a note of what you finish each week and what always goes to waste; after a month you will know exactly what to buy. When something is left over, tick it in the finder the next day, and it becomes the start of a new meal instead of a forgotten container.
With children, let them tick the ingredients and choose between two dishes: they are more likely to eat what they picked.
Frequently asked questions
How does the ingredient finder work?
You tick ingredients and we compare them with every recipe's list. Dishes you can fully cook come first, then those missing one or two items.
Do I need to tick salt, oil and spices?
No. Salt, pepper, vegetable oil and water are treated as basics most homes have.
Is my list saved?
Yes, in your browser. Your ingredients stay selected when you come back, and you can share the link.
What should I buy to be able to cook most recipes here?
Onions, carrots, potatoes, eggs, milk, pasta, a grain, canned tomatoes and chickpeas, plus one protein such as chicken or mince cover a large part of the site's recipes.
Can I replace an ingredient the finder says is missing?
Often yes: swap mince types, white fish, or hard cheeses freely. Be more careful in baking, where eggs, flour and sugar affect the structure.
How do I plan meals for one person?
Choose recipes that freeze or keep well, cook the full amount and portion it; the recipe pages let you scale servings down too.