What Can I Cook?
Compare recipe quantities with your recorded stock. Add temporary ingredient rows for anything else you have on hand.
When to Use It
See which recipes your actual amounts can cover.
How to Use
Enter any additional ingredients and amounts, then check recipes against your stock.
How It Works
Matching compares compatible quantities, not just ingredient names. Missing or incompatible amounts are shown rather than assumed available.
Find out whether “we have that” means “we have enough”
A can of beans, a little spinach and an open bottle of sauce can suggest several dinners, but the amounts decide which ones are realistic. Matching by name alone misses the difference between a spoonful and a full recipe quantity. This tool compares the ingredients in the catalog with the stock you have recorded, then shows where a meal still falls short.
Bring the quantities up to date
Start with inventory if you use it. Record what is available to cook with, not packaging liquid or food already used. Batches stay separate in storage, while compatible amounts of the same ingredient can contribute to the recipe check.
You can also add several temporary ingredient rows for the current search. Enter a recognized name or confirmed alias, an amount and a compatible unit. These rows add to the stock considered for the search without creating inventory batches. Do not enter the same food again if it is already included in your saved amount.
Read a shortage as a decision, not a failure
Results distinguish recipes whose quantities are covered from those missing one or two ingredients and those needing more. A short list of missing ingredients can still include a substantial amount: “one ingredient missing” does not mean “only a pinch short.” Read the available and needed amounts beside the ingredient.
If a salad needs 240 g of cooked chickpeas and you have 200 g, the 40 g difference matters. Decide whether to buy more, choose another meal or use the converter for a smaller portion. Changing the serving count is a clearer choice than pretending the original recipe is fully covered.
Treat substitutions as cooking decisions
Recipe notes may explain a limited swap or why an ingredient should stay as written. A similar name is not enough: dry and cooked beans, fresh and dried pasta, or a smooth sauce and a solid cheese do different jobs. Editorial notes do not automatically turn one ingredient into another in the stock calculation.
Keep any necessary allergen exclusions active, then check packages and the full recipe. A swap can change allergens or preparation even when the quantity looks straightforward. Save a suitable result to the menu or add its missing ingredients to an existing list only after deciding to make it.
FAQ
Why does an ingredient I own still appear as needed?
There may be too little for the default recipe, an incompatible unit or a batch that is no longer eligible under its Use By date. Read the actual quantities rather than only the food name.
Does a temporary ingredient update my pantry?
No. It is used for this search. Add a real batch in Fridge & Pantry Manager if you want the amount to persist for other tools.
Practical Examples
- Finding a 40 Gram Chickpea Shortage
- Matching Milk Across Volume Units
- Trying an Extra Ingredient Without Saving It
- Rejecting a Count Unit for Milk
- Reading Available Quantity in a Match
- Excluding Egg From Inventory Matches
- Rejecting an Unrecognized Ingredient Name
- Searching Twice Without Reserving Stock
- Matching Two Compatible Inventory Batches
- Adding a Newly Found Amount to a Search