What to cook with what you have.
A simple way to decide dinner from the food already in your kitchen, and an app that does it with you.
How do I decide what to cook with what I have?
Start with the food that needs using first, add a base you already have, such as rice, pasta, bread or potatoes, then fill the gaps with what is in the cupboard. An app like Hestily does this for you: it knows what is in your pantry and suggests recipes that use the food due soonest.
Ideas for tonight.
Everyday recipes from the Hestily catalogue. In the app, suggestions start from the food you have.
Banana Bread
A moist, lightly spiced loaf that makes the most of very ripe bananas.
Aloo Paratha
Whole-wheat flatbreads stuffed with a spiced potato filling with green chilli, ginger and coriander, cooked on a hot tawa with ghee until golden and crisp in spots. Serve hot with curd. Makes 8 parathas (2 per person).
Idli
Soft, fluffy steamed cakes of fermented rice and urad dal batter, mild and slightly tangy. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar. Makes about 20 idlis (5 per person); the rice and dal soak for 4 to 6 hours and the batter ferments overnight.
Semiya Payasam
A creamy, sweet milk pudding of roasted vermicelli with cardamom and ghee-fried cashews and raisins. Lovely warm after a meal or on festive days.
Tomato Rasam
A thin, tangy tomato and tamarind soup spiced with freshly crushed black pepper, cumin and garlic, finished with a mustard seed and curry leaf tempering. Pour it over hot rice or sip it from a cup.
Vegetable Pakora
Crisp, golden fritters of onion, potato and spinach in a lightly spiced batter, best eaten hot with green chutney and a cup of tea.
How Hestily answers "what's for dinner?"
Starts with what is due
Hestily keeps a date for everything you have, and recipe suggestions put the food that needs using first at the top.
Recipes matched to your pantry
On every plan, Hestily suggests recipes from its catalogue that fit what you have.
An AI recipe from your food
On Plus and Elite, pick what you want to use and Hestily's AI makes a recipe from it, within your diet and allergy settings.
Step by step, with timers
Cooking mode walks you through each step, with timers and read-aloud, on every plan.
A five-minute method for tonight
No app needed for this part:
- Find the two or three things that need using first
- Choose a base you have: rice, pasta, noodles, bread, potatoes or eggs
- Add a flavour: an onion, garlic, a spice mix, a sauce or a stock cube
- Pick a method that suits it all: a stir-fry, a soup, a bake, a salad or a wrap
- Write down what ran out, so it goes on the next shopping list
Questions people ask.
Is there an app that tells you what to cook with what you have?
Yes. Hestily keeps a list of the food in your kitchen and suggests recipes that use it, starting with what needs using first. On Plus and Elite, its AI can also make a recipe from the food you pick.
Can I find recipes by the ingredients I have?
Yes. Hestily matches recipes to the food in your pantry, so you don't have to type ingredients into a search. You can also browse the recipes on this site.
How do I use up leftovers?
Turn them into something new: rice into fried rice, vegetables into soup or an omelette, bread into toast or crumbs. Hestily puts the food that needs using first at the top of its suggestions.
Can it avoid my allergies?
Yes. Set your diet and allergies once, and every suggestion leaves out what you can't eat. You can avoid 15 common allergens on every plan. Always check the labels on the food you use.
Is it free?
Yes. The free plan includes recipes matched to your pantry, cooking mode, expiry reminders and one photo scan a week. AI recipes are on Plus and Elite. See plans
Try it in your kitchen.
Join early access and be one of the first homes to use Hestily. It's free to join.