Have you ever opened your pantry or fridge and wondered what to do with some of the extra food you have been keeping? Do you feel guilty when you end up throwing out items you haven’t thought of what to do with? Well, waste no more! Handpick is an app that may help you solve the mystery of what to do with foods you’ve been keeping (before they go bad, of course). This free app, available for both Android and iOS, can suggest recipes based on what you’re keeping in your kitchen, and so much more.
How it works
Upon downloading, you’ll be asked to register either through your Facebook account or email address. Once you’re logged on you’ll see a feed of the top trending recipes pulled from around the internet. This is one of the five features or “Dishes” from the main menu. Tap on a recipe you’re interested in to display it within the app. If you’re interested in the recipe’s source, you can go directly to their website by clicking the page icon in the top right corner. If you like the recipe, you can save it for your own viewing or you can add it to a forum-like board that others can see. You can also share the recipes via different social media outlets if you want to tempt your friends and family.
The second feature, “Ingredients,” allows you to choose items that you may have handy to find recipes that will allow you to use them. Select ingredients from the list or use the search function. Tap “OK” to receive a list of recipes that feature the ingredients you input.
The third feature, “Meal Kits,” provides you with a grocery list of varying length that you can use to make multiple recipes. For example, the “Mamma Mia!” list includes 20 ingredients that you can cook several recipes with.
“Topics,” or the fourth feature, includes a forum-like board where other Handpick users collect recipes and make comments about their selections. “Me,” or the fifth feature, is where you can find recipes that you saved, that you preferred not to include on the public “Topics” section.
Pros
- Since the app pulls recipes from around the web based on what is trending, you’ll never run out of recipe ideas.
- The ability to get a grocery list that allows you to cook multiple recipes can make shopping and meal planning a breeze.
- There are many types of recipes for different meals, tastes and cultures.
- Rather than having a set of recipes from one source, you have the ability to obtain recipes from many websites, all from one location.
Cons
- While it is nice to be able to share and comment on the recipes, the social media likeness of the app seems like a little too much.
- It would be nice if there was a little more explanation within the app of its features.
- The app will occasionally timeout or have errors.
- Not all recipes will have pictures featured.
Consensus
If you’re interested in minimizing your food waste, making grocery shopping easy, and finding fun ways to cook and share your experience with recipes, you will definitely want to try this app. You’ll never run out of ideas of what to cook. Try it out today!
