Finding Recipes for the Ingredients You Have on Hand
Last month I decided I was going to start clearing some food out of my pantry and freezer. I hate when things get freezer burned or wind up with bugs in them and have to be thrown out, so that’s why I decided to start using some of my older items. As an added bonus, I was looking forward to saving some money on my grocery bill.
So I set out to find recipes for the ingredients I had on hand. I ran across www.supercook.com and was instantly hooked. I created an account and started entering the items I had and instantly it started listing recipes for me. It will tell you which recipes you have all the ingredients for and which recipes need one or two items.
I got about half of my pantry and freezer items entered and then started looking at the common kitchen items list. I was able to easily click on each item to enter it and it included things like onions, egg, butter, etc. Once I entered all of those, I was given an even larger database of recipes to make.
For an entire week, I came back to the site in search of a new recipe. A couple of times I had to erase items from my list as I used them up, but it was such a great feeling. Not only was I using up my items on hand, but I was saving a great deal on my groceries! I only had to buy a couple of things like milk and bread which is substantially less than I would normally spend.
On the other hand, if you or your spouse don’t have a sense of adventure, this is probably not the thing for you. We ate some very interesting meals – things we would not normally make. For the most part, they were delicious, give or take a meal that was not terrible, just different. Definitely got us back to the basics with things like rice and pasta.
So, if you’re looking to clear out some older items or if you’re looking to save some money in these weeks before Thanksgiving, definitely give this web site a try. It’s easy to use and full of tons of great recipes!
This is perfect timing for me! I am on a $15/week food “diet” to save money & eat healthier, but i have ALOT of food i have bought in the past when it was on sale. Thanks!!
You should list the recipies you tried, i’d love to hear which was the really weird one for you two.
Did you kids take to them at all?
Excellent website resource there..For a long time I was purchasing bread, milk and eggs..but French toast gets boring after a week or so!
Thanks for the recommendation! All this stuff sitting in the pantry makes my head hurt just looking at it!!
Great blog post, I always tend to buy things and then they sit on the top shelf because I have nothing to make them into, not anymore!
These are my ingrediants on hand need recipes
Bell peppers,Garlic,Milk,cream,Butter,oatmeal,Flower,sugar,White bread,Tortillas,pie dough,eggs,gritts,tomatoes,vinegar various oils,apples,apple butter,various nuts,maple syrup,fresh herbs,various seasonings,soy sauce,mayonaise,brown sugar,honey,sweet chilli sauce,sherry,cherrys.panut butter,graham crackers,chicken stock,chicken breasts,lard,powdered sugar.
My husband and I had a baby in September and my hubby took 2 weeks off. We knew it would be tight so for 3 months beforehand we made a goal to spend no more then 30 a month on groceries. We were on WIC so milk and eggs was covered so the 30 would be for veggies, fruits and bread. We had a lot of meat and other items. Well we did it except one month we did 33.05 so we went a little over. I must say it was really nice because now it is much easier to cook and clean in the kitchen.
April@Wedding Centerpiece´s last blog ..20 WHITE WEDDING LANTERN CENTERPIECES FAVORS NEW
According to “I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here” there is nothing wrong with worms and bugs. But then, you need to be very, very adventurous to do that. Although, I am “he”, I enjoyed your ideas very much. This will definitely reduce the amount of stuff that reluctantly goes into the bin. Thanks!
It is a great idea to get rid of all the foods you never used and to clean out the pantry. Instead of throwing them out, find a recipe! Great idea.
Jill@TableTennis Conversion Tops´s last blog ..Play Ping Pong On Any Table With A Table Tennis Conversion Top
Hey thanks, great resource, I love to try new things and this gives me a new option that can actually save me some money at the same time. I have lots of stuff that needs to be used or thrown out too.
Jeff @ Sandwich Grill´s last blog ..Privacy Policy
Nice article, I love to eat, and save money while doing it..lol
I get the best of both worlds here.
Thanks,
James
The Sports Handicapping Guru!
Awesome post, I’m always putting off making new things because I don’t the ingredients, your post solved that problem!
-Adam
Adam @ How to Lose Weight´s last blog ..10 Tips to Help You Lose Weight
Great way to get rid of all that extra food in the frig that your never use. Saves mony too. Thanks for the post.
Jill@Cervical Neck Pillow´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at
This is a great resource for anyone who likes to cook and explore new idea’s, espescially when you have to use what you have to cook. Very creative idea.
What a great idea for a site! It’s a perfect use of the internet. It gives you ideas, and it will save us all some money. Thank you.
Even though the holidays are over, I feel glad that I found this site with all these recipes.
Indeed thats a good way to utilize all extra food in our fridges also its going to save a few bucks!
btw, this is my first comment to this website!
i found this website about a week ago while i was searching on yahoo and well i think i am becomming fan of this website! Each and every post are the best of the best!
i have added this website to my bookmarks. Definitely one of the best sites i have seen on internet!
thanks soo much for all wonderful posts!
-adil
Adil´s last blog ..Feirce Dragon
I recently discovered that almost all packs of cereals that I’ve been keeping for months with no use were full of moth larvea(( All of them – millet, rice, oat flakes, etc. It was so disgusting that I threw them all away. Anyways, thanks for that supercook website, I will be more prudent and practical next time.
Nancy@Cooking Food´s last blog ..Reasons Where Short Term Vehicle Insurance Might Be Necessary
This is great. I throw out way too much food.
Using rice in recipes is great. It is much better for you, especially if you use brown rice.
Ken @ Oster Rice Cooker´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at
I’ve been looking for a site like that for ages! Thanks!
I always try and use what is in the cupboards / freezer every few months. Its amazing what sort of stuff ends up in there. Although it’s quite difficult sometimes to get recipes for some of the more stange an exotic stuff I’ve accumulated!
LOL – same here. What was I thinking when I bought some of these things??
Wow that is the coolest site ever! They should market it to poor college students that primarily live out of their dining hall. I bet there would be some very interesting combinations there!
This is a great resource. It forces you to save and also try new recipes. This can really save money and add some variety to your life. Thanks for sharing. I cook for one so this site is even more useful for my limited cooking skills.
My in-laws actually told me of this website right around the start of the New Year. We had been having all the holiday get together at our home so we’ve had a surplus of extra food.
It’s such a great site to explore different cooking ideas.
This is a pretty nifty idea. I just bought a condo and was looking for ways to cut costs.
this is just simply great!
there are many sites with recipes but they ask for this thing and that thing (some things even i have never heard lol) so “You Have on Hand” makes much sense to me
Wow. that is very convenient. I never hear of such a thing. That would actually be very nice for me right now because I don’t have much money and would really like to use what I have to cook.
OMG! Thank you so much. This can really help, because I have been at my “wits ends” trying to come up with something new for dinner, instead of the same ole’ thing week after week after week. I just tried out the database, and it’s amazing the choices it spews out so quickly – it is definitely a lifesaver – so, thanks again for your suggestion.
Sarah
THANK YOU! SuperCook.com is FANTASTIC! We’ve had “odds and ends” foods sitting around waiting for a recipe to come along…and now we won’t have to wait any more. Keep up the great work!
JethroPotts@recessedtoiletpaperholder´s last blog ..Solid Wood Recessed Toilet Paper Holder/Magazine Rack
Thank you so much for sharing Supercook.com with us. It’s a fantastic find! I use it every day because I can’t get to the grocery store too often and have to eat what’s in the fridge and in the cupboards!
June@windowtreatments´s last blog ..10 Tips on How To Choose Window Blinds
Thanks for the heads up – it sounds awesome. I’ll be siging up when I get home from work and throwing in all the leftover ingredients in my pantry and fridge – I’d be interested to see what recipes it comes up with.
Matt@Bob Stroller´s last blog ..Bob Stroller Reviews
Hey thanks for writing about this website. I was thinking of cleaning up my pantry as well but I hate throwing out food. With the help of this site I can finish up the stuff I have without being wasteful. Thanks!
Awesome
I’ll give this a good try – sound like a great project and site – in this modern day world when we throw so much away, this is a great tool to reducing food waste – and save money as well 
Being single and having to cook for myself (I don’t like fast food)…supercook.com has been a godsend. I’ve been able to make all kinds of interesting meals that I DOUBT my single men friends could even imagine, let alone cook in the first place. Thanks!
Gordon@shoeshelves´s last blog ..Shoe Shelf
Still trying to find the recipe that you can make with spam, chicken broth, some lowry’s, and cottage cheese…
I think you’ll be looking for a LONG time! LOL…that seriously made me swallow hard.
What a neat idea, thanks for sharing! I am definitely going to bookmark this, it is going to get alot of use from this single guy. As to the recipe with spam, chicken broth, lowrys and cottage cheese…. YUCK! LoL
This is a great little article. For people like me, who can’t shop as much as I would like, would love to use what I have. Thanks.
Hey, I’ve just checked out supercook.com. The interface is really easy to use and it’s pretty cool how you can just enter a bunch of ingredients and you get given a range of recipes you can use – I will definitely bookmark that site for future reference!
Dani @ Mario Costumes´s last blog ..About Us
This is a great post! It reminds me of my wife and I. She is very good about the traditional recipes, where I looove taking her food and creating a new meal that she and I have never had. So far they’ve all been good, so I’ve been told.
Nice article, I love to eat, and save money while doing it..lol.. I am too fat, I need to shape up.. :p – Yellow pages Rochester
This is a great idea and is exactly what I am doing at the moment. I am living on a very tight budget and have made it my mission to eat cheaply. When I looked at all the ingredients I had available I was really surprised. What I tend to do is make up a huge dish so it lasts three or four evenings. Pasta bake is great for this or long cooking stews. The food seems to taste better because you know it is so cost effective.
John @ Mario Luigi Costume´s last blog ..Disclaimer
Thank you for this new site. My god I have been browsing for sites which tell me recipes that I can make out of the basics at home and not the fancy, complex recipes for which I will have to hunt recipes. I could only wish to rummage through my own mind and construct a recipe which always was a disastrous experiment. Thank you once again for this informative site.
Thanks for the new info, a well put together recipe is always worth it…
Chef D´s last blog ..[n] Meatloaf
Not only do I love your site, the one you mentioned in this article is great! Not only a great way to use up your ingredients, it is a great resource for non-cooks-who-have-to-cook. There are a ton of recipes if you don’t have the cooking creativity to come up with meals (like me).
Supercook is a really good service. There are a couple of IPhone Apps which do similar things, I think one of them is called Epicurious. I Dont think its as good as SuperCook but isnt bad for a mobile option.
Tere @ Halloween Super Affiliate´s last blog ..Halloween Earnings in 2009
Your post just made my day. I really love cooking and mixing ingredients. I really learned a lot from your post. Many thanks!
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extremely useful i always find myself with a lack of ingredients
Mint and chocolate is about my favorite combination in all the land. … Only problem? It makes it easier to eat more than one!
Interesting indeed. Finding natural ingredients or may be home grown ingredients is one of the best things to do.
That’s a really helpful website!
It’s actually a big help for wanna-be-chefs like me (*wink!) … I saw a lot of interesting recipes there which I’d like to try one of these days.
wow what a cool idea… however i dont think you can make anything with a box of coco puffs and a bottle of pepsi… or is there?
I also look for recipes online. That website is great! What a way to use what you have at home, you don’t even need to buy the ingredients because you already have it.
This post remind me the day i study oversea. Franky, i cook without thinking of the recipe. Once i have the ingredients reaady, i simply put them into my pan and cook. Somehow, the idea just come to me while cooking. IF the food doesn’t taste good, i simply try other way next time.
xchiang@hobbies freak´s last blog ..Paintball – Equipments
Certainly the best thing to do if you are looking to invent new things. Find the recipes according to the ingredients you have.
Thanks for the blog,its an proper use of internet,with which we can save money as well our older food items.
I have a cool little book that I use to find recipes when I have a few random ingredients. I’m sure its nowhere near as effective as the widget you’re mentioning or iPhone apps but I’m old fashioned and this has worked well over the years.
Alice @ Hotel in Morzine´s last blog ..Mountain Biking in Morzine
It gives an economical way of making recipes from ingredients you already have. It also test your imagination in preparing a good meal.
OMG! This is an absolutely wonderful find. I often find myself throwing out food that is expired or long forgotten at the back of a shelf. Now I can do some summer cleaning and find some good recipes before going back to the grocery store.
Women Renaissance Costumes´s last blog ..Sexy Guinevere Costume – Who’s Your Lancelot
This is a pretty good idea but I prefer to just experiment a little and see what I can come up with. It’s a lot more fun that way! I think it’s great though that you’re encouraging people to come up with ways to do something with the food they have clogging up their kitchen – too many people just wait for it to go bad and then throw it out.
Thanks for sharing the super cooks website. I live by myself and this site will make finding recipes with the ingredients I have much easier. Thanks again
Mia@Easy Recipes´s last blog ..Zucchini Bread
What a great idea. I am forever throwing away food that has just stored up in the cupboard. Recently I lost my job and have been cutting back on all expenditure. I have now got cooking on a shoestring down to a fine art.
Adam @ Apple Costume´s last blog ..Apple Halloween Costumes
Great Idea’s! Bookmarked so my wife can read it
Thanks!
I never would have thought about looking up a site like that! Its a really cool idea to find something new to make that you probably dont even know you have all the stuff for in your kitchen already. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for sharing such a amazing site.I never imagined that one can prepare such wonderful recipes from leftover ingredients.
Last Saturday, when hubby and I went to have some groceries. I really wanted to cook a mushroom soup because that one of his favorite but I don’t know where to find some of it’s ingredients. And so I decided to used what’s on the kitchen instead and I end up cooking chicken curry that hubby loves
supercook.com is a brilliant site, use it all the time!
stan@computing help´s last blog ..The difference between cat5 and cat6 cable
Oh, this is most definitely a cool thing. We could all be a lot more efficient with our food if we had this. Thanks for posting!