# Barely Cook: What to Cook — Meal Planner Recipe Generator > AI meal planner and recipe generator using existing ingredients. (iPhone/iPad app by PURTI SHARMA.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barely-cook-what-to-cook/id6758262905 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [PURTI SHARMA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871835372) - Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 5.00/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 15.1 · 54 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-02-03 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barely-cook-what-to-cook/id6758262905/reviews.md ## What is Barely Cook? Barely Cook: Meal Planner, Recipe Generator & Food Tracker Find recipes using ingredients you already have. AI meal planner for quick and easy cooking. Stop wondering what to cook and turn your fridge into meals instantly. Barely Cook is a smart recipe generator and meal planner designed for real life. Discover recipes from ingredients, plan meals faster, and cook simple dishes without stress. Whether you are looking for quick recipes, easy dinner ideas, or a smarter way to cook at home, Barely Cook helps you decide what to cook in seconds. COOK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE - Stop searching endlessly. Use our ingredient-based recipe generator to create meals instantly. Enter ingredients from your fridge or pantry Get personalized what to cook suggestions Discover recipes with ingredients you already have Reduce food waste and save money Perfect for busy days, lazy cooking, and last-minute meals. QUICK RECIPES & MEAL IDEAS - Find meals that match your time, tools, and lifestyle. 15-minute meals and quick recipes Easy dinner ideas and simple cooking Air fryer, microwave, stovetop, and no-cook recipes Beginner-friendly step-by-step instructions Whether you are new to cooking or just want fast meals, Barely Cook makes it effortless. SMART MEAL PLANNER - Plan your meals without overthinking. Weekly meal planner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner Organize recipes and prep ahead Save time and avoid daily decision fatigue Build consistent cooking habits CALORIE TRACKER & FOOD LOG - Track your nutrition while enjoying home cooking. Log meals with AI-powered calorie estimation Track macros: protein, carbs, and fats Set daily calorie goals View food history and progress Stay aligned with your weight loss and healthy eating goals. WATER TRACKER (AQUA ALERTS) - Stay hydrated throughout the day. Set daily water intake goals Smart hydration reminders Track your progress easily EXPLORE MORE RECIPES - Cook what you love with flexibility. Global cuisines: Italian, Mexican, Indian, and more Dietary filters: vegetarian, vegan, keto, gluten-free Ingredient substitutions for missing items Save favorites and build your own cookbook DISCOVER WHAT TO COOK ANYTIME - Never run out of ideas again. Barely Cook helps you decide what to cook with what you have in seconds. Find dinner ideas, meal ideas, and food ideas instantly Generate recipes from random ingredients Perfect for home cooking, busy professionals, and students Great for budget cooking and reducing grocery bills Whether you're searching for easy recipes, quick meals, or recipes with ingredients, Barely Cook gives you instant answers. SIMPLIFY YOUR GROCERY LIST - Turn recipes into smart shopping lists. Auto-generate a grocery list from your meal plan Avoid buying unnecessary ingredients Plan meals efficiently for the week Save time and money on every trip BUILT FOR REAL LIFE COOKING - Cooking should fit your schedule, not the other way around. Find quick dinner recipes in minutes Discover easy cooking ideas for everyday meals Get step-by-step instructions for stress-free cooking Ideal for beginners and experienced cooks alike MORE THAN JUST A RECIPE APP - Barely Cook combines everything you need in one place: Recipe generator Meal planner Calorie tracker Food log Water tracker Grocery list planner All designed to make cooking simple, fast, and enjoyable. WHY BARELY COOK? Recipe generator based on ingredients Smart meal planner for daily cooking Quick recipes and easy meal ideas Calorie tracker and food diary Water tracker with reminders Simple, beginner-friendly cooking experience Stop stressing about what to cook. Cook smarter, eat better, and save time with Barely Cook. Download now and turn your ingredients into delicious meals. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ## Key features - Ingredient-based recipe generation - AI meal planner - Quick recipe finder - Calorie and macro tracker - Water intake tracker - Smart grocery list creation ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Toaster | $2.99 | one-time | | Rice Cooker | $3.99 | one-time | | Dietary Profiles | $5.99 | one-time | | Smart Allergy Filters | $5.99 | one-time | | Custom Ingredients | $5.99 | one-time | | Shopping List | $3.99 | one-time | | Stove | $3.99 | one-time | | Smart Ingredient Swaps | $5.99 | one-time | | Hot Plate | $5.99 | one-time | | Snap & Cook | $0.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (4 of 4) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barely-cook-what-to-cook/id6758262905/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Too good⭐️⭐️⭐️ *2026-03-15* Finally an App That Makes Cooking easy I have tried a lot of recipe apps but most of them make cooking feel more complicated than it needs to be. Long stories, too many steps, and ingredients I do not even have at home. Barely Cook felt very different from the moment I started using it. What I like the most is how simple it is. I can just choose the ingredients I already have and the appliance I want to use, and the app creates a clean five step recipe that actually makes sense. It also tells you the difficulty level and even what the cleanup might look like after cooking, which is surprisingly helpful. Another thing I enjoy is that the recipes are short and practical. I do not have to scroll through pages of text just to figure out what to do next. It feels like the app is guiding you in a calm and simple way. If you ever feel stuck staring at your fridge wondering what to cook, this app is definitely worth trying. It makes cooking feel less stressful and a lot more doable. ### 5/5 — Finally, Cooking That Fits Real Life *2026-02-10* I like eating home-cooked food, but I’m not an expert cook and I honestly don’t want to become one. Most recipe apps feel like a commitment. They expect you to plan, shop, prep, and somehow enjoy the process. After a long workday, that’s just not realistic for me. Barely Cook felt different right away. It didn’t ask me to buy special ingredients or follow long, complicated steps. I just picked what I already had, and it showed me something I could actually make without stress. The instructions felt gentle, not demanding, which I really appreciated. I ended up cooking a simple meal, eating well, and still having time for myself. It made home food feel doable again, not like another task on my to-do list. Must try app! ### 5/5 — Microwave. Dorm. Dinner *2026-02-08* I live in a dorm where the microwave is basically the kitchen. I had bread, cheese, and instant noodles and zero ideas. Usually that means skipping dinner or eating something sad. I opened Barely Cook, picked microwave, and somehow it suggested something I could actually make without ruining my night. No chef talk, no pressure. Just “do this, heat it, eat.” I didn’t starve, didn’t burn anything, and didn’t order delivery. Honestly, that’s a win. 👍🏼 ### 5/5 — A big win in the kitchen! *2026-02-06* I used to open my fridge, stare for five minutes, then give up and order food. Barely cook kind of changed that without making a big deal out of it. I just chose what I already had, and it instantly turned into a real. No fancy steps, no pressure to be perfect. It felt more like someone calmly guiding me than telling me what to do. I still don’t feel like a “cook,” but I do eat better now, and that’s a win. I just love this app❤️ Highly recommend! ## Frequently asked questions about Barely Cook ### What is Barely Cook? Barely Cook is an AI-powered meal planner and recipe generator that helps you discover meals using ingredients you already have. It aims to simplify cooking, reduce food waste, and save you time and money. ### How does Barely Cook generate recipes? You can enter the ingredients available in your fridge or pantry, and Barely Cook will suggest personalized recipes based on those items. This helps you cook with what you have on hand. ### Does Barely Cook offer meal planning features? Yes, Barely Cook includes a smart meal planner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can organize recipes, prep ahead, and avoid daily decision fatigue. ### Can Barely Cook help with nutrition tracking? Yes, Barely Cook features a calorie tracker and food log that uses AI for calorie estimation. You can also track macros and set daily calorie goals. ### Does Barely Cook have ads? Yes, Barely Cook contains advertisements to support its free service. ### What devices is Barely Cook available on? Barely Cook is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod, as indicated by its supported devices. ### What is the age rating for Barely Cook? Barely Cook has an age rating of 12+, making it suitable for users aged 12 and above. ### How often is Barely Cook updated? The latest version of Barely Cook is 1.1.14, and it was last updated on March 29, 2026, suggesting regular updates. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.1.14 — 2026-03-29 We’ve made Barely Cook smarter, faster, and even more helpful for everyday cooking. This update focuses on improving your experience when finding recipes, planning meals, and cooking with what you already have. Smarter Recipe Generator - Improved AI to generate better recipes from ingredients More accurate “what to cook” suggestions Enhanced variety for quick meals and easy recipes Better ingredient matching and substitutions Now you can turn your fridge into delicious meals faster than ever Faster & Smoother Experience - Improved app performance and speed Faster recipe generation Smoother navigation across all screens Reduced loading times Everything feels quicker so you can focus on cooking, not waiting. Better Meal Planning - Enhanced meal planner experience Easier weekly planning for breakfast, lunch, and dinner Improved organization of saved recipes Planning your meals is now simpler and more intuitive. Improved Health Tracking - More accurate calorie tracking Better food logging experience Performance improvements in nutrition tracking Stay consistent with your health and fitness goals. Aqua Alerts Enhancements - Improved water tracking experience More reliable hydration reminders Better tracking of daily water intake Stay hydrated effortlessly throughout your day. Bug Fixes & Stability - Fixed minor bugs affecting performance Improved overall app stability General UI and UX improvements Why Update? This version makes it easier than ever to: Find quick recipes Discover meal ideas Decide what to cook Plan meals effortlessly Cook with ingredients you already have We’re continuously improving Barely Cook to make cooking simple, fast, and stress-free. Update now and enjoy a smarter way to cook ### 1.1.13 — 2026-03-26 New Supplement Tracker to log and manage your daily supplements Easily track intake and stay consistent with your routine Improved user experience for smoother navigation Faster performance across the app Bug fixes for better stability and reliability ### 1.1.10 — 2026-03-22 Track daily calories with goals, photo logging, and easy manual entry View progress with daily totals, history, and calendar insights Get personalized Aqua Alerts to stay hydrated throughout the day Smart water goals with customizable reminders and simple controls Improved user experience with performance enhancements and bug fixes ### 1.1.7 — 2026-03-19 7-day free trial now available directly on the home screen for easier access Bug fixes and UI improvements for a smoother experience ### 1.1.6 — 2026-03-14 Recipe images now display faster with clearer visuals Smoother loading, quicker recipe suggestions, improved chat scrolling in Talk to Chef Bug fixes: trial expiry, favorites layout, and image disclaimer placement ## More apps by PURTI SHARMA - [Simply Calc: Smart Calculators](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simply-calc-smart-calculators/id6762164787) All apps by PURTI SHARMA: https://appshunter.io/developer/1871835372 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*