ask.recipes · guides

What can I cook with what I have?

Open the fridge, tell your AI what is in it, get back recipes that people have cooked and rated, ordered by how much of your stuff they use and how little they need on top. That is one tool in ask.recipes, and it works the same in Claude, ChatGPT and any other agent that has it connected.

Free. Every recipe links to where it came from.

Paste this into Claude or ChatGPT

Eggs, a bag of spinach and half a block of feta. What can I make that people rate well?
In Claude it is also in the + menu under ask.recipes: Cook with what I have

How it ranks

  1. Most of yours first. A recipe that uses all three things you named beats one that uses two. Every result says how many it matched.
  2. Fewest extras next. Between two recipes that use the same number of yours, the one with the shorter ingredient list wins. Six ingredients total beats sixteen.
  3. Your pantry counts as on hand. Tell it once what you keep in the cupboard and those stop counting as extras. Say "using just these" to switch that off for one search.
  4. Every other filter still applies. Time, rating, calories, vegetarian, nut-free, "no mushrooms": all in the same ask.

Not connected yet? Two minutes: Claude, ChatGPT, anything else.

Three asks

Real exchanges from 24 October 2026 against the live server. The wording of the agent's replies varies; the recipes, counts and ratings are as served.

Two slices of spinach and feta pie on parchment
spinach and feta, bakedphoto: Valeria Boltneva, Pexels

You"Eggs, a bag of spinach and half a block of feta. What can I make that people rate well?"

Your agent

Three use all of it, all rated 5.0.

  • Spinach Ricotta Pie with a Hint of Feta55 min · 5.0 ×54 · uses 3 of 3 · 8 ingredientsThe shortest list. Beyond yours it wants ricotta, an onion, olive oil and oregano.
  • Spinach, Tomato and Feta Quiche60 min · 5.0 ×76 · uses 3 of 3 · 10 ingredientsNeeds a shortcrust case, crème fraîche and cherry tomatoes.
  • Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)90 min · 5.0 ×82 · uses 3 of 3 · 11 ingredientsFilo, a great deal of olive oil, dill and the afternoon.

Want the pie?

You"The pie. What do I need to buy?"

Your agent

Ricotta and one onion. Oil, oregano, salt and pepper you almost certainly have. The card:

Spinach Ricotta Pie with a Hint of Feta

5.0 ×54 55 min 8 servings 10 steps
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 bunches spinach, cut into ribbons and thoroughly dried (1 pound)
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Source: food.com ↗

273 kcal · 13.7g protein
7.4g carbs · 21.7g fat · 2.4g fiber

A bowl of chicken fried rice with red and yellow pepper strips
chicken, rice, peppersphoto: Nikhil Raut, Pexels

You"Leftover roast chicken, cooked rice and two bell peppers. Well rated, please."

Your agent

One recipe uses all three, but it is the long one. Two shorter ones use two of them.

  • Cajun Chicken Jambalaya50 min · 5.0 ×33 · uses 3 of 3 · 16 ingredientsThirteen things on top of yours, mostly spices and the holy trinity.
  • Greek Lemon Chicken Soup25 min · 5.0 ×52 · uses 2 of 3 · 6 ingredientsChicken and rice, plus a can of broth, a can of cream of chicken soup and a lemon. The peppers sit this one out.
  • Fried Rice25 min · 5.0 ×248 · uses 2 of 3 · 9 ingredientsRice and peppers matched; the recipe itself says shrimp or cooked chicken, so yours goes in.

If the chicken has to go tonight, the soup or the fried rice. If you have a spice rack, the jambalaya.

An open fridge shelf with vegetables and jars
what is inphoto: Onur Burak Akın, Unsplash

You"Bought rice, eggs, spring onions and soy sauce."

Your agent

Noted, four items in your pantry.

You, two days later"What can I make with what I have?"

Your agent

From your pantry alone, three fried rices that use all four.

  • Unfried Chinese Rice10 min · 5.0 ×20 · uses 4 of 4 · 9 ingredientsHam or bacon, frozen peas, ginger and garlic powder on top. Ten minutes, the rice steams while you chop.
  • Pineapple Fried Rice from Cooked (Leftover) Rice and Chicken20 min · 4.5 ×25 · uses 4 of 4 · 13 ingredients
  • Indonesian Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng)25 min · 4.5 ×32 · uses 4 of 4 · 17 ingredients

Say "used the last eggs" when you have and the list stays honest.

The pantry is kept by talking: "bought", "used the last", "here is what is in my kitchen now". With no ingredients named, the search runs from the pantry alone. The ranking above is the live answer for those four items.

Good to know