On this phone

The bar under the name is the map. Swipe it sideways if a destination sits off-screen. On Tonight, the button pinned to the bottom cooks the lead dish.

  1. TonightWhat you can cook first, plus drinks that fit the same shelf.

  2. This weekFive dinners from the shelf, urgent things cooked first.

  3. ShelfEdit what you actually own.

  4. Written methodsEvery dish and drink with a method somebody wrote out.

  5. The pantryStart from one ingredient: what it does, and everything built on it.

  6. Out of itWhat to use instead, judged by the job the missing thing was doing.

  7. Photo reviewReview a demo shelf photo and confirm every item before adding it.

  8. Flavor LabPairings with a track record: classic matches and the mixology behind them.

  9. Wild cardsCombinations with no tradition behind them, only shared aroma notes.

  10. Send to Occasion OSPrepare confirmed shelf availability for Occasion OS.

  11. The fieldThe gap this layer owns.

Keep it on the home screen

  1. iPhone — tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
  2. Android — open the browser menu, then Install app or Add to Home screen.

After that it opens as Kitchen & Bar, not a browser tab. Inventory stays on this device.

Substitutions · 6 dishes here use it

Out of cottage cheese

Protein and mild tang in a texture people either accept or blend away. Whipped smooth it behaves like a light ricotta and stops announcing itself.

Everything below is judged against that job. A swap that covers it is a swap; one that only looks similar is not.

What to reach for

Instead · 1

ricotta

one for one

What it gets you
The same fresh curd, smoother and sweeter, in the same lasagne or the same bowl.
What it costs you
Protein, and the curds. Ricotta is softer and it does not hold its shape.

Instead · 2

greek yogurt

one for one

What it gets you
Thick, tangy, high-protein dairy for a dip, a bowl or a batter.
What it costs you
The texture entirely, and it splits under heat where cottage cheese only weeps.

Instead · 3

fresh farmer's cheese or quark

one for one

What it gets you
The closest thing — a mild fresh curd cheese with the same behavior.
What it costs you
Availability, mostly.

Where the swap will be tasted · 5

These need it and are short enough that nothing hides: 4 required ingredients or fewer, which makes cottage cheese a quarter of what is in the pan. Make the swap a decision rather than a repair.

Check what else is in the pan

The company cottage cheese keeps in this library, counted off required ingredients. A swap that argues with the top two is the wrong swap, whatever a chart says.