The best food apps whether you want to buy, cook, or get a free or cheap meal.
Hungry? Broke? Poor cooking skills? Just plain lazy? Check out these apps!
Supercook
What it is: Supercook is a recipe search engine which lets you search thousands of websites for recipes based upon what’s in your pantry and refrigerator. Only have ramen and coffee? There’s a recipe for that! Well, probably not, but you get what I mean.
Review: It’s not going to win any app design contests ( I should check if it has), but it gets the job done. Makes me feel like a… super cook.
Cost: $ Cooking at home is always going to be the most cost-effective thing- and it makes you feel like you got an ‘A’ in adulting. By using food you already have, you can save on groceries by waiting to shop until you have absolutely have to.
Mealime
What it is: Mealime is meal planning of the future! Select recipes for the week, add ingredients to your shopping list, and you can coordinate delivery through partners. Voila! Did I mention it helps cut back food waste? The app even allows you to decide if you’re a carnivore or vegetarian, but please, for your momma’s sake, get your veggies in.
Review: I love it! Although I can chef things up on my own, I can get a bit repetitive or over ambitious. As an athlete, meal planning/ prep is a must, but is something that’s good for everyone. You can get as fancy as you like with the app. I use the free version and really can’t complain.
Cost: $-$$ You can pay for the app or use the free version. You can decide how many meals and servings and if you want steak meals all day it will be pricier in general. The choice is yours. You’re still cooking for yourself which again, is always cheaper.
TooGoodToGo
What it is: We’ve all heard of food waste and recognize that it’s a global issue. Each year, more than one third of food produced in the world goes to waste! While this app won’t change the world, it can help you play your part. Restaurants and businesses sell their their surplus goods at discounted prices. Search how far you’re willing to go and collect your meal and you could have breakfast, lunch, dinner AND desert at a fraction of the cost. And yes, I always recommend desert.
Review: I love this app so much and its concept that I even entered the land of Instagram Reels based off their seasonal food list. There are some downsides like limited food preference options, but I think it has great potential! I don’t use it as much as I used to, but when I have I’ve not been disappointed. I’d also like to think that the businesses that use this app are more than just capitalists and also love the planet.
Cost: $-$$ It all depends where you are, but I’ve found this to be generally affordable. Sometimes portions can be on the smaller side, but my first time using it I got a bag of around 15 bagels for $5 from a famous East Village bagel shop. Holy Schnitzel!
Make A Cocktail
What it is: As we say in NYC “No Bev’?” You can’t eat an entire meal without a drink. Well you can, but you’ll be subject to choking. That’s where Make A Cocktail comes in. Similar to Supercook, enter the ingredients you have, spirits and mixers, juices and wine, herbs and err eggs… and the app will formulate a drink to impress you or a friend. We love saving money! Of course, we don’t advise having an alcoholic beverage with every meal and you must be of legal drinking age to use this app.
Review: Okay I’ve not actually gotten a chance to really use the app as I downloaded it while in Ireland. I’m living off of Bulmer’s and Guinness (I’m half-joking), but the reviews are great. The interface seems clean, and umm a fancy-smancy cocktail turns that adulting grade into an ‘A+’ no?
Cost: $$ Alcohol is inherently expensive, unless you live in Uganda where it’s suspiciously cheap. Everything in moderation anyways.
Tinder
Review: No comment 🙂
Cost: $-$$$
What it is: Okay hear me out! I know this isn’t exactly a food app, and by now Netflix’s “Tinder Swindler” probably has you wary of that millionaire you matched with. But they can’t all be bad. Right? If you’re looking to socialize and share a meal with someone new, try out a dating app. There are plenty to choose from. I can’t even keep up! Maybe your date will pay for your food and drink. Remember, safety first.
