Shopping List

The shopping-list command creates organized shopping lists from one or more recipes. It automatically combines ingredients, converts units (some day!), and groups items by store section.

Basic Usage

cook shopping-list "Pasta.cook" "Salad.cook"

This creates a combined shopping list with all ingredients from both recipes.

Creating Shopping Lists

Single Recipe

cook shopping-list "Breakfast/Easy Pancakes" "Neapolitan Pizza"

Output:

[dried herbs and spices]
salt                     24.6 g
sea salt                 1 pinch

[milk and dairy]
eggs                     3

[oils and dressings]
oil
olive oil                1 drizzle

[other]
San Marzano tomato sauce 5 tbsp
basil leaves
mozzarella cheese        100 grams
semolina

Multiple Recipes

Combine ingredients from several recipes:

cook shopping-list "Pizza.cook" "Caesar Salad.cook" "Tiramisu.cook"

# Using wildcards
cook shopping-list *.cook

# Specific pattern
cook shopping-list Dinner/*.cook Desserts/*.cook

Scaling Recipes

Scale individual recipes in your shopping list:

# Double the pizza, regular salad
cook shopping-list "Pizza.cook:2" "Salad.cook"

# Different scaling for each
cook shopping-list "Pasta.cook:3" "Bread.cook:0.5" "Soup.cook:2"

# Dinner party for 8
cook shopping-list "Main Course.cook:2" "Side Dish.cook:2" "Dessert.cook:2"

Create shopping lists from .menu files that organize multiple recipes:

# Generate shopping list from weekly menu
cook shopping-list "2 Day Plan.menu"

# Scale entire menu for more people
cook shopping-list "2 Day Plan.menu:2"

# Combine menu with individual recipes
cook shopping-list "2 Day Plan.menu" "Extra Snacks.cook"

Menu files can contain recipe references with their own scaling, and the menu-level scaling multiplies with individual recipe scales.

Output Formats

Human-Readable (Default)

Organized by store section:

cook shopping-list "Pizza.cook" "Pasta.cook"

Plain List

Without categories:

cook shopping-list "Pizza.cook" --plain

Output:

flour                         1 kg
tomatoes                      500 g
mozzarella                    200 g
olive oil                     50 ml

JSON Format

For integration with other tools:

cook shopping-list "Pizza.cook" -f json
{
  "categories": {
    "produce": [
      {"name": "tomatoes", "quantity": "500 g"}
    ],
    "dairy": [
      {"name": "mozzarella", "quantity": "200 g"}
    ]
  }
}

YAML Format

cook shopping-list "Pizza.cook" -f yaml

Markdown Format

Perfect for sharing or printing:

cook shopping-list "Menu/*.cook" -f markdown > shopping.md

Aisle Configuration

Organize items by store section using aisle.conf:

# Default location: ./config/aisle.conf
[produce]
tomatoes
onions
garlic
basil

[dairy]
milk
cheese
yogurt
mozzarella

[meat]
chicken
beef
pork

[pantry]
flour
sugar
salt
pasta

Using Custom Aisle Configuration

cook shopping-list "Recipe.cook" --aisle ~/my-store-layout.conf

Checking Missing Aisles

Find ingredients not in your aisle configuration:

cook doctor aisle

Pantry Configuration

Track your ingredient inventory and automatically exclude items you already have from shopping lists using pantry.conf:

# Default location: ./config/pantry.conf
[freezer]
ice_cream = "1%L"
frozen_peas = "500%g"
spinach = { bought = "05.05.2024", expire = "05.06.2024", quantity = "1%kg" }

[fridge]
milk = { expire = "10.05.2024", quantity = "2%L" }
cheese = { expire = "15.05.2024" }
butter = "250%g"

[pantry]
rice = "5%kg"
pasta = "1%kg"
flour = "5%kg"
salt = "1%kg"
olive_oil = "1%L"

How It Works

Items listed in your pantry are automatically excluded from shopping lists:

# Recipe calls for: flour, eggs, milk, sugar
# Pantry has: flour (5kg), milk (2L)
# Shopping list shows only: eggs, sugar
cook shopping-list "Cake.cook"

Enable logging to see what's excluded with pantry:

cook -v shopping-list "Cake.cook"

Pantry Item Formats

Two ways to specify items:

  1. Simple format: item = "quantity"

    rice = "5%kg"

  2. Detailed format: Track expiration and purchase dates

    milk = { quantity = "2%L", expire = "10.05.2024", bought = "05.05.2024" }

Using Custom Pantry Configuration

cook shopping-list "Recipe.cook" --pantry ~/my-pantry.conf

Recipe References

Shopping lists handle recipe references (includes) automatically:

# Main.cook
Include @./Pizza Dough{}

Add @tomato sauce{200%ml} and @mozzarella{150%g}.
# Includes ingredients from both Main.cook and Pizza Dough.cook
cook shopping-list "Main.cook"

To ignore references:

cook shopping-list "Main.cook" --ignore-references

Saving Lists

To File

# Save as text
cook shopping-list Menu/*.cook -o list.txt

# Save as JSON
cook shopping-list Menu/*.cook -f json -o list.json

# Format inferred from extension
cook shopping-list Menu/*.cook -o shopping.yaml

Ingredients Only

Just list ingredient names without quantities:

cook shopping-list "Recipe.cook" --ingredients-only

Output:

flour
eggs
milk
sugar

Advanced Usage

Weekly Meal Planning

Create a shopping list for the week:

# Week's menu
cook shopping-list \
  Monday/Pasta.cook:2 \
  Tuesday/Stir-fry.cook:2 \
  Wednesday/Pizza.cook:3 \
  Thursday/Soup.cook:4 \
  Friday/Fish.cook:2 \
  -o weekly-shopping.txt

Party Planning

Scale recipes for large gatherings:

# Party for 20 people (recipes serve 4)
scale=5
cook shopping-list \
  "Appetizer.cook:$scale" \
  "Main Course.cook:$scale" \
  "Side Dish.cook:$scale" \
  "Dessert.cook:$scale"

Smart Shopping

Batch Cooking

Plan bulk preparation:

# Make 10 portions for freezing
cook shopping-list "Freezer Meals/*.cook:10" \
  -o bulk-cooking-list.txt

Common Issues

Missing Aisle Categories

Items not in aisle.conf appear in an "Other" category. Run cook doctor aisle to find and fix these.

Recipe Not Found

Use full paths or ensure recipes are in the current directory:

# Explicit path
cook shopping-list ~/recipes/Pizza.cook

# Change directory first
cd ~/recipes && cook shopping-list Pizza.cook