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Small tools, no sign-up

Three questions come up in every kitchen: what to cook, what to serve it on, and how much to buy when people are coming over. These answer them in a few clicks, using the same recipe catalog, plate library and board guide the rest of the site runs on.

The photos on this page are AI-generated illustrations.

Two plates of the same chicken dinner side by side: on the left a seared chicken thigh, mashed potato and green beans heaped on a white plate; on the right the same food re-plated on a dark speckled plate, the chicken sliced over a smooth purée with a bundle of green beans and jus

AI food plating, free try

Upload a photo of a dish you cooked and the AI re-plates it the way a fine-dining kitchen would send it, on the plate that flatters it. One free try a day, no sign-up.

Three weeknight dinners in bowls seen from above: tomato and basil spaghetti, a chicken and vegetable stir-fry over rice, and beef goulash with rustic bread

What should I have for dinner tonight?

Set how long you have, the cuisine and the diet, and get one real dinner to cook, with the full method, the timings and ideas for plating it. Free, and it never asks you to sign in.

The same beet and burrata salad served three times, on a white plate, a black plate and a sage-green speckled plate

Plate colour pairing

Which plate colour flatters your dish, and which one makes it vanish. Pick the dominant colour of the food, or start from the plate you already own, and see the contrast logic behind the answer.

A wooden charcuterie board seen from above with folded salami and prosciutto, brie, cheddar, blue cheese, grapes, dried apricots, olives, fig jam and crackers, side plates and napkins beside it

Charcuterie board calculator

How much cheese and meat for your guest count, how many kinds, how big a board, a shopping list you can copy, and a timeline for when each thing comes out of the fridge.

Small dishes from many cuisines seen from above: sushi, ramen, dumplings, pizza, quiche, a croissant, falafel, curry with rice, a taco and pistachio ice cream

Random food generator

One random food or a list of ten, from real dishes across the cuisines, with no repeats until you have seen them all. For deciding what to eat, games, drawing prompts or a cooking challenge.

A whole golden roast turkey on a white oval platter with sage, rosemary and roasted lemons, a carving knife and fork beside it and cranberry sauce behind

Turkey calculator

What size turkey to buy for your guest count, how long to thaw and roast it at 325°F, and a countdown from the day it goes in the fridge to carving. Every time is USDA's.

A party buffet table laid with deviled eggs, caprese skewers, finger sandwiches, a crudité platter with dip, green salad, sliced bread and brownies, a stack of plates and napkins at the near end

Party food calculator

How much food per person: appetizer pieces, mains, sides, salads, bread, dessert and drinks for your guest count and the length of the party, from a caterer's quantity tables.

A catering buffet line of stainless steel chafing dishes on a long linen-covered table, holding pulled pork, roast chicken pieces, macaroni and cheese, green beans and rice, with a bowl of green salad, a basket of rolls and a stack of white plates at the near end

Catering calculator

How much food for up to 500 guests at a buffet, a plated meal, family style or a cocktail reception: amounts per person, the raw weight to buy, how many pans it fills, and the chafing dishes and fuel for the line.

A dinner party table set for six with plates of roast chicken, red wine, a shared salad and bread, lit candles and flowers

Dinner party menu planner

A three- or four-course menu from real recipes, any course swappable, and a game plan that tells you when to start each dish so everything lands on time.

A basic place setting seen from above: a white dinner plate, a fork on a folded napkin to the left, a knife and soup spoon to the right and a water glass above the knife

Table setting diagram maker

A basic, informal or formal place setting drawn for your menu, every fork, knife, spoon and glass numbered and explained. Print it, share it, and get the count for the whole table.

A carrot cut five ways on a wooden board, from left to right julienne, batonnet, medium dice, small dice and rounds, beside a whole carrot and a chef's knife

Knife cuts chart

Every classic cut, from fine brunoise to tourné, drawn to scale with its size in inches or millimetres. Calibrate with a bank card to see actual size, tap a piece for how to cut it, or print the chart.

Thanksgiving dishes on a kitchen counter: bread stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls and a pumpkin pie cooling on a rack, with oven mitts

Thanksgiving timeline planner

Your dinner time, turkey, sides and ovens in; a cooking schedule out: what to make days ahead, when the turkey goes in, and which dish goes in which oven at what temperature, with clashes flagged.

A tasting menu laid out course by course along a long table: an amuse-bouche on a spoon, a cup of pea soup, a seared scallop, sliced duck breast, a sorbet, a cheese plate and a chocolate dessert

Course meal builder

A 3, 5, 7 or even 12-course meal in the classic order, a real dish for every course, the plate and portion for each, the time each one lands, and a printable menu card.

A standing rib roast of prime rib on a wooden carving board, the bones on one side and three thick pink slices cut from the end, a carving knife and a small jug of jus beside it

Prime rib calculator

How big a roast to buy, how long it takes for rare to well done, the temperature to pull it at, and a countdown from salting to carving. Classic roast or reverse sear.

A glazed spiral-sliced bone-in ham on a white oval platter, its glossy amber glaze caught in the slices, with roasted pineapple rings, small roast potatoes and sprigs of thyme around it

Ham calculator

How much ham per person, USDA's minutes per pound for spiral, whole, half, boneless, fresh and country ham, the temperature it needs, when to glaze, and a countdown to carving.

Everything on this page is free to use without an account, and nothing here spends a credit. If you want the deeper version of the craft, the guides library covers plating, colour, lighting and styling with the research cited, and the recipe catalog is open to read in full.

The paid part is the plating studio

Upload a photo of a dish you cooked and the AI re-plates it the way a fine-dining kitchen would send it, on the plate colour you choose, with the steps that explain what changed. The first one is free.

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