Forgotten groceries? How to build an automatic shopping list

Why your shopping list is always incomplete

You bought chicken breast but no sauce. The courgette you needed for Wednesday isn't on the list. Or you have two packs of pasta in the cupboard but forgot the onion. That's not forgetfulness — that's the result of shopping without a clear plan.

Many families work with loose notes, WhatsApp messages or phone memos. The result: multiple versions, confusion about who bought what, and still that one missing ingredient.

How an automatic shopping list works

An automatic shopping list starts with the weekly menu. Once you've planned your recipes for the week, the app calculates all the ingredients needed — per recipe, per serving size. Duplicate ingredients are merged. The result is one clear list, grouped by store aisle.

You no longer need to think about what you need. You just follow the list.

Ticking off together in the store

Stoof synchronises the shopping list in real time. While you pick up vegetables, your partner ticks off the dairy at the other end of the store. No double buying, no forgotten items, no phone calls mid-supermarket.

Items are grouped by store aisle so you move through the shop efficiently. A grocery run instead of a mission. Learn more about planning the weekly menu together with your partner.

How Stoof builds your shopping list automatically

In Stoof you build your weekly menu from your own recipe library. Tap 'Generate shopping list' and the app creates the full list from all the ingredients in the menu. Quantities are added up, categories assigned. You can also add loose items for things that don't come from recipes.

See also how to solve the daily 'what's for dinner?' question for good.

Frequently asked questions