How to see the whole meal prep plan ahead
The whole plan is visible as soon as you start a menu, before you shop: the steps, the preps on a timeline, ingredients, videos and plates. Open them in advance to see what you can do in parallel.
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1. Start a menu and look at its steps
Tap Cook this on a menu card and choose how many people you cook for. The meal prep page shows the cooking time, the number of dishes and how many days they cover, and below it the Step-by-step guide. The first step, Ingredients, is active. The other steps are marked View: you cannot do them yet, but you can open and look at them right away.
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2. Open the cooking session before shopping
The Cooking session step is labelled Complete shopping first, but you can open it. The app says the step is closed for interaction: you cannot go to cooking mode yet, but you can view everything it contains. Tips on the screen explain what each element means.
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3. See the preps on a timeline
Preps & instructions lists every prep of the menu. Each card has a timeline under it that shows when the prep starts and how long it takes. The cards are laid out so you can see which preps run in parallel.
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4. Expand a prep card
Tap a card to expand it. If a prep has more than one process, it is split into numbered steps with a description, plus a video where it helps to see the technique. Every step has the label When to start and how long it takes and its own mark on the timeline, so you see exactly when to start it relative to the whole session.
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5. Check the ingredients and videos
The list icon on a card shows every ingredient of the prep with quantities already calculated for the number of people you cook for. The ingredients are grouped by step. You can play a step video right in the card.
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6. Look at the plates ahead too
You can open the Plating setup step before cooking too. The Your meals screen shows the dishes by day, and a dish card has the Plate setup method and the nutrition for the Small, Average and Large sizes. How to put the plates together and mark dishes as done is in a separate guide.
Questions
Can I look at the steps before shopping?
Yes. After you start a menu, the Cooking session, Plating setup and Leave a review steps are marked View: you can open them and see everything they contain, even though you cannot do them yet.
What does the timeline on a prep card show?
When the prep starts relative to the whole session and how long it takes. In an expanded card every step has its own mark, so you see what can run in parallel.
Why does my first meal prep take longer?
The app explains that the first two or three times usually take a little longer. Once the rhythm clicks, most people match the time estimate or finish faster.
