Question 1

What is CHOP?

Accepted Answer

CHOP is a meal planning app that helps you cook with what you already have. Snap a photo of your fridge, and CHOP identifies your ingredients, suggests recipes, tracks expiry dates, and builds grocery lists. It takes the guesswork out of deciding what to make for dinner.

Question 2

How does CHOP work?

Accepted Answer

Open the app, take a photo of your fridge, and CHOP scans it to identify your ingredients. From there it finds personalized recipes based on what you have on hand. You can also track expiry dates so nothing goes to waste and create grocery lists for anything you're missing.

Question 3

Is CHOP free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, CHOP has a free plan that lets you scan your fridge, get recipe suggestions, and track ingredients. If you want unlimited recipe requests and advanced features, you can upgrade to CHOP Plus. For power users and families, CHOP Max adds meal planning, family sharing, and more. There's no pressure to upgrade though.

Question 4

What devices does CHOP work on?

Accepted Answer

CHOP is built as an iOS app, so it works on iPhones and iPads. We focused on making the mobile experience great since that's where you'll be snapping fridge photos. You can also access some features through the web at getchop.app, but the full experience is on iOS.

Question 5

Do I need an account to use CHOP?

Accepted Answer

You'll need to create a free account to use CHOP. This lets us save your scanned ingredients, recipes, and grocery lists so everything is there when you come back. Signing up is quick and only takes a few seconds. We support email-based authentication to keep things simple.

Question 6

How accurate is the fridge scanning?

Accepted Answer

CHOP's scanning is surprisingly good at recognizing common items like fruits, vegetables, condiments, and packaged goods in your fridge photo. It may occasionally miss items that are hidden or hard to see, but you can always add or remove ingredients manually after a scan.

Question 7

Can CHOP handle dietary restrictions?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You can set dietary preferences like vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or any other restrictions in your profile. CHOP factors these in when generating recipes so you only see meals that work for you. You can update your preferences anytime as your needs change.

Question 8

Does CHOP track ingredient expiry dates?

Accepted Answer

Yes, CHOP helps you keep track of when your ingredients are likely to expire. It estimates shelf life based on the type of ingredient and when you scanned it. You'll get a heads-up when something is nearing its expiry so you can use it up before it goes bad and reduce food waste.

Question 9

Can I manually add ingredients?

Accepted Answer

Of course. After a fridge scan, you can edit the ingredient list however you want. Add items the camera might have missed, remove things you don't want to cook with, or type in pantry staples that weren't in the photo. Your ingredient list is fully editable at any time.

Question 10

Does CHOP create grocery lists?

Accepted Answer

Yes, CHOP can generate grocery lists based on recipes you want to make. If a recipe calls for something you don't have on hand, it gets added to your list automatically. You can also add items manually. It's a simple way to make sure you grab everything you need on your next shopping trip.

Question 11

How are recipes generated?

Accepted Answer

CHOP draws from millions of recipes to find meals tailored to the ingredients you have available. It considers what's in your fridge, your dietary preferences, and common cooking techniques to suggest meals that are practical and tasty. You'll get varied suggestions every time, even with the same ingredients.

Question 12

Can I save recipes for later?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when you find a recipe you like, you can save it to your personal collection. Saved recipes are always available in your account so you can come back to them whenever you want. It's a great way to build up a library of go-to meals that you know work well for you.

Question 13

How many recipes do I get?

Accepted Answer

Each recipe request generates multiple recipe suggestions for you to choose from. The free plan gives you 1 recipe request per week, while CHOP Plus and Max unlock unlimited recipe requests with more options each time. Either way, you'll always have a few solid meal ideas to pick from.

Question 14

Are the nutrition facts accurate?

Accepted Answer

CHOP provides estimated nutrition information for generated recipes based on standard ingredient data. These estimates are helpful for general meal planning, but they shouldn't be treated as exact medical or dietary guidance. If you have specific health needs, we always recommend consulting with a healthcare professional.

Question 15

What's included in the free plan?

Accepted Answer

CHOP Free includes fridge scanning, 1 recipe request per week, basic pantry tracking, expiry date alerts, cooking streaks, and grocery lists.

Question 16

What does CHOP Plus include?

Accepted Answer

CHOP Plus removes the weekly request limit and gives you unlimited recipe requests, dietary filters, savings reports, and recipe history. It's designed for people who cook regularly and want to get the most out of the app. For even more, CHOP Max adds meal planning, family sharing, and priority generation. You can subscribe monthly or annually and cancel whenever you want.

Question 17

What does CHOP Max include?

Accepted Answer

CHOP Max includes everything in Plus, plus a meal planning calendar, family sharing for up to 5 people, priority recipe generation, and grocery gap lists with sharing. It's built for power users and families who want the full CHOP experience. Max is $9.99/month or $79.99/year.

Question 18

Can I cancel my subscription anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can cancel your CHOP Plus or Max subscription at any time with no penalties or hidden fees. Your Plus or Max features stay active through the end of your current billing period. After that, your account reverts to the free plan and you keep access to any recipes you've saved.

Question 19

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

The free plan itself works as a great way to try CHOP with no commitment. You get real access to scanning, recipes, and ingredient tracking so you can see how it fits into your daily cooking. If you decide you want more, upgrading to Plus or Max is quick and you can cancel anytime.

Question 20

What happens to my fridge photos?

Accepted Answer

Your fridge photos are processed to identify ingredients and are not stored permanently on our servers. We use the image to build your ingredient list and that's it. We don't sell your photos or use them for anything beyond giving you recipe suggestions and tracking your ingredients.

Question 21

Is my data shared with third parties?

Accepted Answer

We don't sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. Your ingredient data and photos are only used to power CHOP's features. We use standard infrastructure providers to run the app, but your information stays private. You can read our full privacy policy at getchop.app for details.

Question 22

Are the recipes safe for people with allergies?

Accepted Answer

CHOP does its best to respect the dietary restrictions you set in your profile, but recipes should not be relied on as your only safeguard against allergens. Always double-check ingredients if you have serious allergies. CHOP is a helpful tool, but it's not a substitute for careful personal review.

Question 23

How does CHOP handle food safety?

Accepted Answer

CHOP provides expiry date tracking and general food storage tips to help you use ingredients while they're fresh. However, the app can't inspect the physical condition of your food. Always use your own judgment about whether something looks, smells, or feels safe to eat before cooking with it.

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