Manage Dishes 📖
This is your digital recipe collection! Here you manage all the dishes you can cook. Once created, you can use them repeatedly in different weekly plans.
What Is This?
Dish management is your library with all dishes. Every dish you ever want to cook is created here once. Then you can use it as often as you like in different weekly plans.
Create a New Dish
The Basics
Every dish needs:
📝 Name (Required)
- Clear, descriptive name
- Example: "Wiener Schnitzel" or "Vegan Buddha Bowl"
📄 Description (Optional)
- What is the dish?
- How does it taste?
- Special features?
🏷️ Category (Required)
- Main Dish: The heart of the meal
- Soup: Perfect starter
- Dessert: The sweet finish
💰 Price (Required)
- Base price of the dish
- With currency (EUR, USD, GBP)
Custom Categories
In addition to main categories, you can create your own subcategories:
- "Italian Cuisine" (under Main Dish)
- "Asian Specialties" (under Main Dish)
- "Home Cooking" (under Main Dish)
- "Cold Soups" (under Soup)
- "Warm Desserts" (under Dessert)
Benefits:
- Better organization
- Faster finding
- Create themed menus
Dietary Forms & Allergens
🥗 Dietary Restrictions
Mark who the dish is suitable for:
Dietary Forms:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Pescatarian (fish, no meat)
- Halal
- Kosher
- Low Carb
- Keto
- Diabetic-friendly
Allergens:
- Gluten/Wheat
- Lactose/Milk
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Peanuts
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame
Why important?
- Employees with allergies only see suitable dishes
- Automatic filtering in system
- Safety for everyone!
Mark as Favorite
⭐ Mark as Favorite
- Checkbox when creating/editing
- Find popular dishes quickly
- Perfect for menu planning
Organize Dishes
The Three Main Categories
🍖 Main Dishes
- The heart of every meal
- Meat, fish, vegetarian
- Filling and delicious
🥣 Soups
- Perfect starter
- Light and warming
- From tomato soup to Thai curry
🍰 Desserts
- The sweet finish
- From pudding to fruit salad
- Makes everyone happy
Custom Categories
Create your own subcategories:
- Go to Settings → Custom Categories
- Select main category (Main, Soup, Dessert)
- Enter name (e.g. "Italian Cuisine")
- Save
Usage:
- Appear in dropdown when creating dish
- Grouped under main category
- Better organization of your dishes
Edit Dishes
Changes Are Okay!
Recipe improved? Price changed? No problem!
How to:
- Click on dish in list
- Inline editing opens
- Change what you want
- Click "Save"
Important:
- If dish is in a published menu, changes apply everywhere
- Name and description update in all menus
- Price changes apply to new menus
Search and Filter
The Search Function
Global Search:
- At top in search bar
- Searches in name and description
- Real-time filtering
Examples:
- Type "schnitzel" → All schnitzel variations
- Type "pasta" → All pasta dishes
- Type "vegan" → All vegan options
Use Filters
By Category:
- All
- Only main dishes
- Only soups
- Only desserts
- Or: Your custom categories
By Dietary Form:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Lactose-free
- And more...
Only Favorites:
- Checkbox "Show only favorites"
- Shows only your marked favorite dishes
Combine:
- Multiple filters simultaneously
- Example: "Vegetarian + Main Dish + Favorites"
- Super precise search!
Delete Dishes
Caution When Deleting
A dish is no longer needed?
How to:
- Click "Delete" (trash icon)
- Confirm
- Dish is gone
Important:
- Deleted dishes cannot be restored!
- Only delete dishes not used in active menus
- System warns you if dish is still in use
The Dish List
What Do You See?
For each dish:
- Name: What's it called?
- Category: Main, Soup, Dessert (+ Custom)
- Price: With currency
- Dietary Flags: Icons for dietary forms
- Favorite: Star icon if marked
- Actions: Edit, Delete
Sorting:
- Default by name (A-Z)
- Click column header to sort
- Favorites can be shown on top
Pro Tips 🎯
Choose Good Names
Instead of: "Schnitzel" Better: "Wiener Schnitzel with Lemon"
Why?
- Clearer for employees
- Distinguish variants
- More professional
Write Good Descriptions
Instead of: "Pasta with sauce" Better: "Spaghetti Bolognese with homemade tomato-meat sauce, served with Parmesan"
Why?
- Makes you hungry
- Employees know what they're getting
- Fewer questions
Take Allergens Seriously
- Better to specify too much than too little
- When in doubt, ask
- Can save lives!
- System filters automatically for allergy sufferers
Use Favorites
- Mark popular dishes
- Quick access during menu planning
- See what's well received
Clean Up Regularly
Once a month:
- Go through old dishes
- Delete unused ones
- Update descriptions
- Check prices
Use Custom Categories Cleverly
Examples:
- "Summer Special" for seasonal dishes
- "Quick Kitchen" for simple dishes
- "Premium" for special dishes
- "Regional" for local specialties
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many dishes should I have? A: At least 20-30 for variety. Professional kitchens have 50-100+
Q: Can I copy dishes from the internet? A: Sure! But adapt the description to your kitchen.
Q: What if I entered a dish incorrectly? A: Simply edit! As long as it's not in an active menu, no problem.
Q: Can multiple cooks create dishes simultaneously? A: Yes! The system synchronizes automatically.
Q: Can I upload images? A: Currently not. Focus is on quick management and overview.
Q: Can I add ingredient lists? A: Currently not. Focus on name, description, and allergens.
Q: How do I change price for all dishes? A: Currently individually. Bulk edit may come later.
Summary
Dish management is your digital cookbook:
- Simple: Name, description, category, price
- Safe: Mark allergens and dietary forms
- Organized: Categories and custom categories
- Flexible: Search, filter, favorites
- Reusable: Create once, use always
Once well created, you save yourself a lot of work later! 📚✨