Cookout Compass
HomeMeal plans

From what to cook to what to buy

A whole meal, with a plan

Choose food that belongs together. See the batches, give every dish a place to cook and turn the menu into one ingredient shopping list. Dinner can be two people or a table full.

Start with a supper for six

Pick the main. The sides are sorted.

Each menu starts with six adults and regular appetites. The planner lets you change that starting point. Full batches can leave extra food, so every menu tells you what the rounding means.

Smoked baby back ribs and sliced portions on a paper lined metal tray

A slow Saturday supper

Ribs, slaw and beans

Give the ribs the smoker, the beans the oven and the slaw a cold spot in the refrigerator. Three dishes, with enough room to pay attention to the one that takes its time.

Starts with six adults · Whole recipes · Extra portions shown

Get the menu and preparation plan
Small cheeseburgers with melted cheddar and pickles on sweet rolls

The grill handles the main

Sliders, slaw and beans

Sweet rolls, onion in the beef and two sides that keep out of the grill’s way. Make the slaw first, let the oven handle the beans and save the last stretch for the burgers.

Starts with six adults · Whole recipes · Extra portions shown

Get the menu and preparation plan

A smaller table

Just the two of you?

Start with a shared steak, lemon chicken or an oven dish. Dinner for two shows which recipes fit two plates and which leave tomorrow’s lunch. Ready at Six adds an adjustable serving clock for those three menus.

Choose a dinner for twoSee the cooking timetables
Sliced seared strip steak with parsley and two lemon wedges on a cream platter

Keep the choices that suit you

Or start with your own menu

  1. Count the people. Choose adults, children, appetites and any deliberate leftovers.
  2. Choose the dishes. Add recipes, with separate meat cuts only when they are another part of the meal.
  3. Check the batches. See the extra food that comes from making complete recipes, then build the ingredient list.
Open the meal planner

The six person menus above give an order of work, not a verified simultaneous timetable. More people can need more cookware, grate space and time. The individual recipes and temperature checks guide the cooking.