A practical skill, not a science lesson
The cookbook in this app covers a lot of ground, but no cookbook covers everything, and part of building a lasting relationship with cooking is being able to find and adapt recipes on your own.
This lesson is a genuinely simple trick, plus a repeatable way to bring any recipe you find back in line with your own calorie target, so “I found this online” does not have to mean “I have no idea what is actually in it.”
Search image results in the dish’s own language
When you search for a dish in English, you tend to get the most viral, most photogenic version: elaborate plating, long ingredient lists, extra add-ins for the camera. Search the same dish by its name in the language of the country it comes from, then look at image results, and you will usually see something different: the plain, everyday home version people actually cook on a Tuesday.
English search
“lemon chicken recipe” — often returns breaded, deep-fried, or sauce-heavy versions optimised for clicks
Native-language search
“pollo al limone” — tends to surface simpler, pan-cooked, everyday versions with a shorter ingredient list
You do not need to speak the language. Search the dish name (a quick translation search gives you this), switch to image results, then use a translate tool on the recipe you like the look of.
Adapting any recipe to your calorie target
Once you have found a recipe you like, run it through the same lens you have already built up across earlier lessons, rather than cooking it blind.
Find the protein
Identify the main protein source and its raw weight. This is your anchor for portion size, using your target from Lesson 4.
Spot the hidden fat
Look for oil, butter, cream, or cheese in the method, not just the ingredient list. As covered in Lesson 9, this is usually where the biggest calorie swing lives.
Check the carb portion
Note the rice, pasta, bread or potato quantity, and scale it using the plate method from Lesson 7 as a reference point.
Cook it once, before deciding
Make a single portion first. Adjust seasoning and quantities based on how it actually turns out, then decide if it is worth repeating.
Today’s task
Think of one dish you would love to cook but have never found the right recipe for. Search it in its country of origin’s language and look through the image results. Save one that looks achievable.
Check in with yourself
- What is a dish you have always wanted to cook but assumed was too complicated?
- Did the native-language search results look different to what you expected?
- Any new takeaway from today’s lesson you want to remember?
Browse the cookbook for recipes already adapted and worked out for you.