PORTABLECOOK

Inspiration

We noticed that Gen-Z cooks struggle with three problems: analyzing cooking videos for recipes, managing fridge inventory, and turning ingredients into meals. PortableCook was born to solve these pain points with AI-powered assistance accessible on any device.

What it does

PortableCook is an AI cooking companion that:

Analyzes cooking videos (YouTube or uploads) to extract ingredients and steps using Gemini 3 Flash
Manages a virtual fridge via photo/video/audio/text, generating meal ideas, grocery lists, and perishable alerts
Generates visual cooking guides - image walkthroughs and video tutorials from text prompts using Veo 3.1
Schedules cooking events with smart reminders and healthy eating tips
Offers tiered subscriptions - Free (5 trials), Pro ($7/mo: 11 generations), Premium ($13/mo: 20 generations), plus one-time credit packs ($5-$6)

How we built it

Frontend: Flutter for cross-platform mobile (iOS/Android) with Material 3 design
Backend: Flask REST API with SQLite for user data and media storage
AI Integration: Gemini 3 Flash for video analysis, Veo 3.1 for video generation, image generation APIs
Monetization: RevenueCat SDK for seamless subscriptions and in-app purchases
Notifications: Flutter Local Notifications for cooking reminders and healthy tips

Challenges we ran into

Video size limits per tier (5MB Free, 15MB Pro, 60MB Premium) required client-side validation
Multi-modal input handling (image/video/audio + text prompts) needed careful UX design
RevenueCat integration for both subscriptions AND one-time purchases simultaneously
Optimizing API calls to Gemini/Veo while managing rate limits and user credits

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Seamless multi-modal fridge that understands "store this for 10 days" and sets smart alerts
Beautiful, intuitive UI with smooth navigation and real-time credit tracking
Flexible monetization - users can subscribe OR buy credits as needed
Production-ready architecture with proper error handling, loading states, and offline caching

What we learned

AI video analysis accuracy improves dramatically with prompt engineering and context management
Users prefer hybrid pricing (subscriptions + one-time purchases) over subscription-only models
Tiered upload limits create natural upgrade incentives without feeling restrictive
Flutter's ecosystem (ImagePicker, FilePicker, RevenueCat) makes complex features surprisingly approachable

What's next for PORTABLECOOK

Voice cooking assistant for hands-free recipe guidance while cooking
Community recipe sharing with social features and ratings
Meal planning calendar with automatic grocery list generation
AR cooking overlay to display steps directly on your kitchen counter
Integration with smart home devices for timer automation and grocery ordering
Expansion to web using Flutter Web with RevenueCat Web Billing

Pricing (Converted to USD):