How do I easily inventory the products in my kitchen?

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Update Your Kitchen Inventory with Maya

Maya can build your shopping lists, create recipes, and even figure out where to buy each ingredient for the best price. But before Maya tells you what to buy, she needs to know what you already have.

That’s where your Kitchen Inventory comes in.

Maya automatically adds products to your virtual pantry or refrigerator when you send her your receipts. But you may have plenty of things you bought before you started using Maya, or bought without sending her the receipt.

No worries. You can quickly inventory your kitchen so Maya knows what you already have.

And there’s another benefit. The more Maya learns about what you buy, the better she gets at helping you buy it again. She remembers the products, brands, and sizes you like, so you don't have to start from scratch every time.

The fastest way to update your inventory

Typing every product name into Maya would take forever, and it’s easy to enter the wrong product or size.

Scanning the barcode tells Maya exactly which product you mean.

You can use your phone’s barcode scanner to quickly work through your pantry, refrigerator, freezer, or other kitchen inventory.

Start in Maya first

Open your Pantry, Refrigerator, or Everything Else inventory in Maya and tap Add Product.

Maya will then be ready to receive the products you scan.

RCS, SMS, or WhatsApp all work once your inventory session is open.

Scan your products

Use any barcode scanner app on your phone that can give you the plain digits from the barcode.

On Android: QR & Barcode Scanner by Gamma Play works well. The free version is all you need. Scan the barcode, tap the Copy icon, switch back to Maya, and paste the number.

On iPhone: Fast QR, Bar & UPC Scanner by Kulwant Kuar is one option. Scan the product, copy the barcode number, switch back to Maya, and paste it.

You can use another scanner app too. The important thing is that it gives Maya the barcode number itself, not a web link or additional text.

Maya identifies the product from that number and adds it to your kitchen inventory. Then scan the next product and keep going until you're finished.

What if Maya doesn't recognize a product?

That's okay.

Maya can still add the barcode to your inventory even if she doesn't recognize the product yet. She'll let you know that she doesn't have enough information about it.

Set those products aside while you continue scanning. You can come back and identify them afterward rather than putting them back on the shelf and accidentally scanning them again.

Do a quick test first

Before you scan an entire shelf, test one product.

Scan a barcode and send it to Maya.

If Maya responds with the product name, you're ready to go.

If she doesn't recognize anything or doesn't respond, your scanner may be sending a web link or extra information instead of the plain barcode digits. Try a scanner that lets you copy just the number.

Once Maya knows what you have, shopping gets smarter

Your kitchen inventory isn't just a list of things sitting in your pantry and refrigerator. It's how Maya knows what you don't need to buy.

When you create a shopping list or ask Maya to create a recipe, she can compare the ingredients you need against what you already have.

That means fewer duplicate purchases and less money spent buying something that's already sitting in the back of your pantry.

And as Maya learns from your receipts and inventory, she also learns what you actually buy, including the brands and products you prefer.

So the next time you need something, Maya doesn't have to ask you all over again.

Update your kitchen once. Let Maya remember it for you.