I’m Simon, a programmer living in NYC. MinMaxMeals - named after the optimization technique - describes the cooking style I’ve developed. It’s ideal for frugal, health-conscious people who cook for themselves, especially those interested in atypical flavor combinations.

While today I cook this way because it’s practical, it was originally out of necessity. I had suddenly become ill, and was put on a restricted diet to figure out what foods I could tolerate. Prepping all my own meals lead to my focus on speed, cost, and nutrition, while the limited ingredients ruled out most familiar dishes. As my health returned I added more ingredients, and later - after my cooking became a conversation starter - I decided to share what I’d learned.

The site is currently organized into ingredients and recipes. Ingredients are the focus: becoming familiar with them will allow you to improvise meals to your liking. Recipes are also provided, but they’re intended more as inspiration than strict guides.