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The internet is full of before-and-after photos of perfectly sorted pantries. What you don't see: what they look like eight weeks later. Order that lasts isn't created on one big cleaning Saturday but by a system that works with your routine – three building blocks of 5 minutes each.

Block 1: the 5-minute inventory (once a week)

In August, gardens and markets overflow – and in January a tomato costs three times as much again. Canning closes exactly that gap. You don't need grandma's canning machine or a cellar shelf: a big pot, clean jars and one afternoon are enough to get started.

What you actually need

• Twist-off or preserving jars with intact lids or rubber rings
• A pot deep enough for the jars to sit two-thirds in water
• A clean kitchen towel as a base so jars don't crack
• Labels or a waterproof pen for contents and date

Step by step

1. Sterilise jars and lids in boiling water for 10 minutes. 2. Fill hot, prepared food (tomato sauce, chutney, compote) to 1–2 cm below the rim. 3. Wipe the rims clean and close firmly. 4. Place the jars in a water bath and process for 30–90 minutes at 90–100 °C depending on the recipe. 5. Let them cool – the lid must curve inwards. If it doesn't, refrigerate and use up soon.

Shelf life: honest, not optimistic

Pickled and sugar-rich preserves usually keep 6–12 months stored cool and dark. What matters most is checking: inspect the lid, look, smell – and when in doubt, throw it out.

The trick so nothing gets forgotten

Since version 1.39, two updates have been released, and together they shift the app’s focus. Until now, it was mainly about recording and keeping track of individual items. From now on, it’s about your inventory as a whole: With the new inventory mode, you can update an entire stockroom in just a few minutes, minimum stock levels tell you what’s missing rather than just what’s there, and the interface has been redesigned in the places you tap most often.

The new inventory mode: keeping each warehouse up to date

The most common reason why inventory in an app eventually becomes inaccurate is simple: over time, a gap develops between what is listed and what is actually on the shelf. Until now, your only option was to correct items one by one. Now there is a dedicated mode for that.

The inventory mode doesn't start with your entire stock, but with the question of where you are right now. You select a storage location—“pantry,” “freezer,” or “cellar”—and Smantry shows you only the items stored there. The on-screen prompt says it plainly: _“Start taking inventory right in front of the storage location.”_ That's exactly how it's meant to work—phone in hand, cupboard door open.

The counting flow itself is deliberately kept simple so that it runs quickly:

• Each row shows Expected and Actual. If the stock count is correct, tap "Correct"—one tap, and on to the next item.
• If it is incorrect, use − and + to correct it, then confirm by selecting "Apply".
• At the top, the progress indicator shows: _“12 of 30 reviewed”_. Use the “Open” filter to hide everything you've already checked off.
• Once all the rows have been checked, the screen displays "Everything checked!" and you complete the inventory count at the bottom.

Two details that make the difference between a counting aid and an honest supply:

Which unit do you mean? If a product with multiple expiration dates is stored in the storage location, Smantry does not guess. When you remove a unit, it asks: _“Which unit are you removing?”_—and indicates which one you should use first. When you add one, it instead asks for the new unit’s date, which you can either copy from the existing stock or enter manually.

Why is it being removed? When you reduce a quantity, Smantry asks why: _“Did you use it up, or did you have to throw it away?”_ This ensures that anything removed during an inventory count is included in your waste figures—instead of being hidden in a silent adjustment entry.

The summary: Taking inventory to its logical conclusion

An inventory count is only worthwhile if it ultimately leads to action. That’s why the process doesn’t end with “saved,” but with a summary: how many items you checked at this storage location, how many stock levels were adjusted, and how many items were removed—broken down into used up and discarded.

And then comes the part that saves you work: Smantry lists everything that has fallen below your minimum stock level during inventory directly underneath—with a button labeled "Add to shopping list". From the shelf to the shopping list, with no extra steps.

Minimum stock levels: finally see what's missing, too

For this to work, Smantry needs to know what counts as “enough.” You define that in the minimum stock levels—not laboriously for each individual item, but by category: two kilos of flour, six liters of milk, ten packs of pasta. The screen continuously shows you how many categories are active and what is still needed to reach the minimum levels.

New in the inventory list is the handy filter: “below minimum stock”. With a single tap, it turns the inventory list into a list of missing items—the view you actually want before going shopping. (A frequently requested suggestion from the feedback portal)

And if you're starting from scratch, you don't have to come up with the numbers yourself: Use "Load template" to import a ready-made set of minimum stock levels. The quantities are then scaled to the number of people and the desired period—you say "3 people, 10 days," and Smantry does the math.

Emergency supplies according to the BBK – with real figures

The most important of these templates is the emergency supplies table from the German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK). It is now available as a template in Smantry, using the published table as its source—so it contains the quantities actually listed there, rather than estimates. The source is identified in the template dialog, and a preview shows you what will be imported before you apply it.

This is accompanied by a small but important correction to the preparedness indicator: An item can now be marked as "Do not count toward emergency supplies"—intended for anything that may be on the shelf but won't keep anyone fed in an emergency. Wine and sweets are listed as examples directly in the setting description. This simply makes the statement "Prepared for 12 days" more accurate.

A fresh look for the places you visit most

At the same time, we’ve refined the interface in the areas where most of the action happens. Not as a redesign for redesign’s sake—the list of changes may sound unremarkable, and that’s exactly the point:

• The inventory toolbar is now evenly divided between search, sorting, and filtering. The search pill is labeled instead of showing only a magnifying glass, and the item count is back above the list.
• The Add button on the inventory screen is now significantly larger—the app's second most common action used to have the smallest button.
• The scanner now uses the full camera view, with the controls floating above it. The flashlight, camera switch, and manual input are all in one place instead of cropping the image.
• Instead of spinners, while loading you'll see shimmering placeholders shaped like the content that's about to appear. It doesn't make loading any faster, but it does make the experience feel noticeably calmer.
• Empty lists are no longer just empty lists—they now explain what to do next, tailored to the goal you selected when you started.
• The tab bar retains the new glass look, while the page header is back to being simple and easy to read. We tried both in glass, but that was one idea too many.

Declutter: used up or thrown away, now at a glance

The cleanup list introduced in version 1.39 has gained the step it was missing. When you remove an item from it, Smantry no longer asks why in a text dialog, but instead displays two illustrated cards: used up or thrown away. You can grasp the difference in half a second instead of having to read it.

The fact that the loading spinner appears on the card you tapped may sound like a minor detail—but it makes the difference between “I know what’s happening” and “I’ll tap again.”

Expiration dates: the finishing touches

We’ve made adjustments to the new durability screen introduced in 1.39 based on the feedback we received:

• One tip instead of two: The date input opens directly, without an intermediate step.
• The year list now starts with the current year – instead of somewhere in the forties, requiring minutes of scrolling to reach the present.
• On the iPad, the dialog now follows the device's orientation, including in landscape mode.
• "Does not expire" is finally respected everywhere: no expiration indicator in the list and no best-before status for items you've marked as non-perishable.
• In the article detail view, the workflow status is now displayed as text instead of just as a colored dot.

Sign in: one tap, one account

Sign-in now takes place on a dedicated, secure sign-in page (`identity.smantry.com`) – and best of all, it opens with a single tap and already knows whether you wanted to sign in or register. Cases that previously resulted in two accounts being created because an email address was already linked to a different sign-in method now prompt you for confirmation instead of displaying an error.

By the way: New accounts are now set up in your language. Previously, welcome content and emails could appear in English without warning, even though the app was running in German.

Further improvements

• Full-size product images: Tapping a product image now opens it in full view again—even directly from the inventory list, and above the header instead of below it.
• Form stays open: When you select a photo while creating a new product, the form no longer closes—your entries remain in place.
• All storage locations in the Move dialog: When moving an item, not all destinations were always visible. Now they are.
• Create storage location: If creation fails, the app now tells you instead of silently doing nothing. It also now rejects names consisting only of spaces.
• Printing on Android: The stock list printed as a PDF can be reopened.
• Product database: If a product cannot be synchronized with the product database when saving, you will now be notified—instead of it being silently lost.
• Accessibility: Filter rows are announced correctly as checkboxes, the removal-reason buttons have meaningful labels, and small buttons meet the 44-point minimum size again.
• Fewer false alarms: Brief network dropouts are no longer reported as errors, and stalled database connections recover by themselves instead of ending in an empty list.

And for companies: Smantry Enterprise

A large part of the work in these two versions is invisible in a private household, because it is meant for businesses: households can now belong to a company, with roles, seat-based billing and a log of every stock change. In the app you only see what concerns you — the note “This account is managed by your company”, for instance — and the option to issue material to people and take it back, right on the phone.

If you use Smantry professionally, write to us and we will show you.

Update now

The summer update is here – and it’s one of the biggest in a long time. Smantry 1.39 brings together everything that has been added since version 1.37: expiration dates now appear right on your home screen, entering best-before dates has its own dedicated page, and for the items you eventually just forget about, there’s now a cleanup list. Here’s an overview.

Your pantry on the home screen: widgets for iOS and Android

The most important view in Smantry is the one that answers the question: What’s expiring soon? From now on, you don’t even have to open the app for that anymore – the “Expiring soon” widget brings the answer straight to your home screen. On iOS it’s brand new, and on Android we’ve completely overhauled it in this version: it reliably receives data again, now shows the same countdown texts as on iOS, and opens the corresponding list when you tap it.

On the iOS home screen, the widget is available in two sizes:

• Small: a large number shows how many items are due in your reminder period – plus the most urgent product.
• Medium: multiple items with countdown (“today”, “tomorrow”, “in 3 days”).

In addition, on iOS there are three lock screen widgets: circular, rectangular, and a slim line above the clock – so you can glance at the display without unlocking it.

The colors help you prioritize: Red means overdue, Orange due today, Yellow due within the next three days. Important: The time period the widget considers as “soon” is not a fixed value – it adopts the reminder lead time from your settings. And when there’s nothing coming up, a green checkmark shows “Your pantry is in good shape” – sometimes the best widget is the one that leaves you in peace.

Technically nicely implemented: The widget keeps counting the days on its own and stays accurate, even if you never open the app. It doesn’t need the internet or its own database access for this – when you use it, the app simply stores a local snapshot of your expiry data. On iOS, the widget works from iOS 16.

Tapping the widget now no longer just takes you into the app, but directly to the filtered view with exactly the items in question – including expired ones.

The new shelf-life screen: enter the date without any detours

Entering the best-before date is the most common action in Smantry – and that’s exactly why it now has its own, tidy page. Whether you scan an item or create it manually: instead of a small dialog with number wheels, the new shelf life screen opens with everything in one place:

• Choose the type of date: Best-before date or use-by date – with a note that explains the difference (“Usually still fine to eat afterwards.” versus “Do not eat after this date.”). The save button always tells you what you’re setting: “Save shelf life” or “Save use-by date”.
• Quick selection: “In 3 days”, “In 1 week”, “In 2 weeks”, “In 1 month”, “In 3 months”, “In 1 year” – one tap is enough. For rice, canned goods & co. there is “No best-before date (long-lasting)” – this selection is now also reliably saved. For the storage date, which lies in the past, the list is reversed accordingly: “Today”, “Yesterday”, “1 week ago” and so on.
• Fine-tuning: Use − and + to jump by whole days; the relative display (“In 31 days”) immediately gives you a feel for the date.
• Calendar included: The built-in calendar is limited to sensible years – no more accidentally scrolling all the way back to 1900.

The storage date now has its own screen instead of sharing a selection list with the expiration date. The two dates are never edited at the same time – that may sound like a small detail, but it has eliminated exactly the mix-ups that previously generated the most feedback.

Also handy: The input now always remains visible above the keyboard, and the scan flow no longer gets interrupted when the notification permission is requested for the very first date.

Only month and year? That’s enough for now.

Many products don’t show a full date, but only “best before 05/2027”. One of the most requested community suggestions has therefore now been implemented: the “month-only” mode.

Simply switch from “Exact day” to “Month only” in the shelf life screen, type in “MM.YYYY” – done. Smantry automatically saves the end of the month, i.e. the last day on which the product is still good according to the printed date. No more guessing which exact day it’s supposed to be.

Smantry only records the month in this case: in the list, on the website, and in the PDF export, only the month will appear – not an exact day, which never actually appeared on the packaging.

Forgotten items: the new decluttering list

Every pantry has them: items that expired long ago and have still been sitting untouched on the list for weeks. Until now, Smantry has only pointed them out – but hasn’t offered anything to help you get rid of them.

That’s what the new “Clean up” screen changes. It gathers all items that expired more than 14 days ago and haven’t been touched since, with the most overdue ones first. And it gives you exactly two buttons per item:

• Red trash can (“Gone”) – the item is removed from stock.
• Green check mark (“Still there”)– nothing changes; you’ve just confirmed that the item still exists.

On the dashboard, a card points the way (“3 items are waiting for you”), which automatically hides itself as long as there’s nothing to tidy up. No badge constantly nagging you.

Best-before date or use-by date? The difference matters everywhere now

“Best before” is a recommendation – “use by” is a limit. Smantry now consistently distinguishes between the two, in the app and in the web version. For ground meat you set a use-by date, for pasta a best-before date, and you mark long-lasting items as “does not expire” – they then won’t appear in the expiry warnings at all.

There are two new filters to go with this: “not yet expired” – a view for everything that’s still good, as a counterpart to the existing “expired” filter – and “expiring soon or expired”, the view you land in after tapping the widget.

Reminders that match the product

Up to now, there was one reminder period for everything: five days before the best-before date, whether it was yogurt or frozen pizza. Now you can set it per item. In the item form there is a field called “Reminder (days before best-before date)” – if you leave it empty, your default value from the settings will still apply.

Practical for anything that needs more lead time: for a pack of meat you still want to freeze, two days’ notice is already too late – for canned goods, on the other hand, two weeks’ warning is just noise.

Expired is not the same as expired

A yogurt that is three days past its best-before date is a different matter than a canned good that is three days past. That’s why Smantry can now assess expired items in relation to their original shelf life instead of just counting the days since the best-before date.

You can find this option in the settings under “Grade expired items by their original shelf life” – along with two thresholds that define at which remaining percentage of the original shelf life an item turns yellow or red. If you prefer to keep things simple, just leave this option disabled.

Used up or thrown away? One tip makes the difference

When you take an item out of your stock, you can now quickly record whether it was eaten or thrown away – either directly on the item using the fork or trash can button, or when removing it via the dialog (“Was it used up or did you have to throw it away?”). This also works for partial quantities, for example if you only had to throw away half of it.

Why this matters: Smantry helps you avoid food waste. And that works best when you know exactly what regularly ends up in your trash. This data stays within your household and will form the basis for future statistics – you’ll be able to see how much you’re really saving.

Date format: DD.MM.YYYY, also in English

Previously, the way dates were written depended on the app language – if you used Smantry in English, you were forced to use “MM/DD/YYYY”. These are now two independent settings: Under “Date format” you can choose “DD.MM.YYYY”, “MM/DD/YYYY” (US) or “DD/MM/YYYY” (French) – regardless of which language the app uses to talk to you. In the app and in the web version.

Further innovations at a glance

• New units: You can now also count items in portions and packages – for everything that can’t really be measured in grams or liters.
• Premium for two: Your individual Premium subscription now includes a second license. Simply invite your partner to join your team – at no extra cost.
• Shelf and compartment in view: The stock list now shows the specific compartment of a storage location and the earliest best-before date of an item directly in the row.
• Move instead of delete: When deleting a storage location, Smantry offers to move the items instead – even to the storage location of another household.
• Filters that stay: Your filters in the pantry list now survive an app restart.
• Nothing gets lost anymore: If the app is terminated by the system while you’re entering an item, your typed data will be there again the next time you start it.
• Scanner fine-tuning: Barcodes are now correctly recognized even with the front camera and when the device is rotated, the scanner no longer freezes when you return to it, and if camera access is missing, the app takes you straight to the settings.
• Siri and Shortcuts (iOS): In the Shortcuts app, you’ll find three new Smantry actions – “What expires soon?” responds directly in Siri without launching the app. The actions require iOS 17 and are currently only available in English.
• Emails in your language: Confirmation and password reset emails will now be sent in your app’s language.
• PDF export cleaned up: The printed stock list is now sorted and filtered exactly like your view in the app.
• Subscription management: Plan changes now work without the risk of double billing, and with “Refresh status” you can immediately refresh the subscription status after a purchase – in case it’s still lagging behind.
• Improved readability: Large system fonts are now supported – scaling is capped at an upper limit instead of being ignored, so the layout stays intact.

Update now