Product Linking and Preferences

FourFork can link ingredients to specific products at your preferred stores, making shopping lists more actionable and accurate.

What is Product Linking?

Product linking connects generic ingredients (e.g., "flour") to specific store products (e.g., "King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, 5lb bag").

Benefits

• Precise shopping: Know exactly what to buy
• Price estimates: See approximate costs
• Package sizing: Know how many packages to buy
• Brand preferences: Get your favorite brands
• Chef recommendations: See what the recipe creator uses
• Dietary filtering: Ensure products meet your needs

How Product Linking Works

Automatic Linking

When you add recipes to cart:

1. System matches ingredients to products
2. Uses your store preference
3. Applies your brand preferences
4. Follows chef recommendations (if available)
5. Calculates packages needed
6. Shows in shopping list with prices

Product Preference Modes

Top Rated (Default)

• Selects highest-rated products
• Based on community reviews
• Good quality-to-price ratio
• Most popular choice

Lowest Price

• Finds cheapest available option
• Great for budget cooking
• May be store brands
• Still meets quality standards

Chef Choice

• Uses recipe creator's preferred product
• What the chef tested with
• Ensures authentic results
• May be premium brands

Manual

• You select specific products
• Full control over brands
• Custom preferences
• Override automatic selection

Chef's Preferred Products

Recipe creators can specify preferred products:

• Products they tested the recipe with
• Brands that work best
• Specific package sizes
• Quality requirements

When you add recipe to cart:

• Chef's preference shown as option
• Can choose to use or override
• Marked with "Chef's Pick" badge
• Often includes notes on why

Setting Your Default Store

Configure your preferred store:

1. Go to Profile → Settings
2. Find "Shopping Preferences"
3. Select "Default Store"
4. Choose from available stores
5. Optionally set specific location
6. Save preferences

Currently supported stores:

• Kroger and affiliates (Ralphs, Fred Meyer, etc.)
• More stores coming soon

Product Information

Each linked product shows:

• Product name: Full descriptive name
• Brand: Manufacturer or store brand
• Package size: Net weight or volume
• Package count: Items per package
• Unit price: Price per package (when available)
• Price per unit: Cost per ounce, gram, etc.
• Availability: In stock status
• Packages needed: How many to buy

Understanding Package Calculations

Automatic Calculation

System calculates packages needed based on:

• Total ingredient quantity required
• Package size (net weight)
• Recipe servings
• Multiple recipes using same ingredient

Example:

• Recipe needs: 300g flour
• Package: 5lb (2268g)
• Packages needed: 1
• You'll have: 1968g leftover

Smart Rounding

• Always rounds up to avoid shortages
• Shows total you'll have after purchase
• Indicates leftover amount
• Helps plan pantry stock

Multiple Recipes

If several recipes need the same ingredient:

• Quantities combined automatically
• Single package calculation
• Minimizes waste
• Optimizes purchasing

Example:

• Recipe A: 200g butter
• Recipe B: 150g butter
• Total needed: 350g
• Package: 454g (1lb)
• Packages: 1 (covers both recipes)

Count-Based Products

For items sold by count (eggs, cans, etc.):

• System knows average weights
• Converts recipe amounts to counts
• Rounds up to whole items
• Shows conversion logic

Example:

• Recipe needs: 100g eggs
• Average egg: 50g (large)
• Eggs needed: 2
• Package: 12-count carton
• Packages: 1 carton

Setting Product Preferences

Global Preferences

Set default brands for common ingredients:

1. Visit Ingredients page
2. Find ingredient (e.g., "flour")
3. Select "Set Preferred Product"
4. Choose your brand
5. Applied to all future shopping lists

Recipe-Specific Preferences

Override for individual recipes:

• Recipe creator's recommendation shown
• You can choose different product
• Preference saved for that recipe
• Other recipes unaffected

Preference Priority

System applies preferences in order:

1. Manual product selection (highest)
2. Recipe-specific preference
3. Chef's preferred product
4. Your global brand preference
5. Your preference mode (top rated, lowest price)
6. Default best-available product

Dietary Filters

Products can be filtered by:

• Organic
• Gluten-free
• Non-GMO
• Vegan/Vegetarian
• Store brand vs name brand
• Price range
• Rating threshold

Managing Product Links

Viewing Linked Products

In shopping cart:

• Each ingredient shows linked product
• Click to see full product details
• See price and package info
• View packages needed calculation
• Check availability status

Changing Products

To select different product:

1. Click ingredient in cart
2. Select "Choose Different Product"
3. Filter and search products
4. View comparison (price, rating, size)
5. Select alternative
6. Confirm change

Removing Links

Return to generic ingredient:

• Useful if shopping at different store
• Allows manual selection in store
• Removes price estimates
• Keeps ingredient in list

Product Availability

Real-Time Status

• Green (In Stock): Currently available
• Red (Out of Stock): Not available
• Yellow (Limited): Low inventory
• Gray (Unknown): Status not tracked

Availability Tracking

System monitors:

• Store inventory levels
• Regional differences
• Seasonal items
• Discontinued products

Substitution Suggestions

If product unavailable:

• System suggests alternatives
• Similar products from same category
• Comparable brands and sizes
• Price comparisons provided
• One-click swap option

Price Estimates

How Prices Work

• Based on recent store data
• Updated regularly (usually daily)
• May vary by location
• Consider promotions/sales
• Shown as estimates only

Price Refreshing

Keep prices up-to-date:

1. Open shopping cart
2. Click "Refresh Prices" button
3. System fetches latest data
4. Updates all product prices
5. Shows which prices changed

Prices auto-refresh:

• When adding new recipes
• After 24 hours
• When opening cart

Total Cost Estimates

Shopping cart shows:

• Individual item prices
• Subtotal per recipe
• Cart total estimate
• Potential savings (if switching products)
• Tax not included (varies by location)

Price Tracking

• See price history for products
• Get alerts on price drops
• Compare across brands
• Identify budget-friendly alternatives
• Track spending over time

Store-Specific Features

Kroger Integration

• Real-time product availability
• Store location-specific pricing
• Digital coupon integration (coming soon)
• Online cart building (coming soon)
• Aisle/location information (coming soon)

Coming Soon

• More store integrations
• Universal product codes (UPC)
• Cross-store price comparison
• Local market support
• Farmer's market integration

Recipe Cost Calculation

Product linking enables:

• Recipe cost per serving
• Ingredient cost breakdown
• Budget-friendly recipe filtering
• Cost comparison between recipes
• Monthly meal planning budgets

View on recipe pages when products are linked:

• "Estimated cost per serving"
• Detailed breakdown by ingredient
• Compare to restaurant prices
• Track cooking savings

Product Linking for Recipe Creators

When creating recipes:

• Link to commonly available products
• Avoid overly specific brands unless necessary
• Consider product accessibility
• Note when specific products matter (e.g., "use San Marzano tomatoes")
• Provide substitution suggestions
• Mark chef's preferred products

Benefits for creators:

• Users have better success
• Fewer questions about products
• Builds trust in your recipes
• Can mention affiliate products (with disclosure)

Troubleshooting

Product not found:

• Try generic equivalent
• Check different package sizes
• Search by brand name
• Request product addition (admin review)

Wrong package size calculated:

• Verify ingredient quantity in recipe
• Check unit conversions
• Update serving size if needed
• Report calculation errors

Prices seem wrong:

• Prices vary by location
• Check date of last update
• Sales not always reflected immediately
• Use as estimates only
• Verify at checkout

Product shows unavailable but it's in store:

• Inventory data may be delayed
• Check specific store location
• Manual availability updates coming
• Report discrepancies

Privacy and Data

• Product preferences saved to your account
• Shopping lists are private
• Store preferences not shared publicly
• No purchase data collected
• Prices are anonymized aggregates

Tips for Best Results

1. Set your default store first
2. Configure preferences for staple ingredients
3. Review linked products before shopping
4. Use price refresh regularly
5. Check chef's picks for special recipes
6. Enable dietary filters if applicable
7. Compare products before finalizing
8. Report incorrect package calculations
9. Update availability as you shop
10. Provide feedback on product matches