Tamarin
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Comparison

Tamarin vs NYT Cooking

Both help you cook at home, in different ways. Everything below about NYT Cooking comes from its own store listings and pages, checked on Nov 7, 2026, with a source for every claim.

NYT Cooking is best at

A large catalogue of tested, editor-curated recipes from well-known cooks, with strong video and a very large community of ratings and notes.

4.9★ from about 550K ratings on the US App Store; 1M+ installs on Google Play.

Tamarin is best at

Cooking hands-free: it reads each step aloud and answers your voice, then plans the week, builds a shopping list anyone can open from a link, and reminds you before pantry food expires.

Free (with ads) · PRO $6.99 a month. New accounts get PRO free for 5 cooks or 60 days.

Feature by feature

“Not listed” means we couldn’t find it in NYT Cooking’s store listings or help pages, not that it’s missing.

Tamarin compared with NYT Cooking, feature by feature
FeatureTamarinNYT Cooking
Reads the steps aloud Yes

PRO

Partly

Only through connected Meta AI glasses (iPhone 15 or later, iOS 26)

Source
Hands-free voice commands Yes

PRO · “read step”, “next step”, “go back”, “show ingredients”

Partly

Same glasses-only mode: “next”, “back”, “help”, “exit”

Source
Step-by-step cook mode Yes

Step-by-step view free; guided “Let’s Cook” mode is PRO

Yes

Step-by-step instructions with ingredient check-off

Source
Built-in recipe catalogue Yes

800 recipes, priced and with nutrition

Yes

20,000+ editor-tested recipes

Source
Import a recipe from any website Yes

PRO

No

Recipes hosted outside NYT Cooking can’t be saved

Source
Meal planner Yes

PRO

Not listed

Recipe Box folders; no planner is documented

Source
Shopping list you can share Yes

PRO · share a link; others check items off without an account

Partly

Subscribers only; share by email or text; you can’t add your own items

Source
Pantry with expiry reminders Yes

PRO · a reminder before anything expires

Not listed

Not mentioned

Source
Nutrition per recipe Yes

Calories and macros on every recipe; full breakdown is PRO

Partly

“A rough estimate only”, not on all recipes

Source
Cost per recipe or serving Yes

Free · estimated ingredient cost on every recipe

Not listed

Not mentioned

Source
PlatformsiPhone and AndroidiPhone, iPad, Android and the web
PriceFree (with ads) · PRO $6.99 a month. New accounts get PRO free for 5 cooks or 60 days.Free with limited access · Cooking subscription from $7.99 a month or $54.99 a year, as listed on the App Store (several prices are listed)Source

Where NYT Cooking is stronger

  • A far bigger, editor-tested catalogue: 20,000+ recipes against Tamarin’s 800.
  • Recipes from well-known cooks, with video and a large community of notes.
  • A website as well as the apps.

Where Tamarin is different

  • Tamarin reads steps aloud and takes voice commands on the phone itself. NYT Cooking’s hands-free mode needs connected Meta AI glasses.
  • Tamarin imports a recipe from any website. NYT Cooking’s help centre says recipes hosted elsewhere can’t be saved to your Recipe Box.
  • Tamarin has a meal planner, a pantry with expiry reminders, and a shopping list that anyone can open from a link.

How Tamarin’s recipes are built

Steps you can follow at a glance

Every recipe is rewritten into short steps in cooking order, one action each. The prep the ingredient list asks for, like chopping, rinsing or softening, comes first as your mise en place. Code checks every number in a step against the original recipe, so the quantities, times and temperatures are the recipe’s own.

The ingredients, in the step that uses themPRO

In guided cooking, each step names its ingredients and shows them beside the step with the amount that step needs. Swap an ingredient for an alternative and the swap follows you through every step.

RemindersPRO

Plan a meal and Tamarin reminds you when it’s time to cook it. Keep a pantry and it reminds you before something expires.

Cost and nutrition, worked out ingredient by ingredient

Each recipe’s estimated cost and nutrition are added up from its ingredient lines, and when some lines couldn’t be counted, the recipe says how many it was based on. An ingredient whose nutrition had to be estimated is marked, and says how. The cost is free on every recipe; the full nutrition breakdown is PRO.

Which should you choose?

Choose NYT Cooking if you want trusted, tested recipes from a famous kitchen and mainly cook from its catalogue. Choose Tamarin if you want to cook without touching your phone, with each step read aloud and your voice answered, and keep your meal plan, shopping list and pantry in the same app.

Questions

Does NYT Cooking read recipes aloud?
Reading steps aloud: partly. Only through connected Meta AI glasses (iPhone 15 or later, iOS 26). Voice commands: partly. Same glasses-only mode: “next”, “back”, “help”, “exit”. Tamarin reads each step aloud and answers commands such as “next step”, “go back” and “show ingredients”, with PRO.
How much does NYT Cooking cost?
Free with limited access · Cooking subscription from $7.99 a month or $54.99 a year, as listed on the App Store (several prices are listed). Tamarin is free with ads; PRO is $6.99 a month, and new accounts get PRO free for 5 cooks or 60 days.
Does NYT Cooking have a meal planner and a shared shopping list?
Meal planner: not listed in NYT Cooking's store listings or help pages. Shopping list: partly. Subscribers only; share by email or text; you can’t add your own items. Tamarin has both with PRO, and its list opens from a link for anyone, with no account needed.
Which has more recipes, Tamarin or NYT Cooking?
NYT Cooking: yes. 20,000+ editor-tested recipes. Tamarin has 800 recipes, each with an estimated ingredient cost and nutrition, and it imports recipes from any website with PRO.

Sources

Checked on Nov 7, 2026.

Product names are trademarks of their owners. Tamarin isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by NYT Cooking. Apps change: if anything here is out of date, write to [email protected] and we’ll correct it.