I guess you could install cockpit (via Terminal, sorry, but it’s pretty straightforward and there are good guides). After that, you could use the cockpit web interface to deploy docker/podman containers. It’s a bit clunky sometimes, but it does the job purely in UI.

You can also manage updates, backups, etc via cockpit if you install the required modules.

As base, I’d use any stable Linux distro that’s reccomended for server use.

Edit: Comment was in wrong place, refiled as op level comment.

I don’t like buying perishable stuff without having a plan for it, because I know I’ll forget about it half the time.

I do that all the time. I have 4 super markets I can easily walk to, so I usually just get the stuff I need for whatever I’m gonna cook. Don’t usually do the whole “weekly shopping” thing. Makes it more annoying to plan for when you need fresh stuff, and how long you can store it.

If I already have some of the ingredients I need, it isn’t that uncommon that it’s less than 10 items total.