How to Use AI to Create Recipes Based on Ingredients in the Fridge
The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s are filled with celebrations, treats, and activities. The best part? Leftovers.
It’s that time of year when normal routines are disrupted as Christmas approaches. With the winter holidays, end-of-year parties, and holiday spirit upon us, we get a break from the overwhelming amount of food hauling and meal prep. If this sounds like your family during the holidays, you’re doing something right.
But you still have to eat, this is AI can help. While AI can’t cook for you yet, it can provide services Recipe Ideas Depending on what’s in the fridge…takeout leftovers, Christmas party plates, items stashed in the pantry, and anything else edible.
Artificial Intelligence is a handy tool Menu planning and Turn restaurant dishes into recipes Make it at home. In order to turn the contents of the refrigerator into delicious meals, we will use the most famous artificial intelligence tools, Chat GPT.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is released in 2022, but with various major updates, Especially the free version. There is a premium subscription for $20 per month, but the free version can generate some great ideas, too.
Yes, chef!
Turn refrigerator mess into a meal
Step one: Take photos of the contents of your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Just make sure to check all expiration dates, as use-by dates on sauces and pantry items can be easily missed.
Step 2: ChatGPT is better at deciphering text than photos, so create a list of ingredients to avoid any misunderstandings or hallucination. (True story: I once used garam masala instead of cinnamon in banana bread because they had the same bottle. So, even with humans, mistakes happen.)
It’s important to only add ingredients to your list that you’re likely to use. Specify any cravings, dietary preferences, meal type and how many people you want to cook for in the prompt.
Step 3: Log in to ChatGPT and open a new message to add your first tip.
Here are my first tips and ingredients list:
Chef ChatGPT performed quite well right off the bat. It suggests a cheesy mushroom and rice frittata with arugula salad for lunch, and brioche mushroom-feta sliders with chips for dinner. Um.
It did turn me off to the sauce in it, though: Ranch Dressing and Ketchup or BBQ sauce? Maybe not.
Step 4: Use ChatGPT to discuss your likes and dislikes. For example, I liked the first meal suggestions, but wanted to see what other dishes Chef ChatGPT could come up with.
Next comes this tip: “Offer an alternative dinner option that uses the same ingredients but adds more protein.”
The interesting thing about chatbots is that they help spark ideas. For example, instead of running to the store to buy protein for brioche sliders or relying on eggs to make dinner, I asked if I had the ingredients for a vegetable pie.
Step 5: Once you’ve confirmed your new ingredients, let ChatGPT add them to the original recipe so you don’t create a new mixture or go off topic.
After swapping out the “mushroom feta stack” (do you blame me?) for a vegetable patty, I got the ingredients and detailed cooking instructions for the Cheesy Mushroom and Rice Frittata with Arugula Salad, and Brioche Mushroom and feta sliders with potato chips. Some of them look like this:
Make sure to include staples in your pantry because ChatGPT would not generate the meatloaf recipe if I missed the bread crumbs or cornstarch.
Step 6: Finally scan your refrigerator and cookbooks. For example, ChatGPT missed adding almonds and cranberries to the arugula salad, so I made a note of that.
Step 7: Take a screenshot of the final result to display it on your phone while you cook, or keep the ChatGPT tab open and work right away in the kitchen.
This time of year doesn’t have to be wasted. Take advantage of more ingredients in your refrigerator and follow the cooking creativity of ChatGPT chefs.
