AI platforms like ChatGPT can be used to come up with meal ideas and food substitutions. However, some functionalities are limited when it comes to recipes, such as incorrectly identifying ingredients and making unappetizing recommendations.

Coming up with ideas for meals and ingredient substitutions can take a lot of mental energy. You can use AI to do this work for you.

I used ChatGPT to cook dinner. Keep reading for my thoughts, as well as what I would do differently if I did it again.

The quickest way to get started with recipe ideation is to use the photo upload feature. Note that you must create an account with ChatGPT to upload images.

I took photos of my refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to input what I had. I found that this was more convenient than typing out a list, but that is also an option if you would rather input ingredients in that format.

The first barrier I ran into was the photo limit — I was only able to upload four photos at once. I couldn’t capture everything I had in just four photos, so I had to type the rest of the ingredients out. I found this to be an inconvenience in a process that is supposed to make cooking more convenient.

Tips for inputting ingredients

  • If you’re taking photos, put all of your ingredients on a counter or table. This can improve the visibility of each ingredient. It may also reduce the amount of pictures you need to upload, as everything is together in one place.
  • Repurpose your grocery list. Cross off any ingredients you no longer have and add on anything that is not included. A physical grocery list can be uploaded as a picture, and a digital grocery list could be copy and pasted. This can save you some typing or writing.

ChatGPT gave me 5 recipes I could make with what I had on hand.

The first issue I ran into was that some of the recipes included ingredients I didn’t include in my photos or my typed list. It recommended making a cheese quesadilla, but I did not have any tortillas. This brought me down to only four ideas.

You may be able to avoid this issue if you only put your ingredient list into writing, but writing everything out can be tedious.

The second issue I had was that some of the ingredient combinations were unappetizing. For example, one of the recipes recommended melting shredded cheese over a bowl of chickpeas and rice. Everyone has their own tastes, but this was not it for me.

To ChatGPT’s credit, I did not have a lot of ingredients on hand. However, this is when I would be most inclined to use ChatGPT for recipe ideation: when I can’t figure out what to do with leftover odds and ends.

Once you find a recipe that you like, you can ask ChatGPT to expand on directions for making it. This also includes the servings and total time.

You can also prompt it for a more in-depth nutritional breakdown per serving. This will include macronutrients and micronutrients.

The macronutrients include:

  • calories
  • protein
  • carbohydrates
  • fiber
  • total sugar
  • fat
  • saturated fat

It will also break down the macronutrients in each ingredient, as well as the amount of each ingredient included per serving.

The micronutrients include:

  • iron
  • calcium
  • vitamin A
  • vitamin C
  • sodium

Below is the recipe I decided on from my list of recommendations:

RECIPE

Beef and Spinach Stir-Fry with Rice

Serves 3

Dinner

Cook Time: 25min

Prep Time: 5min

About this recipe:

A recipe made by ChatGPT.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 sliced carrot
  • 1 sliced celery stalk
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika or chili flakes (optional)
  • juice from 1/2 lemon
Instructions:
  1. Rinse rice under water or until the water runs clear. Cook according to package instructions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the beef and cook for about five minutes, breaking it up as it browns.
  3. Slice the carrots and celery. Stir them into the pan, cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes until slightly tender.
  4. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  5. Add the frozen spinach directly to the pan. Stir and cook until the spinach is heated through, about 3 minutes.
  6. Add soy sauce, black pepper, and paprika or chili flakes. Stir everything together and cook for another minute. Squeeze in lemon juice.
  7. Spoon the beef stir-fry mixture onto the cooked rice.

I found the cook times to be a little on the low end, specifically for getting the vegetables to be tender. I added on around 5 additional minutes getting the carrots and celery to be soft, as well as ensuring the spinach was cooked all the way through.

Food swaps were a stronger point for ChatGPT than recipe ideation.

For example, one of the recipes it came up with suggested serving pickles on the side. I found this to be a poor pairing, as it was a rice dish. When I asked for an alternative, it suggested the kimchi I also had, which was a much better choice for the dish.

Separate from the recipe ideation mentioned above, ChatGPT was also able to provide some more generic asks.

For example, when asked for a gluten-free substitute for white flour, it came up with 6 alternatives and listed the flavor profile and substitution ratio for each.

For recipe ideation, I would not recommend using ChatGPT. Between the errors made in identifying ingredients, unappetizing ingredient combinations, and inaccurate time estimates, it’s just not there yet for me.

For ingredient substitutions, ChatGPT is a great resource. Instead of looking up alternative ingredients, and then looking up the ratio, and then trying to find which would taste best, all of the information is combined in one place.

ChatGPT can be used as a resource for recipe ideas and ingredient swaps. It can provide recipes using what you have on hand, as well as detailed instructions and nutritional information.

However, some functionalities may be limited. I found it had problems correctly identifying ingredients, and it also came up with unappetizing ingredient combinations. However, prompting it for ingredient substitutions was effective.

Ultimately, everyone’s experience with AI is personal. You may have an entirely different experience than I did. If it’s something you’re interested in doing, keep using it, and it will keep learning and improving.