Get the most out of generating recipes

CONTENTS:

• Inventory everything
• Be thorough
• Be descriptive
• Quanitify
• Prioritize ingredients
• Use keywords
• Select categories
• Tailor the recipe type
• Give yourself options
• Safety first
• Approach with an open mind

Inventory everything

Start by building up your inventory of ingredients and tools.

• Load up your list of staples. The AI will draw from this list to create your recipes and do its best not to use any ingredients that you don’t already have on hand. By providing a comprehensive ingredient inventory, you allow the AI to explore a broader range of combinations. Staples can be anything from spices and peanut butter to eggs and your favorite milk beverage.
• Add as many equipment options as you have access to. If the AI doesn’t know about your blender, you’ll probably never get a recipe for a smoothie.
• Review your pantry items before generating recipes. Add items that you've restocked and remove those you've run out of.

Be thorough

Enter all the non-staple food you have on hand into the 'food' section of the recipe generation form, not just the items you think might go well together. This includes perishables, leftovers, and even those exotic ingredients you've been saving for a special occasion. The AI possesses vast knowledge of flavor profiles and culinary techniques and can surprise you with innovative recipes with unexpectedly delightful combinations.

Be descriptive

The more specific you can be about the food items you need to use up, the better the AI can put them to use. For example:

• use “2 raw chicken breasts” or “2 cooked chicken breasts” instead of “chicken”
• use “6 whole grain dinner rolls” or “6 slices of white bread" instead of “bread”
• use “400mL canned chickpeas” or “2 cups dried chickpeas" instead of “chickpeas”
• use “1 cup uncooked rice” or “2 cups leftover rice” instead of “rice”
• use “2lbs russet potatoes” or “1.5lbs baby potatoes” instead of “potatoes”
• use “fresh basil” or “dried basil” instead of “basil”

This also means avoiding brand names where possible. The AI might misinterpret the kind of food item that is intended. For example:

• use "puffed rice cereal" instead of "Rice Krispies"
• use "Irish cream liquer" instead of "Bailey's"
• use "chocolate hazelnut spread" instead of "Nutella"

Quanitify

Non-staple ingredients can be entered into the 'food' section of the generate recipe form with or without a quantity. If you enter a quantity, the AI will try to use that amount in the recipe. If you don’t enter a quantity, the AI will use whatever amount that makes sense for the recipe. If you have a certain amount of an ingredient, enter a quantity to ensure that the AI tires to use it up.

Prioritize food items

Check the 'prioritize food items' option to influence the recipe to include the food listed first in the list over the rest. The form entry field lets you drag and drop the food items you entered into whatever order you prefer. If you have perfectly ripe avocados or lettuce that is starting to wilt, make sure to list these first and check the prioritize checkbox.

Use keywords

Keywords can reflect things such as your mood like “comfort food” or "high energy", a food theme like "Mexican” or "Christmas", the number of portions you need to make, or the maximum time you have to prepare the recipe. The more specific you are, the closer the AI's recipe will be to your desired outcome.

Pro tips for using keywords:

• Use "not" keywords. For example, if you have a lot of greens to use up but aren't in the mood for a salad, enter "not salad" into the keywords to nudge the AI in a different direction.
• Suggest the recipe title. You might have the items on hand to make a specific meal, but need instructions to prepare it. Suggest the name of that dish in the keywords to inspire the AI to make something like it.
• Indicate specific cooking equipment or techniques to use. If you've got the midnight munchies and already have an air fryer listed in your equipment, try adding "air fryer" to the keywords for a quick and crispy snack.

Select categories

Steer the AI to make a dish that fits your scenario. Select as many categories as you’d like and the AI will try to match at least one.

Tailor the recipe type

Controlling the types of recipes that get generated, like vegan or gluten-free, can be done a couple of ways. The best way is to omit the offending food items from your ingredients like milk, eggs, all-purpose flour, and couscous. Removing the availble ingredients also removes the choices that the AI has to choose from. The other way is to add these recipe types as keywords to influence the AI, but this can be less reliable if your ingredient inventory still contains conflicting food items.

Give yourself options

When you generate multiple recipes with the same form criteria, you will get different results. Generating multiple recipes is a great way to get a variety of options to choose from. The recipe generation form remembers your recent food and keyword selections (for up to 2 days) making it quick to run recipes over and over.

Safety first

While AI does its best to suggest great combinations, always ensure that the ingredients you're using are fresh and safe to consume.

Approach with an open mind

The recipes might be out of the ordinary, but they could lead to your next favorite dish! And while the AI can create a recipe based on logic and vast data, it doesn’t have the luxury to taste all this delicious food. Use your descretion and common sense, just like you would with any other recipe you find on the internet. By embracing this approach, you not only make the most of the ingredients you have but also allow AI to surprise you with its culinary creativity. Next time you're unsure of what to cook, tap into the power of AI, and let it guide your culinary adventure!