Experimenting with artificial intelligence has become both a hobby and a professional pursuit for me. While I’ve used AI for quick recipe ideas before, I decided to put it to the test by having it plan a full week of dinners tailored to my schedule and dietary preferences. This time, I wanted to see if AI could handle daily meal prep, whether cooking for my wife and me or just for myself. Though my cooking skills are decent, they fall short compared to my wife, who once showcased her culinary talents on a TV show. Nonetheless, I was excited to explore what ChatGPT, my AI sous-chef, could bring to the kitchen.
Setting Up the Week with AI Meal Planning
To start, I planned out the entire week in advance so I could do one big grocery shop. Knowing that my wife and I keep kosher, I made sure to emphasize that the recipes should align with kosher guidelines, such as avoiding pork, shellfish, or combining meat with dairy. I also gave the AI a bit of direction by discussing our tastes and dietary preferences, including some favorite ingredients and dishes.
I began with more specific recipe prompts to see how the AI would respond to tighter guidelines. To my surprise, ChatGPT delivered a kosher chicken recipe for two, and a vegetarian dish featuring rice and seasonal vegetables. The AI’s responses were both accurate and creative. For example, it suggested dishes like roasted herb chicken with glazed carrots and potatoes, as well as rice-stuffed peppers with a spicy tomato sauce. The suggestions were impressively tailored, showing that AI can adapt to specific tastes and dietary restrictions.
I even experimented by uploading images of recipe book pages to see if ChatGPT could use visual references. The results were intriguing, though at times, the AI’s visual ideas of what the dish should look like were a bit off—such as with the chicken and carrots, which lacked visual distinction in the rendering. Despite these minor imperfections, I was impressed with the variety of meals it suggested, which ranged from simple to more advanced dishes.
AI’s Strengths in the Kitchen
As the week progressed, I found that AI was fantastic at putting together a varied and balanced week of meals. One of the standout dishes was herb-crusted salmon with couscous and asparagus. I’d never thought of adding citrus zest to the salmon crust, but the recipe was clear and easy to follow, and the dish turned out delicious. It was a welcome surprise, as the salmon was cooked perfectly, and the citrus zest added a fresh, zesty flavor.
On another evening, the AI guided me through preparing chicken shawarma wraps with tahini sauce and Israeli salad. As I worked, the chatbot provided helpful suggestions for seasoning and adjusting spices. This made the meal even more enjoyable as I felt like I was following a professional’s advice. The meal turned out to be comforting and warming, especially on a chilly evening.
Perhaps the greatest success was the mushroom risotto I prepared from scratch. A more complex dish, it required patience and attention to detail, which the AI provided through meticulous instructions. The truffle oil and white wine suggested by the AI elevated the dish, making it taste far fancier than it actually was. It was a real treat, and the process was satisfying even with the labor-intensive steps.
Not every night was an elaborate affair. Some nights, like when I made a simple grilled vegetable platter with hummus and various dips, helped break up the more intensive cooking days. While these recipes weren’t necessarily hard to find in cookbooks, AI made them feel more customized, and the meal suggestions perfectly matched my time constraints and preferences.
The Kitchen Nightmares: Where AI Fell Short
However, not everything was a smooth culinary journey. On the second day of my experiment, I encountered a serious mishap with a sweet potato curry. The recipe seemed promising at first—hearty, spicy, and full of flavor. However, I made the mistake of following the AI’s suggestion to use an excessive amount of garam masala and cayenne pepper. Although I enjoy spicy food, the result was nearly inedible. The curry was far too spicy, and my mouth was left burning for hours. Furthermore, the sweet potatoes didn’t cook properly, and the texture was unpleasant. It was an unfortunate lesson in knowing when to adjust the recipe and trust my instincts. If I’d scaled back the spices and checked cooking times, the dish might have turned out much better.
The final night was equally disappointing. I thought a dairy-free baked ziti would be an easy and fun dish to wrap up the week. Unfortunately, the AI didn’t seem to understand the nuances of plant-based cheeses when baked. The result was a grainy, unpleasant texture that made it difficult to enjoy. To make matters worse, the AI recommended mixing the marinara sauce with nutritional yeast, which created a bland, bitter taste that didn’t complement the rest of the dish. What looked fine on the surface ended up as a chore to eat, and I was left regretting my decision to trust the AI’s advice.
Key Takeaways from My AI Meal Experiment
This experiment with AI in the kitchen solidified my opinions about using AI in cooking, both positively and negatively. On the one hand, AI is a fantastic helper for generating meal ideas, creating shopping lists, and offering detailed cooking instructions. It’s great for getting inspiration and experimenting with new dishes, and it can certainly elevate simple meals into something more exciting.
However, AI is not yet capable of replacing human intuition and experience in the kitchen. While it can produce good recipes, the final execution is still dependent on human judgment. For example, if you think a recipe might be too spicy or if a cooking time seems off, it’s essential to trust your own judgment and make adjustments as needed. AI’s suggestions are only as good as the prompts it’s given, and it can’t always anticipate the intricacies of certain ingredients or techniques.
In the future, AI could become an even better kitchen assistant with improved recipe understanding and more accurate ingredient substitutions. Until then, AI can be a great source of culinary inspiration and a reliable helper for the busy cook—but it’s not quite ready to replace the expertise and creativity of human chefs.
How You Can Use AI in the Kitchen Without the Disasters
If you want to experiment with AI in your own cooking, here are a few tips to help you avoid the pitfalls I encountered:
- Provide Clear and Detailed Prompts: Be specific about your preferences, dietary restrictions, and ingredient choices. The more detailed your prompt, the better the AI’s suggestions will be.
- Adjust for Taste: Always trust your instincts when it comes to spice levels and flavor combinations. AI may not always get it right.
- Do Some Research: If you’re using plant-based or alternative ingredients, make sure to check how they behave in cooking, as AI might not fully understand these substitutions.
- Be Open to Experimentation: Use AI for inspiration and as a guide, but be ready to improvise and adjust recipes based on your experience and what you have on hand.
- Don’t Rely Solely on AI: While AI is a great tool, it’s still important to have a solid understanding of cooking techniques and ingredients. Combine the power of AI with your own cooking knowledge for the best results.
Conclusion
Using AI as a kitchen assistant was an eye-opening experience. While the technology showed great promise in helping me create a variety of meals, it also highlighted the importance of human input in the cooking process. AI can be a helpful tool for meal planning, generating new ideas, and learning new techniques, but it’s far from perfect. With a little tweaking, patience, and a healthy dose of culinary intuition, you can use AI to enhance your cooking without falling into the traps I faced. Happy cooking, and enjoy your next AI-inspired meal!