Computerized cooking with what you’ve got

I was amused to learn that IBM has applied its artificial intelligence engine to suggesting recipes you can cook with what you’ve got on hand (plus a few added bits and pieces, if necessary).  The company calls it “Chef Watson“.

As an impromptu trial, I threw at it a few ingredients I had in the fridge.  The results were surprisingly innovative.  “Hummus” produced recipes for hummus green salad, hummus fruit salad, hummus vegetable dish, hummus cheese dish, and hummus pasta.  Entering “refried beans” drew forth recipes for stews, poultry, and even a beans-and-grits dish (that boggled my mind somewhat).  “Sharp cheddar cheese” produced a number of recipes one might expect, plus oddities like a sharp cheddar cheese tiramisu and a cheese trifle.

All in all, it looks like a rather interesting way to find new and tasty things to cook.  Give Chef Watson a try.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

Peter

1 comment

  1. It seems to let you choose only four things to start …

    So I chose these: Dark chocolate, beef steak, mushrooms, and garlic powder.

    It pointed me at what is essentially a recipe for steak molé.

    But wait … we can make substitutions! *sinister laugh*

    Marjoram??? No no, let's try oregano, that's better.

    Replacing tomato paste with fish sauce? WOT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?)

    Cucumbers in my molé sauce? That's not cricket!

    I do find the idea of making molé with chervil, minced cornichons, prunes, sesame oil, dijon mustard, and turnips to be completely bizarre.

    Is this in essence a kind of automation for wacky couture cuisine?

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