An AI Sous Chef?

As you may have picked up from my last post, the last few of weeks have been a lot. Our focus on food has shifted primarily to nutrition, which has greatly simplified the way I cook, but also removed some of the joy of exploration. To top things off, I’m on a cut to try to get down to 15% body fat so I can start a lean bulk and still fit in my clothes. I’ve know it has been a mental block, but suddenly changing the way you eat wreaks havoc in your patterns. Overall, I’m feeling great beginning to lean out, so I know I need to lean into it shifting my resistance from eating so darn healthy to resisting the stuff that is contrary to my goals.

Last week, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced some major upgrades to their models. One that I found particularly interesting was the announcement of personalized GPTs. If you are unfamiliar with ChatGPT, it as an artificial intelligence model trained on the all of the worlds publicly available information on the internet. Personalized GPTs allow even more specific interactions as the AI assistant is specifically focused on returning results for which is trained. As a demonstration, the folks at OpenAI created several examples, one of then called Sous Chef. As the name implies, this assistant is specifically focused on culinary questions.

Over the last week, I’ve been experimenting with using Chat GPT to give me recipe ideas or suggest ways I can use leftover ingredients. Overall, I’m pretty blown away. What you end up with may or may not always be great, but I’ve found that generally it gives you a basic version of a dish that just works. Given it has trained on millions, if not many millions of recipes, it knows what foods go together. You can even ask it to give you a meal plan for a few days, first telling it what types of cuisines you like to eat and what ingredients you have on hand. 

I wanted to test the limits of what it could do, so I decided to take a picture of tomatoes and bananas and ask what I could make. The conversation I had follows:

What can I make with this?

You've got some fresh tomatoes and bananas there. Here are a few ideas you can cook with these ingredients:

1. **Tomato Salad**: Slice the tomatoes and season them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper for a fresh side dish.

2. **Banana Smoothie**: Blend the bananas with some milk or yogurt for a quick and healthy drink.

3. **Tomato Sauce**: Cook down the tomatoes with garlic, onion, and herbs to make a sauce for pasta or pizza.

4. **Banana Bread**: Mash the bananas and bake them into a loaf of banana bread, which is perfect for breakfast or a snack.

Remember, the bananas are sweet and generally used in desserts or breakfast dishes, while the tomatoes are more versatile and can be used in both raw and cooked dishes, from salads to sauces.

Good answer ChatGPT. Clearly you know combining tomatoes and bananas would be weird. But what I really, really wanted to?

Can I make anything that uses both of them at the same time?

Creating a dish that combines tomatoes and bananas is quite unconventional, as they are typically used in very different types of dishes due to their contrasting flavors. However, if you're feeling adventurous, you might consider a few creative ideas:

1. **Chutney**: Make a tomato and banana chutney. The sweetness of the bananas can complement the acidity of the tomatoes, along with other ingredients like onions, vinegar, sugar, and spices.

2. **Fruit Salsa**: Create a fruit salsa with diced tomatoes, bananas, perhaps a bit of onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. This could be served with grilled chicken or fish.

3. **Smoothie Bowl**: Use the banana as a base for a smoothie bowl and create a tomato-based salsa topping with herbs and spices to add an interesting twist.

Remember, these are quite unique recipes and may not appeal to everyone's palate. It could be a fun culinary experiment to see how the sweet and savory flavors meld together.

I love the “that’s pretty unconventional” response. 

Curious about a wine and spice pairing?

What spices can I use on chicken breasts that will pair well with a pinot noir?

Pairing chicken with Pinot Noir, you'd want to consider spices and herbs that complement the wine's flavor profile, which typically includes notes of red berries, cherries, and spices, with a smooth, earthy undertone. Here are some suggestions for spices and herbs that can go well with chicken breasts to be served with Pinot Noir:

1. **Thyme**: Brings out the earthy tones in the wine.

2. **Rosemary**: Its woodsy flavor pairs nicely with the smoothness of Pinot Noir.

3. **Garlic**: A universal spice that adds depth to both the chicken and the wine.

4. **Mustard**: A little Dijon mustard can provide a tangy contrast to the richness of the wine.

5. **Sage**: Offers an earthy, peppery flavor that can complement the subtle complexities of Pinot Noir.

6. **Tarragon**: Its slight licorice flavor can be a good match for the red fruit notes in the wine.

7. **Oregano**: Works well with the herbal notes that some Pinot Noirs possess.

8. **Smoked Paprika**: Adds a touch of smokiness that can enhance the wine's flavor without overpowering it.

9. **Black Pepper**: Provides a spicy kick that can accentuate the wine's natural spice notes.

10. **Fennel**: The anise-like flavor of fennel can bring out the best in the subtle earthiness of Pinot Noir.

When preparing chicken breasts to be served with Pinot Noir, it's also a good idea to consider the cooking method. Roasting or grilling can impart a savory depth to the chicken that meshes well with the wine. Avoid overly spicy or heavy sauces, as they might overshadow the delicate flavors of the Pinot Noir. Instead, aim for a balance of savory with a touch of herbal and earthy tones to bridge the flavors of the chicken and the wine.

AI isn’t going to replace cookbooks or traditional recipes any time soon, but I would’t be so quick to dismiss using it as your personal Sous Chef. Sometimes you just can’t be bothered, but you still need to resist eating junk just because you can’t think of something to make with your random beans, okra, and pickled onions (actually, that sounds really good…over corn bread). Regardless, using tools like AI can be a tool in your kitchen, maybe even to help you resist reaching for that piece of pie.