I tried an AI-generated recipe and here’s how it went

I entered a prompt for ChatGPT to work with, which included context and limitations to allow for a recipe tailored to what I wanted to cook. Adding context and limitations to your prompt guarantees a more personalised response from the chatbot.

For instance, I specified what I had in my fridge and the type of dish I want to cook, in this case a pasta dish. Within seconds, the chatbot generated a quick recipe for a tomato and sausage pasta with caramelised onions, complete with a list of ingredients and measurements.

In classic ChatGPT style, the response ended with a sweet greeting to enjoy my meal too.

After gathering my ingredients from the pantry and making a quick trip to the grocery store, I was ready to start. For someone who likes to cook by estimations, it's sometimes a challenge to stick to the recipe but I tried to make an effort to keep to ChatGPT's simple but detailed steps.

The ingredients were quite basic, easily sourced from the local grocery store. I already had Italian sausages in my freezer. Althought the recipe called for only two to three sausages, I went ahead and used my entire pack of four.

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Once prep was done, I started boiling the pot of water for the pasta and caramelised the onions according to the recipe's timing. After the onions were done, I added more olive oil and arranged the sausages in the pan for them to brown on the side, flipping them after a couple of minutes. 

I removed the sausages from the pan as soon as they were cooked. Then, I tossed in the garlic and cooked them until they were fragrant before adding in the tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper into the skillet. After letting the ingredients simmer for the specified five to seven minutes, I added in the onions and sausages to stir for another two to three minutes. 

By now, the pasta had been drained and set aside. I added the pasta into the sauce and tossed it to make sure the sauce was properly incorporated. 

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While the recipe was easy to follow, I think the process could have been a little more specific. Though the dish turned out fine as a whole, it was slightly under seasoned and could have been improved in some ways.

First, the recipe didn't specify the type of onion to be used although an experienced cook would know that yellow onions are usually used for caramelised onions. It also didn't specify enough time for the onion to be properly caramelised and infused into the sauce; in the end, it didn't serve much purpose besides giving the dish texture. Personally, I would have preferred red onions or shallots for more sweetness and depth.

Second, the recipe calls for one can of crushed tomatoes. In parentheses, however, it notes that it should be 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes. A standard can is about 14 ounces, so anyone who misses the 28-ounce indication would end up making only half the amount of sauce.

Third, it was tough slicing raw Italian sausages, resulting in many of the slices being deformed, missing the skin, or flattened. In my opinion, a better way to go about prepping the sausages would be the boil or grill them first before slicing and browning them to make sure the sausages maintain their shape.

Lastly, the recipe consists of a few steps that require some time, yet it directs for the pasta to be cooked first. Boxed pasta should take about nine to 11 minutes on average to cook. Meanwhile, the recipe includes several steps that amount to more than 20 minutes, which means the pasta would have to be drained and set aside, giving it time to overcook in the residual heat and potentially stick together before the sauce was added. For someone who might have no prior technical knowledge on cooking, following this recipe to a tee might result in a subpar dish.

My word of advice: Get recipe ideas from ChatGPT, especially when trying to clear out the pantry, but apply your own kitchen knowledge to make your dish the best that it can be.

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