How to turn an AI bot into your sous chef

Grocery shopping and whipping up something for dinner are regular, consistent chores.

But you can use artificial intelligence to help save time and money in the kitchen.

Here are some ways to use AI to transform how you shop and make food for your family.

ChefGPT

You may have asked ChatGPT before to come up with a recipe for you and it works just fine. But for a more specialized resource, try using ChefGPT as a personal chef.

Use it online or through the iOS or Android app to get recipe suggestions with instructions and culinary tips. Photos come with most of the recipes as well, which can be a big bonus.

Choose the PantryChef option to type in any ingredients you have on hand and get a recipe that incorporates them. PantryChef also takes into account which meal you’re preparing, the tools available, how much time you have and your skill level.

The MasterChef tab allows you to inspire ChefGPT with flavors you like or even the nuances of a meal you’d like to prepare. Filter the recipes by the number of people eating, how much time is available to cook and skill level.

Those targeting specific macronutrients like carbs, proteins and fats can use MacrosChef to find the perfect recipe based on dietary requirements.

And tell MealPlanChef your gender, body measurements, age, dietary requirements and whether your goal is to eat healthy, lose weight or gain muscle. It will create a meal plan for you, but only for three days if using the app for free.

That Basic free plan will also allow 10 recipe generations and the saving of five recipes per month. For the Pro plan at $2.99 each month, get a 30 day meal plan, unlimited recipes and no ads.

DishGen

DishGen is an artificial intelligence recipe generator based on ingredients and preferences, plus it will suggest ingredient substitutions. Users receive one recipe suggestion per prompt and if none of the suggestions seem appealing, they can request changes until the recipe is exactly what they need.

Each recipe creation or modification uses one credit and users with a free membership to DishGen get 15 recipe credits each month. The premium model for $7.99 per month will suggest seven recipes with each prompt and access to the remix feature. Users who find the almost perfect dish can make a tweak, like asking for a gluten-free option and the remix tool will get it done.

Premium has no ads and grants early access to any new tools that pop up on DishGen. The Pro version of DishGen ads image generations, a privacy mode and a commercial license to use and distribute recipes for $15.99 per month.

Caper Cart

Artificial Intelligence is making trips to the grocery store easier, as well. Instacart is offering grocery chains a smart grocery cart equipped with all sorts of cameras and sensors. The Caper Cart has a touch screen and shoppers scan their items as they go into the carts. The cart checks off their grocery list and uses cameras and weight sensors to recognize the item and scan it. Then shoppers can check out through the cart and get a digital receipt without ever heading to the checkout counter.

And Sam’s Club is using artificial intelligence to cut down the length of time people wait for a human to verify their receipt after checkout. This friction-free exit experience utilizes a scanner and computer vision technology to ensure a customer has indeed paid for everything in the cart. At stores where the technology is already deployed, Sam’s Club claims members get out the door 23% faster than before. The company says this technology will be in every one of its stores by the end of 2024.