ChatGPT

ChatGPT is OpenAI's general chat assistant, and a lot of home cooks use it as a recipe sounding board. You can list what's in the fridge and ask for a dinner, ask it to halve a recipe or convert cups to grams, or ask what to use instead of buttermilk when you've run out.

It is good at turning a vague idea into a plan with steps and a shopping list, and at adjusting a recipe to the pans and time you have. You can also paste in a recipe from a site and ask for a shorter version or a printable list.

Treat the result as a draft from a helpful friend, not a tested recipe. Check cooking temperatures and times against a trusted source, especially for meat, poultry, eggs and canning, and read every ingredient if anyone at the table has an allergy. The free plan has usage limits, and paid plans add more.