NYT Cooking’s AI-powered recipe modifier

WIRED GearPosted 7 days ago

NYT Cooking Launches AI-Powered Recipe Customization Beta on iOS

The New York Times has introduced an AI-powered recipe customization feature currently in beta for NYT Cooking iOS subscribers. According to hands-on testing by WIRED, the tool capably adjusts instructions for dietary needs, ingredient substitutions, and alternative cookware while clearly highlighting all recipe modifications. However, access is currently limited to an iOS beta for subscribers, and the platform explicitly notes that AI-altered versions are not tested or endorsed by the original recipe developers.

Read the original at WIRED Gear

Buying brief

Worth considering if you already use NYT Cooking on iOS and want to adapt a recipe to ingredients or equipment you have. WIRED’s Joe Ray found the visible substitutions useful across several recipes, but reported a texture issue when the tool kept shredded chicken breast simmering for about 30 minutes.

Best suited for

NYT Cooking subscribers using the iOS app who want help substituting ingredients or equipment, adjusting recipes for dietary needs, or using what is already in the kitchen.

Highlights

The tool integrates edits into the recipe and marks them in red-orange text, making changes easier to spot while cooking.
It can account for cooking differences: in Ray’s chicken-and-dumplings test, it reduced the simmering time for chicken breast and added butter to compensate for less rendered fat.
For requests that do not fit a recipe, such as turning noodles into a cookie, it can redirect users to a better-suited recipe.

Before you buy

The feature was an iOS-only beta in the article; the New York Times did not say when it would reach other platforms.
Ray found the suggested extra simmer for shredded chicken breast left it less succulent; modified recipes are not tested or endorsed by their original creators.
The feature is for subscribers.

Savlume Editorial Team. Editorial analysis of the source; not a hands-on test. Read source ↗

Media review

Review findings & buying advice

Based on WIRED Gear · Joe Ray ↗. Editorial summary of the source; not a Savlume hands-on test.

WIRED’s Joe Ray found the iOS beta useful for recipe substitutions and adapting dishes, while noting a chicken-breast timing change that hurt the meat’s texture.

Who it may suit
NYT Cooking subscribers on iOS who want help adapting recipes to available ingredients, equipment, or dietary needs.

What the source liked

Edits appear throughout the recipe in visible red-orange text, and users can switch between the modified and original versions.
Ray found that the tool adjusted related instructions, including cooking times and ingredient amounts, rather than merely swapping an ingredient name.
For an unsuitable request, it redirected Ray to a recipe better suited to the requested dish.

Trade-offs & limitations

In Ray’s chicken-and-dumplings test, the tool recommended returning shredded chicken breast to the pot for about 30 minutes; he found the meat less succulent than the reserved portion.
The modified recipes are labeled as AI versions that are not tested or endorsed by the original recipe creators.

Source testing context
Ray describes trying the feature over several days across multiple recipe modifications and cooking some of the resulting recipes.