I Let AI Decide What I'd Eat for 24 hours (YIKES)

Show Notes

I used Claude by Anthropic on my phone to design and tweak a soup recipe from photos of my fridge. Here’s how it works, what I learned, and practical tips to run this yourself.

Setup and what you need

• A mobile device (iPhone or Android) for quick photo capture
• Claude by Anthropic (CLA) app
• A new chat thread for each fridge/coup combo you want to test

How it works (step-by-step)

1. Open CLA on your phone and start a new thread.
2. Tap the camera icon and snap photos of your fridge, counters, and whatever you want to include.
3. Ask for a recipe (e.g., “Come up with a hearty soup recipe based on these ingredients.”).
4. CLA returns a recipe with ingredients, step-by-step instructions, and reasoning for substitutions.
5. If you want changes, you can iterate: swap ingredients, adjust quantities, or add items, and CLA adapts.
6. Ask for flavor tweaks (e.g., boosting umami, brightness) and CLA suggests specific steps.
7. You can request a final version in Markdown so you can copy-paste or share easily.

Real-time customization examples

• Substitutions
  • Swap butterbeans for another legume
  • Replace white onion with red onion if you have more of one
  • Add broccoli if you want more veg or to use up produce
  • Add beef for extra protein
• Flavor and texture tweaks
  • Suggestions to brighten the dish
  • Umami boosters and other enhancements
  • When to add dairy (e.g., cream) for texture and flavor
• Iterative refinement
  • You can re-run the recipe with new ingredients in mind
  • CLA explains its reasoning for substitutions and adjustments
• Final output
  • You can get a complete final recipe and instructions in Markdown for easy sharing

Output and sharing

• The final recipe can be provided as Markdown text, ready to copy-paste to a friend or document
• Save the recipe for future use or share directly from the app

Other use cases beyond recipes

• Learn how to use the CLA camera and app effectively
• Troubleshoot or analyze plants by photographing them and asking questions
• Use CLA for ongoing projects around the house or quick questions about what you can do next

Practical tips for getting the best results

• Lighting matters: take clear, well-lit photos of ingredients and quantities
• Be explicit in prompts: “based on these ingredients, give me a soup recipe with X substitutions”
• Use iterative prompts: start with a basic recipe, then ask for substitutions and tweaks
• Capture a complete shot set: fridge items, pantry items, and any perishables you want included
• Export and share: take advantage of the Markdown output to quickly share with friends

Takeaways

• Fast generation: from fridge photos to a full, customizable recipe without hunting through long articles
• Highly adaptable: you can swap ingredients on the fly and get updated guidance
• Portable workflow: work from mobile, save results, and share easily
• Beyond recipes: useful for learning camera use, diagnosing in-progress projects, and quick questions around the house

Limitations and caveats

• Results depend on photo quality and the items CLA can recognize
• Substitutions and flavor tweaks are AI-guided—verify nutrition and taste expectations
• Not a replacement for comprehensive recipes or dietary constraints without double-checking

Links

• Claude by Anthropic — official page: Claude setup and access
• Claude mobile app (iPhone/Android) — use to snap photos and build recipes from your fridge

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