ChatGPT and ingredient parsing

[jecorn]

On Discord I've seen discussion of ChatGPT parsing of ingredients. Anecdotally, it "didn't work well", but I didn't see any specifics. So I thought to just try it out and post the results. Personally, I was alternatively pleasantly surprised and disappointed. In two tests (English recipes from the mealie demo), ChatGPT got the parsing almost perfect and also clearly recognized the recipe. But in a few other cases, it didn't really parse at all. Hopefully these 3 examples help us think a bit about NLP parsing. Note that in the responses below, it was ChatGPT that automatically made the tables in beautiful markdown format.

PROMPT

Please separate the following list of ingredients into amounts, units, foods, and preparation notes:
28 ounces (800g) boneless/skinless chicken breast (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cornstarch / corn flour
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock ((or broth) -- water can be used)
5 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar ((or substitute good-quality balsamic vinegar))
2 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine ((or dry sherry))
2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sugar*
1 teaspoon cornstarch / corn flour
4 tablespoons cooking oil (divided)
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic ((4-6 cloves))
1 tablespoon ginger
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum) (seeded and diced)
1/2 green bell pepper (capsicum) (seeded and diced)
8-10 dried chilies (cut into ½-inch pieces (adjust to taste))
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, (lightly toasted and ground**)
4 green onion / scallion stems (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1/2 cup roasted/unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons sesame oil (optional)

RESPONSE

Sure, here's a breakdown of the ingredients by amounts, units, foods, and preparation notes:

Amount	Unit	Food	Preparation notes
28	ounces (800g)	boneless/skinless chicken breast	cut into 1 inch cubes
1	tablespoon	shaoxing wine	or dry sherry
1	tablespoon	light soy sauce
2	teaspoons	baking soda
1	teaspoon	cornstarch/corn flour
1/2	cup	low-sodium chicken stock	or broth; water can be used as a substitute
5	tablespoons	light soy sauce
2	tablespoons	Chinese black vinegar	or substitute with good-quality balsamic vinegar
2	tablespoons	Chinese Shaoxing wine	or dry sherry
2	teaspoons	dark soy sauce
2	teaspoons	hoisin sauce
2	tablespoons	sugar*
1	teaspoon	cornstarch/corn flour
4	tablespoons	cooking oil	divided
1 1/2	tablespoons	garlic	4-6 cloves
1	tablespoon	ginger
1/2	red bell pepper (capsicum)	seeded and diced
1/2	green bell pepper (capsicum)	seeded and diced
8-10	dried chilies	cut into 1/2-inch pieces (adjust to taste)
1	tablespoon	Sichuan peppercorns	lightly toasted and ground**
4	green onion/scallion stems	cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2	cup	roasted/unsalted peanuts
2	teaspoons	sesame oil	optional

Notes:

• For the chicken, it is recommended to use boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes.
• Baking soda is used to tenderize the chicken.
• Cornstarch/corn flour is used to thicken the sauce.
• Low-sodium chicken stock or broth can be used, but water can be used as a substitute.
• For the dried chilies, adjust the amount according to your preferred level of spiciness.
• Sichuan peppercorns should be lightly toasted and ground before use.
• Sesame oil is optional and can be used as a finishing touch.****

PROMPT

Please separate the following list of ingredients into amounts, units, foods, and preparation notes:
8 oz unsalted butter (room temp)
14 oz sugar
6 large egg whites (fresh not boxed at room temp)
14 oz AP flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract (use clear for a whiter cake)
1 tsp vanilla extract
10 oz milk (room temp)
2 oz vegetable oil
8 oz pasteurized egg whites (room temperature)
32 oz powdered sugar
32 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
6 oz white chocolate
1 oz warm water
1 tsp warm brown food coloring
2 tsp Truly Mad Plastics super gold
1 Tbsp Everclear (lemon extract or rose water can be used )

RESPONSE

(it's a little creepy how ChatGPT auto-separated teh ingredient list into components for each part)
Sure, here's a breakdown of the ingredients by amounts, units, foods, and preparation notes:

Cake Batter:

Amount	Unit	Food	Preparation notes
8	oz	unsalted butter	room temp
14	oz	sugar
6	large	egg whites	fresh, not boxed, at room temp
14	oz	AP flour
2 1/2	tsp	baking powder
1/2	tsp	salt
1	tsp	almond extract	use clear for a whiter cake
1	tsp	vanilla extract
10	oz	milk	room temp
2	oz	vegetable oil

Buttercream Frosting:

Amount	Unit	Food	Preparation notes
32	oz	powdered sugar
32	oz	unsalted butter	room temp
1/2	tsp	salt
1	Tbsp	vanilla extract

Decoration:

Amount	Unit	Food	Preparation notes
6	oz	white chocolate
1	oz	warm water
1	tsp	warm brown food coloring
2	tsp	Truly Mad Plastics super gold
1	Tbsp	Everclear	lemon extract or rose water can be used

Notes:

• For the cake batter, make sure the butter, egg whites, and milk are at room temperature before starting.
• The almond extract can be substituted with clear almond extract for a whiter cake.
• For the buttercream frosting, make sure the butter is at room temperature before starting.
• For the decoration, warm water can be used to melt the white chocolate and brown food coloring can be added to achieve the desired color. The Truly Mad Plastics super gold and Everclear (or lemon extract or rose water) can be mixed together to create a gold paint for decorating.

But not everything is cakes and ale in the land of ChatGPT:

PROMPT

Please separate the following list of ingredients into amounts, units, foods, and preparation notes:
500g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 3 pieces
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1-2 tsp hot chilli powder
200g natural yogurt
2 tbsp butter, ghee or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground fenugreek
3 tbsp tomato purée
250ml chicken stock
50g flaked almonds, toasted
cooked basmati rice
naan bread
mango chutney or lime pickle
fresh coriander
lime wedges

RESPONSE

• 500g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 3 pieces
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1-2 tsp hot chilli powder
• 200g natural yogurt
• 2 tbsp butter, ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
• Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground fenugreek
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 250ml chicken stock
• 50g flaked almonds, toasted
• Cooked basmati rice
• Naan bread
• Mango chutney or lime pickle
• Fresh coriander
• Lime wedges

Preparation Notes:

• Cut the skinless boneless chicken thighs into 3 pieces.
• Juice the lemon.
• Toast the flaked almonds.
• Cook the basmati rice.
• Optional: Deseed and finely chop the green chilli.

[carylee]

I've been very successful in using ChatGPT (and more recently the gpt-2.5 api) to parse html pages into Mealie's JSON format, then submitting that to the api.

[eikaramba]

care to maybe share your approach? i am very interested in this

[michael-genson]

There's now an open PR for this: #3581. Performance is pretty good with gpt-4o (only takes a 3-5 seconds for a recipe with ~10 ingredients)