Chat GPT's Grilled Chicken Pita Wrap

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 pita breads
2 tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 cup tzatziki sauce
Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped (optional)

Instructions:Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
(Andre's commentary: Good temperature, but I would definitely do the next step first because I want the chicken to stay marinating for a longer time than it takes to preheat a grill)

In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Rub mixture over the chicken breasts.

(Great seasoning blend; one minor tweak I'd make here is to use thighs over breasts. Breasts dry out much more easily in the intense heat of a grill as compared to thighs because breasts have much less fat, and much less collagen. If you want a leaner option, sure, use breasts, but beware of cooking times and temperature controls, since breast is much less forgiving than thigh)

Place chicken on the grill and cook for 6-7 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.Reason: This ensures the chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat.

(Depending on how hot your grill's "medium high" flame is, this much time might be too much time; go by the temperature instead. If you're using breast, pull at 155F, and carryover will get you to somewhere between 160F and 165F. If you're using thigh, pull between 175F and 180F, and carryover will get you another 5-10 degrees.)

While the chicken is cooking, warm the pita breads on the grill for about 30 seconds on each side.
(Perfect!)

In a separate bowl, mix together the diced tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber. Reason: This creates a refreshing and crunchy topping for the wrap.

(This sounds amazing, but I'd definitely do this way earlier-- before you start grilling the chicken. Have this salad ready and waiting for the chicken, so the components of the salad can use the extra time to meld their flavors a little bit for best results)

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then, slice it into thin strips.
(GPT is spot on here; resting proteins cooked over high heat is crucial. 5 minutes, in this case, seems about right. There should be a very clear direction in which all the meat fibers are running. That is the "grain" of the meat. Especially if you're using breast, which has a greater tendency to dry out, make sure you cut perpendicular to (i.e., against) the natural direction of those fibers. Keeping them as short as possible, namely, by running the width, and not the length, of your strips, makes the strips more tender.)

To assemble the wrap, spread a spoonful of tzatziki sauce on warm pita bread. Place a few slices of chicken on top of the sauce, followed by the tomato-onion-cucumber mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro, if desired.

ChatGPT's Feijoada

 Ingredients:

1 pound black beans, soaked overnight

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

8 ounces smoked sausage, sliced

8 ounces ham hock or bacon, diced

2 bay leaves

1 orange, juiced

Steamed white rice and orange wedges, to serve

Instructions:

Drain the soaked black beans and place them in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches.

(Andre's commentary: Personally, I'm partial either to a Dutch oven, or a pressure cooker, simply because there's a lot of volume in this dish, and those vessels are big enough, but perhaps this could work with a large enough saucepan)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

(Actually, you know what? Scratch that. No saucepans. Pressure cooker, Dutch oven, or bust. You don't actually need a second pan. That creates two problems: 1: more dishes, and 2: you can't take advantage of the fond as easily. Do everything in one pan-- i.e., do this step first, before the beans start cooking-- for best results)

Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, dried thyme, salt, black pepper, and cumin. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

(ChatGPT has officially lost its mind: tomato paste??? in feijoada?? Everything else looks okay, though) 

Add the sausage, ham hock, and bay leaves to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the sausage is lightly browned.

(This should definitely be done at the same time as the onions and garlic-- or better yet, even before the onions and garlic-- for maximum fond development. You can do this now, but then you won't be able to take advantage of Maillard browning, which requires dry heat, not wet heat.)

Transfer the sausage and ham hock mixture to the saucepan with the black beans. Stir in the orange juice.

(This really should be two steps: transferring the sausage and the hock is unnecessary because we're browning them in the same pan where the beans will be cooked. I'd be careful with the orange juice. It can be added, but go slowly, since it might be too sweet or too acidic for the dish. I'd much rather serve orange slices, wedges, etc. on the side than do this. If you want some acidity, add a touch of red vinegar to the beans.)

Bring the bean mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer, covered, for 2-3 hours, or until the beans are tender and the stew has thickened.

(This is a stew, so this timeline is perfect: several hours, over very low heat, once the browning/dry heat phase is done. Let it reduce gently over time, and add an ounce or two of water at a time if you notice it getting too thick.)

Serve the feijoada hot with steamed white rice and orange wedges on the side.

Chat GPT's Béchamel sauce

 Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

(Andre's commentary: This can be done, but personally, I'd take the extra time incurred by going even lower-- the next few steps require very low heat and constant attention, and I'd rather not need to change burner settings all the time. If I can do a task on one setting, even if it takes longer, I'll do it, if that consistency in the temperature means I keep more control and can put out better food. On top of that, the low heat setting makes it much harder for the butter to brown, and we want to avoid browned butter in a bechamel at nearly all costs.)

Add the flour and whisk continuously for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture turns a pale yellow color.

(Good start, but I see one main issue here: One of the defining features of this sauce is as little color as possible. Keep the roux over low heat and whisk constantly, yes, but only do this until the raw flour smell has cooked off. As soon as it starts turning nutty, start adding the milk, at first drop by drop, and then gradually faster.)

Gradually pour in the milk while whisking continuously.

(Roux have thickening power based on the gluten in the wheat flour interacting with the fat in the butter and creating a chemical matrix, and this is only achievable above a certain temperature. That said, the milk shouldn't ever come above a simmer. That hot is plenty hot enough for the roux to thicken the sauce. Stir constantly over very low heat)

Add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Continue to whisk until the sauce comes to a boil.

(The French are very particular about color uniformity in a bechamel sauce-- so the addition of the far-more-common black pepper, even if freshly ground, is practically sacrilege to French cooking. If you can find white pepper, get it. And use it often! The flavor profile of white pepper is slightly spicier and less floral than black, but they're essentially interchangeable to home cooks)

Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer, whisking occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.

("Whisk occasionally" is terrible advice. Don't stop whisking until you're ready to use it.)

Remove the saucepan from heat and use the béchamel sauce as desired.

ChatGPT's Caesar Salad

 Ingredients:

2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Croutons, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, chopped anchovies, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and grated parmesan cheese.

(Andre's commentary: It's best to use freshly grated parmesan. For the best, fastest result, buy real Parmigiano Reggiano, cut off a piece of the size you want, and give it a few pulses in a Vitamix or similarly high-powered blender. The stuff in the plastic canisters almost always has cellulose or some other added anti-caking agent that prevents the emulsion from forming or lets it form, but with a very subpar texture)

Gradually drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

(Technically, this should be done with mayonnaise, not just oil, but I guess enough oil could make it work. Props to GPT on this crucial technical point: start the emulsion-building process literally drop by drop, then go to a steady but thin stream and increase flow rate gradually. If you start with a high flow rate and keep it there, the emulsion will not form because the rest of the dressing will be flooded by the oil, and the phases will separate and resist coming together. This is another reason why mayonnaise is important here-- because, having already been emulsified, the mayo, together with the garlic, can help bind things together more effectively)

Add the chopped romaine lettuce to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing.

(Any hearty lettuce works well-- Romaine, Boston Bibb, Little Gem. Use whatever you like/have available in your area.)

Serve the salad immediately, topped with croutons if desired.

ChatGPT's Roasted Potatoes

 Ingredients:

2 lbs baby potatoes

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp dried thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

(Andre's commentary: Good temperature choice!)

Wash and dry the potatoes. Cut them into 1-inch pieces.

(No need to be so precise-- if you're using baby potatoes like the recipe suggests, cutting them in half, or in quarters if a baby potato is particularly large, is plenty small enough) 

In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and minced garlic.

(The size of the bowl here is crucial because it allows for effective tossing, which in turn coats all the pieces of the potatoes in the oil-spice mix)

Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet.

(Again, GPT nails a mission-critical detail: keep the potatoes in a single layer, or the top layer will roast and the bottom layer(s) will steam.)

Roast the potatoes for 25-30 minutes, flipping them once halfway through, or until they are golden brown and crispy.

(Double, if not triple, that cooking time for potato pieces that size, but at least that's the right idea!)

ChatGPT's Chicken Salad

Ingredients:2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup red grapes, halved
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

(Andre's commentary: This looks promising... roasting your own chicken is way better than having someone else roast it on a commercial scale. )


Place chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until fully cooked and no longer pink in the center.

(No seasoning other than salt and pepper, at 375 for that long? Be careful-- watch the internal temp like a hawk, but keep the oven door closed, so use a probe thermometer if you want to do this. )

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

(What is there to whisk?? Relative to how much chicken we've prepared, those amounts are way out of proportion. Make double,  if not quadruple, the amount of dressing GPT calls for)


Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the dressing. Toss to coat.

(Ok, fair point, yes, but, again, there's not nearly enough dressing as written.)

Add the chopped celery, halved grapes, chopped pecans, and crumbled blue cheese (if using) to the bowl. Toss to combine.

(Why toss twice? Don't do any work in a kitchen you don't absolutely need to do. This is unnecessary work. Just combine everything, and toss once)

Serve the salad immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

ChatGPT's Spaghetti aglio e olio

 Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

(Andre's commentary: I don't season my water, but to compensate, I make sure to season my sauce very well. Whichever way you decide to do this, make sure the dish is well-seasoned. GPT nailed this: you need to give the pasta lots of space; use a pan of no less than 4qts-- ideally 6 or 8, or even 12 if you have something that big)

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

(That will look and sound like a lot of oil-- it is-- but remember: the oil is the main component of the sauce, so you really do need that much) 

Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned.

(I'd cook it even less-- 30 to 45 seconds-- because I don't want to risk anything burning.)

Drain the spaghetti and add it to the skillet with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

(A key ingredient that is absolutely necessary to prevent this from becoming a greasy mess is completely absent from this recipe: pasta water! Reserve at least a cup, and add it into the pasta/sauce an ounce or two at a time as you toss, watching the consistency of the sauce. The starches in the water will help the water and the oil emulsify. They would not otherwise come together.)

Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

(If this is your first round of seasoning, you are way too late-- that should've happened when you were cooking the garlic out.)

Remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley over the top. Toss to combine.

(GPT seems to like repeating steps unnecessarily. I've said this in another recipe critique, and I'll say it again here: don't do any work in a kitchen you don't absolutely need to do. You don't need multiple tossing sessions. Just one suffices after you've combined everything. And remember, if you're going to integrate parmesan into the sauce, make sure it's authentic, imported from Italy-- the stuff that comes in the green canisters won't work for this.)

Chat GPT's Roast Chicken

Ingredients:
1 (4-5 pound) whole chicken
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 lemon, quartered
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). This high temperature will help to cook the chicken evenly and create a crispy skin. (Andre's commentary: ChatGPT nails the fact that preheating is necessary, but honestly, I'd go even higher-- 500, if your oven can get there, or whatever your highest temperature is, if not 500 F/260 C) 

Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat it dry with paper towels. Rinsing the chicken removes any bacteria, and patting it dry ensures that the seasonings and butter will stick to the skin. (DO NOT DO THIS!! Doing this has the opposite effect ChatGPT thinks it has, and will only contaminate more surfaces in your kitchen. This is a food-safety nightmare. Pat your chicken dry to remove surface moisture, yes! This step is critical to ensuring better browning and seasoning adhesion, as GPT says. But DO NOT WASH YOUR CHICKEN-- disregard that step, as a matter of food safety)

In a small bowl, mix the butter, salt, pepper, and dried thyme. This mixture will add flavor to the chicken. (Good ideas!)


Rub the mixture all over the chicken, including under the skin. Rubbing the mixture under the skin allows the flavors to penetrate the meat. (Great idea! Adding fat through that compound butter will create a really tender final product)


Stuff the lemon, onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme inside the cavity of the chicken. This will add additional flavor to the chicken as it roasts. (Wow, it's almost like ChatGPT knows my personal recipe and copied it 😅) 


Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up. Cooking the chicken breast side up helps to keep it moist and tender. (Roast it breast-side-up, yes, but be careful to avoid the opposite of what GPT said about moisture and tenderness coming true. Start the chicken in a really hot oven for about 20 minutes, and then drop the temperature to 350F/175C until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165F/75C. Keeping the temperature high the whole time drastically increases the chances that the breast will overcook)


Brush the chicken with olive oil. This will help to prevent the skin from drying out and give it a golden color. (Totally agree that this step needs to be done, yes, but not now. If you're doing this now, you're too late. This step should've been done before the chicken went in the oven, not once it's been roasting for several minutes. Keep your oven door closed while preheating, open it only to put the chicken in, and then keep the door closed again until it's time to take the chicken out.)


Roast for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the thigh. Cooking the chicken until it reaches this temperature ensures that it is fully cooked and safe to eat.


Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving and serving. This allows the juices to redistribute, making the meat more moist and tender when carved.

Chat GPT's Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is a classic Italian dish made with a meat-based sauce and served over spaghetti noodles. Here's a recipe along with an explanation of why each step is important:

Ingredients:
-1 lb. ground beef
-1 onion, finely chopped   
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-1 cup of beef broth
-1 tbsp. tomato paste
-1 tsp. dried basil
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. black pepper
-1 lb. spaghetti
-2 tbsp. olive oil
-Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:

Cook the spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Why: The spaghetti is the base of the dish and must be cooked first to ensure that it's ready when the sauce is ready.


(Andre's commentary: It's true that we want he sauce to finish in time with the pasta-- or even for the sauce to be ready before the pasta-- but timing it like this seems like not nearly enough time. In my home kitchen with a relatively high-powered stove, I can boil a gallon of water and cook my pasta in about 30 minutes. That's not enough time for bolognese. Let's  see if GPT catches that mistake)


Heat the olive oil: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Why: The oil prevents the ingredients from sticking to the pan and helps to distribute heat evenly.

(Perfect explanation! The development of a fond from the soffrito-- onions, carrots, celery, garlic, etc.-- and the meat is crucial to a good Bolognese, and the oil helps create an even heat transfer mechanism to facilitate even cooking and browning. Good job, GPT!)


Sauté the onion: Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet and sauté until the onion is translucent. Why: The onion and garlic add flavor to the dish and cooking them until translucent helps to release their natural sweetness.

(The most traditional Italians would say that celery and carrots are missing from this vegetable base, but if you don't like or don't have celery and carrots available, just onions and garlic are perfectly fine. Props to GPT for telling you to sweat the onions, i.e., to cook off their moisture without adding color. After all, this is Bolognese, not French Onion soup.)


Cook the beef: Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Why: The beef is the main source of protein and must be cooked thoroughly to ensure that it's safe to eat. Breaking it up into smaller pieces helps it cook more evenly.

(A few good points here: the beef goes in after the onions, garlic, etc., so that the alliums can serve as a flavor base. Textbook technique. Way to go! However, it's traditional in Italian cuisine to not just use pure beef-- but to mix equal parts of ground beef, pork, and veal. If you don't have, don't like, or cannot eat pork or veal, skip it, and just follow GPT's instructions to just use beef, or substitute with another ground protein like chicken or turkey. Again, props to GPT for pointing out that you need to break up the protein as it browns. If you miss this step, you'll end up with oddly-textured pseudo-meatballs-- not Bolognese, not spaghetti and meatballs.)

Add the tomato products: Stir in the diced tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Why: The tomato products add flavor and texture to the sauce, and simmering the sauce for 20 minutes allows the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken.

(Traditionally, I'm not quite sure why GPT wants to include both tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Just one is fine, and if I had to choose, I'd go with the paste. Just a few tablespoons are all you need for this much sauce. No more than half a tube. GPT is absolutely right that Bolognese is, at its heart, not a tomato sauce, but a meat/stock/wine sauce with a little tomato in it. Most consumers-- and GPT-- probably don't know the difference between stock and broth, so I'll let that slide; either is fine. Beef stock is the most traditional, but you can use chicken, turkey, or vegetable if you don't have beef. But this also brings us to the biggest problem I pointed out earlier with GPT's recipe: it only asks that you simmer the sauce for 20 minutes. That's at best 1/3 of how much time a Bolognese should simmer, if not 1/12 of the time. 20 minutes is nowhere near enough, and 1 hour is a much more realistic minimum. If you have time, 2-4 hours is best. But be sure to add water as the sauce reduces over that time to prevent anything from burning. )

Serve: Serve the sauce over the cooked spaghetti, and top with grated Parmesan cheese (optional). Why: The sauce is the centerpiece of the dish and must be served over the spaghetti to create the classic spaghetti Bolognese experience. The Parmesan cheese adds a salty, nutty flavor that complements the sauce.

(GPT made a slight mistake here: just putting the sauce over the pasta isn't quite enough. We need to undergo the process of mixing/tossing, called "mantecatura" in Italian, from the word for "buttering up" to evenly coat each strand of pasta in the sauce. You can be chef-y, and toss with just the leverage of the pan, but if that is too difficult, spoons or tongs work just as well. On the other hand, I definitely want to give credit to GPT for having picked parmigiano reggiano-- the right kind of cheese to top this dish, since authentic reggiano is and can be made in Bologna.)

A new experiment: ChatGPT writes some recipes

Recently, my family and I watched a news story on ChatGPT, and I've been testing it out to do lots of things: check its factual accuracy on historical dates related to previous and current Popes, see what it knows about Beethoven and his works, sketch out the code for an app I thought I might develop (before realizing the market for that software was already saturated), and develop some recipes. The next few posts will be recipes that ChatGPT generated at my prompting with my commentary (in bold, italicized, and underlined) after each step.

I really don't know what to expect from this, but I imagine that, even if ChatGPT misses the mark as we start the series, as the folks at OpenAI continue to train the bot, it'll get better. 

I cannot recommend only following ChatGPT's instructions at this point because I do not know how accurate they will be. Whatever the bot tells you to do, do it only after having read my addenda/commentary. 

Happy cooking, and good luck to ChatGPT on this test of its culinary skills!