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.)