The New York Times is gradually adding an AI recipe-modification tool to its Cooking app for iOS subscribers. Users can ask it to substitute ingredients or equipment, change serving quantities and adjust the recipe steps to match the requested variation.
One example replaces kale with baby spinach and moves the spinach to a later step because it wilts faster. The tool can also adapt instructions for a different pan or kitchen appliance. Modified recipes remain private and cannot be published or shared through the app, and users must accept separate terms before using the chatbot-style interface.
The rollout has drawn objections from some subscribers concerned about accuracy, environmental cost and the addition of AI to a product they valued as a curated recipe collection. A senior Cooking editor said the tool is optional to use, but there is currently no setting to remove or hide it. Broader availability is planned after the gradual test.
Recipe changes can affect food safety, texture and timing in ways that a plausible sentence may not capture. The feature’s value will therefore depend on how carefully suggestions are constrained and tested, especially for allergens, cooking temperatures and substitutions that alter the underlying chemistry.