A prompt is the message you send to an AI, and writing a good one is the most useful AI skill there is. This guide shows you what a prompt is, how to write your first proper one, and why full sentences beat a handful of keywords.
Beginner3 min read
PersonalBeginner
Recipe from Ingredients
Turn whatever you already have in the kitchen into a proper meal, with recipe ideas that suit your time, skill level, and any dietary needs.
Make it yours
Fill in the boxes and the prompt updates as you type. Then copy it and paste it into your AI tool of choice.
The main ingredients you want to use up, however random
Roughly how much time you have to cook
So the steps match your comfort level
Allergies, diets, or things to avoid
Your prompt
I'd like some recipe ideas using ingredients I already have. Here's what's in my kitchen: chicken thighs, half a bag of spinach, rice, a tin of tomatoes I have about 30 minutes to cook and I'd say my cooking skill is comfortable following a simple recipe. Please suggest a couple of meals I could make with these, assuming I have basics like salt, oil, and pepper. For each one, give me a short ingredient list and clear step-by-step method. Please keep in mind: no particular restrictions.
Tips
If a suggested recipe needs one thing you don't have, ask "what can I use instead of X?" rather than giving up, as most ingredients have an easy swap. You can also ask the AI to scale the recipe up or down for the number of people you are feeding, which saves you doing the maths on every quantity.
What a good result looks like
A couple of meal ideas built around your ingredients, each with a short shopping-free ingredient list and clear steps you can follow in the time you have.
Works well with
ClaudeChatGPTGeminiCopilot
Related reading
Context is the background you hand the AI so it can answer for your situation, not a generic one. This guide explains why context matters so much, what kinds are worth giving, audience, purpose, examples, and limits, and how it helps keep the AI honest.
Beginner4 min read
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