The Culinary Journal uses a combination of automated tools, mathematical calculations, and (in future versions) AI-powered features. This page explains exactly what is automated, what is AI-generated, where the data comes from, and what its limitations are.
| Feature | Type | Status | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutritional information | Mathematical calculation | Live | Nutrition stored on ingredient records |
| Recipe paste-and-parse | Pattern matching (not AI) | Live | Text you paste |
| Ingredient substitutes | Database lookup (not AI) | Live | Our curated substitution database |
| Serving size scaling | Mathematical (not AI) | Live | User-entered quantities |
| Recipe photo reading | AI (image recognition) | Planned — Phase 2 | Anthropic Claude API |
| Handwriting recognition | AI (OCR + language model) | Planned — Phase 2 | Anthropic Claude API |
| AI-generated food images | AI image generation | Planned — Phase 2 | Anthropic Claude API |
| Google sign-in | OAuth authentication | Live |
Nutritional values displayed on recipe pages are calculated from nutrition stored on each ingredient record, scaled by the quantity used in the recipe. A per-serving total is shown only when every ingredient has stored nutrition. Product-search results are not used.
Important limitations:
When you paste recipe text into the Submit Recipe form, our parser uses pattern matching and regular expressions — not AI — to detect ingredients, quantities, units, and method steps. It recognises common structures found in recipe writing.
The parser will make mistakes. It may misread quantities, combine two ingredients into one, or miss sections entirely. You are shown the parsed result and asked to review and correct everything before submitting. You are responsible for the accuracy of the recipe you publish.
Substitution suggestions are drawn from a curated database maintained by the site owner. Substitutes are selected based on culinary knowledge, not AI. Each substitute includes a ratio (e.g. "use 0.75x the quantity"), notes on flavour and texture differences, and any dietary benefit.
Substitutions are provided as a guide only. Results will vary based on the specific recipe, technique, and ingredients used. We make no guarantee that a suggested substitute will produce the same result.
We never suggest protein substitutes (meat, fish, poultry), fruit substitutes, or vegetable substitutes. These are excluded by design because substitution in these categories depends heavily on the specific recipe and cannot be simplified.
The following features are planned but not yet live. When they are introduced, this page will be updated.
Recipe photo reading and handwriting recognition: You will be able to upload a photo of a handwritten recipe, torn magazine page, or cookbook photocopy. The Anthropic Claude API will read and transcribe the content. You will always be shown the result and asked to review it before anything is published. AI-read content is never published without your review and approval.
AI-generated food images: When no photo is available for a recipe, an AI-generated food image may be used as a placeholder. AI-generated images will be labelled as such. They are decorative only and do not represent the actual dish.
When AI features are introduced, we will publish updated information about:
Dietary tags (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, etc.) are applied by the recipe submitter and are not independently verified. The Culinary Journal is not responsible for errors in these tags.
Recipe nutrition is taken from values stored on ingredient records in The Culinary Journal. The site does not look up branded product databases to fill a missing ingredient, because the first matching product can be a different food.
Nothing on The Culinary Journal constitutes professional nutritional, medical, dietary, or culinary advice. The site is a recipe organisation and preservation tool. All content is for general informational and creative purposes only.
As new automated or AI features are introduced, this disclaimer will be updated. The "Last updated" date at the top will reflect the most recent revision. We will announce significant changes on the homepage.
Questions about our use of automation or AI:
The Culinary Journal
the contact page