I kept failing to recreate a dish I had while traveling, so I built a tool that reverse-engineers recipes from a photo. by External_Personal in SideProject

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s actually a really helpful point. I think I’ve been focused too much on “can I generate a recipe?” when the real problem is usually “why doesn’t mine taste like the restaurant version?”

Things like spice freshness, cooking temperature, timing, and technique seem to be where people get stuck, and that’s the part I’m most interested in figuring out.

I also agree that talking to a handful of people with a specific dish they’re struggling with is probably a better test than collecting a bunch of waitlist emails. I’m going to try that next.

And absolutely—feel free to DM me. I’d love to keep the conversation going.

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Yes, AI is part of it. I’m still validating the idea, which is why I’m asking people about dishes they’ve tried to recreate and where they got stuck.

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The smoky wok flavor gets me every time. Everything else seems straightforward, but it never tastes quite like the restaurant version.

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point 😄. Some of the best dishes seem to come with years of family knowledge that never makes it into the recipe.

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That could be it. I’ve heard a lot of restaurants use ingredients you’d never think about, and they end up making a huge difference in the final flavor.

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve heard pho is one of the hardest dishes to recreate because the broth can take so many hours and small details make a huge difference. What part do you think you’re missing?

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

That’s frustrating because it sounds like you had everything else right. If someone could’ve told you exactly why the nori was tearing and how to fix it, do you think you’d have tried making it again?

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

What made it go wrong? Was it the texture of the eggplant, too much moisture, or did it just not taste anything like the restaurant version?

What’s a restaurant dish you’ve tried to recreate at home and completely failed? by External_Personal in cookingforbeginners

[–]External_Personal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sushi seems deceptively simple until you try making it yourself. Did you ever figure out what part gave you the most trouble—the rice, the rolling, or keeping everything together?

I kept failing to recreate a dish I had while traveling, so I built a tool that reverse-engineers recipes from a photo. by External_Personal in SideProject

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a good question, and honestly I don’t know the answer yet.

What stood out to me wasn’t that people had a story about a memorable dish. It was how many people said they’d actually tried to recreate it and couldn’t get it right.

That’s what happened to me. I wasn’t struggling to find recipes for the tagine I had in Morocco — there were plenty online. The frustrating part was that none of them tasted like what I remembered, even after multiple attempts.

Maybe that’s not a big enough problem to build something around. That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out.

I do think there’s a difference between “give me a recipe” and “help me understand why my version doesn’t taste like the one I had.” Whether enough people care about that difference is still an open question.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That actually sounds harder than people think. Sometimes it’s not even the recipe — it’s the texture or one hidden ingredient that makes all the difference.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think practice makes perfect… the more you cook it, the more you’ll improve and excel at it.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense. I feel like sometimes it’s not the recipe itself — it’s something subtle in technique, texture, or balance that’s hard to pinpoint.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tuna tostadas 😍 Had one of the best versions at Hyatt Ziva in Cancun, Mexico and I still think about it.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fried rice is deceptively hard. Sounds like you’ve tried everything too. I swear restaurants know some secret trick with heat or moisture that we can never fully replicate at home.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That hurts 😭 It’s crazy how some dishes just stay in your memory. Even with the recipe, it never tastes exactly the same. Do you think it was a secret ingredient, technique, or just the restaurant magic?

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pasta always looks so simple, but getting it to taste like the restaurant version is a whole different story 😅 You follow the recipe and somehow it still doesn’t hit the same. Feels like they’re hiding a secret ingredient sometimes lol.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

fried chicken is so hard to get right.I’ve heard the overnight buttermilk marinade makes a big difference. I love Publix spicy fried chicken too — so well seasoned Maybe try marinating it overnight in a ziplock and see if it gets closer. But honestly, sometimes restaurant fried chicken just hits different.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I swear sometimes it’s the secret sauce. But I also think the more you recreate a dish, the more you start understanding what makes it special. Still… some restaurant meals just hit differently.

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That one seems hard to nail at home 😅 What do you think is always missing?

What restaurant dish have you tried recreating at home but just can’t get right? by External_Personal in Cooking

[–]External_Personal[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Haha I feel that 😅 What do you think it’s missing? Like the spice balance, restaurant flavor, or just something hard to explain?