Guide 2: "What's in my fridge?"

Episode 2 thumbnail — Winston: Nothing can go wrong. That's the point

This guide pairs with Episode 2 — coming soon

When the episode is live, look for this thumbnail on our YouTube channel — the video and this guide belong together.

What this is for

This is the ideal very first time. No personal information, no accounts to worry about, no money — and if the answer is silly, nothing is lost except five minutes. You open your fridge, type what you see, and get a real dinner recipe back. Most people who try this finally understand, in one moment, what all the fuss is about.

What you need

A computer, tablet, or phone with a web browser. We use the free version of ChatGPT — you don't need to install anything. Go to chatgpt.com in your browser. You can ask your first questions without even creating an account.

Step by step

Open your fridge and write down 5–8 things you see

Don't tidy it first. Half an onion and some old cheese are perfect — that's the point.

Go to chatgpt.com and type this

Copy this exactly, but replace the list with your own ingredients:

Copy this prompt "I have: half an onion, two eggs, some spinach, feta cheese, rice, and butter. I'm cooking for one person. Give me a simple dinner recipe using these. I'm an ordinary home cook — keep it easy, and explain each step in plain language."

Read the recipe — then talk back to it

This is the part that surprises everyone: you can answer it. Don't like spinach? Type "I don't like spinach — give me another option." Want it faster? Type "Make it under 20 minutes." It remembers the conversation and adjusts.

Now ask the second question

Every guide on this site ends the same way, because this habit is the heart of everything we teach. Once you have your answer, ask:

The second question "Now be critical of your own answer. What did you assume? What might be wrong or missing? What should I double-check?"

Watch what happens. The machine will tell you its own weak points — maybe it assumed you have salt, or gave a cooking time that's optimistic for rice. First: solve my problem. Second: doubt the solution. That's "ask twice smarter," and it works on everything you'll ever ask it.

What never to share — even here

This guide needs nothing personal, and that's exactly why it's first. As a rule for everything you'll ever do with these tools: no full name, no address, no personal ID numbers, no passwords, no bank or card details. A machine that never sighs also never forgets — so we teach it as little about us as necessary.

If it went wrong

If your first answer was odd, unhelpful, or in the wrong language — that's normal, and it happened to all of us. Tell it so: "That wasn't what I meant. Let me try again..." You cannot break it, and you cannot embarrass yourself. Then come tell us in the comments on the channel — I read every one, and Winston has been known to answer. He doesn't sleep, you know.

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"What's in my fridge?" — dinner from what you already have