Cooking with computers? Our Erin Burnett challenged a local chef to an AI bake-off

Don’t feel like coming up with holiday recipes? Just ask ChatGPT.

THANKSGIVING CARRBORO. LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AWAY. WANYA. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE COMING UP WITH RECIPES FOR YOUR FAVORITE DISHES, YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK CHATGPT. AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT OUR ERIN BURNETT DID ON HER QUEST TO FIND MORE WAYS THAT AI CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER. SHE CHALLENGED A LOCAL CHEF TO AN AI BAKE OFF. ALL RIGHT, ERIN, YOU HAD MANY OF US BEING YOUR GUINEA PIGS. SO PLEASE TELL THE PEOPLE. WHAT DID YOU WHIP UP? I NEVER THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE SOMETHING I DID FOR TV, BUT IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE, WE MADE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE. SO I ASKED CHATGPT TO CREATE A YUMMY RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE. THEN I SENT THE RECIPE OFF TO CHEF MICHAEL DOWD AT GUILFORD TECHNICAL TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND THE RESULTS DEFINITELY SURPRISED ME. OBVIOUSLY, THE YOU KNOW, THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO START WITH IS THE CRUST, RIGHT? SO THE ONE I USUALLY DO, I DO A GINGER SNAP AND ROASTED PECAN CRUST. ASIDE FROM A DIFFERENCE IN FLAVOR. CHEF MICHAEL DOWD SAYS THE AI VERSION’S CRUST IS BAKED FOR TEN MINUTES IN A WATER BATH. HIS IS NOT FOR THE FILLING, CHEF DOWD ADDS. MASCARPONE CHEESE. CHEF GPT DOES NOT. THE AI IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SPICY. IT’S GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE SPICE IN IT THAN THIS ONE DOES. JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE VOLUME ON THE ONE THAT I’VE GOT. NOW, THE ONE THING THAT I DID NOTICE ABOUT THAT AI VERSION IS THAT ONE THING IT DIDN’T SAY IS TO SCRAPE THE BOWL A LOT. TIME TO POUR. OH, THE AI IS ON THE RIGHT. ON THE LEFT. CORRECT ON THE LEFT. OKAY. DON’T BE STEALING MY CRUST FOR YOUR AI. BAKE AND PLATE. THE AI RECIPE SAYS TO BAKE FOR 60 TO 70 MINUTES, BUT DOWD HAD TO BAKE IT LONGER FOR 80 MINUTES ON 325 DEGREES. HE BAKED HIS FOR TWO HOURS ON 200 DEGREES. HERE’S THE AI VERSION. IT DID CRACK ON ME. I TRIED TO FOLLOW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS AT 325 DEGREES. EVEN AFTER THE FACT, IT STILL GOT A LITTLE BIT HOT. AND THAT’S WHY IT CRACKED. NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. WE CAN FIX THAT PRETTY EASILY. OVERALL, HE SAYS HE WOULD TRY USING AI IN THE KITCHEN AGAIN. IF YOU’RE UNFAMILIAR WITH BAKING AND YOU’RE UNFAMILIAR WITH CUSTARDS, WHICH IN ESSENCE, THAT’S WHAT THIS IS. IT KIND OF GIVES YOU A GOOD RATIO OF EGG TO INGREDIENT IN ORDER FOR THE WHOLE THING TO SET. THE CONS ARE I MEAN, IT’S IT DOESN’T GIVE YOU VARIATIONS. ALL RIGHT, GUYS, THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. WE’RE GOING TO START WITH CHEF MICHAEL’S. I’M VERY PICKY ABOUT CHEESECAKE. OKAY. YOUR CRUST WHEN IT OVER IT WAS THE GINGER SNAPS. HEY. WHATEVER IT TAKES, WHATEVER IT TAKES. IT WAS THE GINGER SNAP. I WILL SAY THIS GAVE YOU A RUN FOR YOUR MONEY, THOUGH. IT SURE DID. CHEF DOWD SAYS USING AN AI RECIPE IS A GREAT STARTING PLACE FOR SOMEONE WHO ISN’T NECESSARILY A BAKER. BUT HE SAYS YOU HAVE TO BE VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT YOU PUT INTO THAT PROMPT. AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO GET CREATIVE AND ADD TO IT. FO

Cooking with computers? Our Erin Burnett challenged a local chef to an AI bake-off

Don’t feel like coming up with holiday recipes? Just ask ChatGPT.

Updated: 11:12 AM EST Nov 10, 2025

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You can use artificial intelligence to help you get food on the Thanksgiving table.Our Erin Burnett challenged Chef Michael Dowd from Guilford Technical Community College to an AI bake-off.The dish? Pumpkin cheesecake.Dowd said he had never used ChatGPT in this way before, but admitted he would do it again.”If you are unfamiliar with baking and you are unfamiliar with custards, it does give you a good ratio of egg to ingredient in order for the whole thing to set,” he said, “The cons are it doesn’t give you variations.”Dowd also said that using an AI recipe could be a great starting point for novice bakers. However, he advised being very specific about the ingredients in the prompt and encouraged creativity in adding personal touches to the recipe.

JAMESTOWN, N.C. —

You can use artificial intelligence to help you get food on the Thanksgiving table.

Our Erin Burnett challenged Chef Michael Dowd from Guilford Technical Community College to an AI bake-off.

The dish? Pumpkin cheesecake.

Dowd said he had never used ChatGPT in this way before, but admitted he would do it again.

“If you are unfamiliar with baking and you are unfamiliar with custards, it does give you a good ratio of egg to ingredient in order for the whole thing to set,” he said, “The cons are it doesn’t give you variations.”

Dowd also said that using an AI recipe could be a great starting point for novice bakers.

However, he advised being very specific about the ingredients in the prompt and encouraged creativity in adding personal touches to the recipe.