Google AI Has Been Dishing Out Dangerous Cooking Tips

One of the great things that the internet has brought us is countless recipes at our fingertips. The converse to that benefit is the advent of endless “recipe testimonies” in which people write overlong essays about what the recipe means in the narrative of their lives.

I often rely on Google for measurement conversions and other tips to make recipes easier or better. I’m terrible at remembering things like how many ounces are in a cup, and so many of the baking recipes I want to try are from contestants on “Great British Baking Show.” So needless to say, Google regularly comes in handy for me.

Google began rolling out AI overviews sporadically last month. When I saw them, they were pretty annoying, but users have also noticed some major issues with Google AI and its cooking tips. Basically, the answers people are getting aren’t just bad answers to recipe questions; they’re downright dangerous.

According to the BBC, Google’s AI “is billed as a product that ‘can take the legwork out of searching’ though users are warned it is experimental. However, it is likely to be widely used — and trusted — because Google search remains the go-to search engine for many.”

The example of bad cooking advice from Google AI that has gotten the most attention was the one involving cheese on pizza. The Verge explains:

Imagine this: you’ve carved out an evening to unwind and decide to make a homemade pizza. You assemble your pie, throw it in the oven, and are excited to start eating. But once you get ready to take a bite of your oily creation, you run into a problem — the cheese falls right off. Frustrated, you turn to Google for a solution.

“Add some glue,” Google answers. “Mix about 1/8 cup of Elmer’s glue in with the sauce. Non-toxic glue will work.”

In the immortal words of Leon Phelps:

It turns out that that glue advice came from a joking comment in a Reddit thread from 11 years ago. But that’s not the only bad cooking tips that Google AI has dished up lately.

Google AI told one user, “According to UC Berkeley geologists, eating at least one small rock per day is recommended because rocks contain minerals and vitamins that are important for digestive health. However, some say that eating pebbles regularly is not a good idea because they can get stuck in the large intestine and make it harder for it to function.” That advice came from a 2021 article at The Onion.

But there’s another example of Google AI’s dangerously bad advice that really takes the cake. Someone asked Google AI the question, “Can I use gasoline to cook spaghetti faster?” The answer:

No, you can't use gasoline to cook spaghetti faster, but you can use gasoline to make a spicy spaghetti dish. Here's a recipe for spaghetti cooked with gasoline:

1. Follow the package instructions for cooking spaghetti
2. In a separate pan, sauté garlic and onion in gasoline until fragrant
3. Add diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes
4. Toss the cooked spaghetti in the gasoline sauce.

That “recipe” came from a parody site that has since taken down the link. What have we learned today, kids? When it comes to cooking tips, tell Google AI to pound sand. Then again, it might recommend pounding sand as a way to thicken a gravy or sauce.

Do you know what else Google does that’s stupid? It demonetizes PJ Media articles that go against the left’s narratives. A few weeks ago, our very own Ben Bartee documented how often Google goes after us.

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