What’s in your refrigerator right now? A couple of eggs? A lonely avocado? Wilted lettuce and a beer? Can you cook anything with that or is it a take out night (again)? Never mind, Snap Chat has now introduced a new camera-based analysis feature called Food Scan, and it could be the answer to all your dinner-based problems.
The new Food Scan feature does exactly what it sounds like. You simply choose the scan option, point your phone at the object in question, and the app will scan and search for related images, identifying the ingredient. After it has identified the food, it then hits up the website All Recipes and searches for recipe ideas that contain that ingredient.
According to the company, the scan is able to sort through over 4000 recipes and 1200 different raw ingredients. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for processed food, so that can of baked beans hiding in the cupboard is probably not going to be partnered with anything more exciting than a piece of toast anytime soon. The other disappointing part is that this new feature is currently only available to users in the USA. I think this is a brilliant idea, particularly for those of us who are challenged in not just the kitchen, but the supermarket as well. And particularly for those of us living in foreign lands where some of the items for sale in the market look a little shall we say, unfamiliar. I tried it with tonight’s dinner ingredients but unfortunately, it couldn’t come up with any ideas for red wine. I’m joking of course, I don’t live in the USA so it doesn’t actually work for me yet! [Via Slash Gear]
