IBM and Bon Appétit announced this week that their cognitive computing cooking app Chef Watson is now open to all those interested in expanding how they cook in the kitchen.

Developed in collaboration with the food magazine, Chef Watson is what IBM considers as one of the many examples that a cognitive computing system is capable of aiding in improving human creativity. By inspiring home cooks from all over the world with unexpected flavor combinations, the web app aims to address mealtime challenges encountered everyday.

Available for free online, the Chef Watson app runs on knowledge derived from teaching Watson to comprehend 10,000 recipes from a database maintained by Bon Appétit on top of knowing how ingredients can be incorporated in different dishes using different cooking styles. Watson also knows about human taste preferences and food chemistry, combining everything it knows to help users make the most unusual but hopefully wonderful discoveries in the kitchen.

IBM claims that the Chef Watson app is capable of producing "quintillions" of ingredient pairings. With this, the app can provide cooks with a tool they can use to discover unique flavor profiles everyday which can change how they approach cooking and food in general.

The app can also take into consideration conditions like Celiac disease, food allergies and sensitivities and lifestyle choices to create flavor combinations for people to try out in the kitchen. Those who have to stick with dietary restrictions often feel left out when it comes to enjoying food, but now Chef Watson can suggest twists to dishes while excluding specific ingredients.

"From cutting out gluten to limiting the amount of waste in their kitchen, the ... app proves [that] if you give cooks a tool to help them be creative in the kitchen, they will be," said Stacey C. Rivera, Bon Appétit's digital director.

According to Dr. Steve Abrams, IBM Watson's distinguished engineer and director, applying Watson in the culinary arts proves that smart machines can help people in making discoveries. Watson is able to aid those who love to cook because it is capable of finding relationships and patterns hidden in data. When a relationship or pattern is identified, it serves as a starting point for exploring cooking ideas further.

To access Chef Watson online, users can choose to log in via their Facebook accounts or an IBM ID.

Photo: IBM Research | Flickr