In an era where technology is intertwined with every aspect of our lives, Samsung is again demonstrating its ability to innovate with a new feature called Samsung Food. Announced during CES 2025, this feature aims to transform how we interact with food while cooking at home. By utilizing advanced artificial intelligence, Samsung Food is designed to recognize meals displayed on its televisions and subsequently recommend recipes based on those visuals. The notion that a television set could enhance our culinary skills by recognizing dishes—something that has often remained relegated to the realm of fantasies portrayed in cooking shows—invites curiosity and excitement among cooking enthusiasts and tech aficionados alike.
As the fruit of Samsung’s acquisition of the food app Whisk back in 2019, Samsung Food has previously established its presence through a mobile application that allows users to curate meal plans and follow AI-generated cooking instructions. This ambitious rebranding effort underscored Samsung’s dedication to merging culinary practices with innovative technology. However, as Samsung Food evolves and expands into the television medium, users may find that it offers a more streamlined experience compared to its mobile counterpart. The integration of features such as monitoring grocery delivery progress and creating tailored shopping lists is impressive. These attributes position Samsung Food as a valuable companion in the kitchen, promising to alleviate the strain of meal preparation.
Despite the promising claims surrounding Samsung Food, skepticism is warranted regarding its actual effectiveness and practical implications in a home kitchen. The concept of translating food visuals into recipes has been attempted by various applications, but prior attempts—like those seen with SideChef’s AI—have often resulted in subpar outcomes, where the AI struggles to deliver accurate recipe suggestions based on images. Such limitations could hinder the experience Samsung seeks to create, making it essential to approach this innovation with a dose of realism. Cooking, after all, is an art that relies heavily on personal skill, taste, and intuition—qualities that no AI can replicate.
Furthermore, there’s an inherent challenge in convincing users to engage actively in cooking when many are increasingly reliant on faster and convenient meal solutions. As a case in point, there are those who may be intrigued by the prospect of baking items inspired by shows like “The Great British Bake Off,” but may falter when faced with the actual process of cooking. While Samsung Food proposes to act as an “AI sous chef,” it ultimately cannot alleviate the fundamental challenge of motivation—the motivation to step into the kitchen and embrace the culinary experience wholeheartedly.
In summation, Samsung Food embodies an ambitious stride into the future of cooking technology. While the potential for enhanced cooking experiences through AI hints at a promising direction, it’s crucial to manage expectations. If it can successfully bridge the gap between inspiration from culinary media and real-world execution in the kitchen, Samsung may well be onto something groundbreaking. Nevertheless, for now, the kitchen remains a space not entirely within the realm of technological control, where the human touch—passion, creativity, and personal flair—will always have a significant role to play.