The case for chaos in the kitchen

Most recipes are conservative. They protect the writer. A pantry, on the other hand, is wildly specific. You have what you have.

Chaos is the answer to the gap between recipe and pantry. Force a wildcard. Force a technique. The result has a better chance of feeling yours.

We score every ingredient on six axes (heat, acid, sweet, umami, fat, herb) and balance them against a mood. Then we let the chaos slider yank that balance around. Higher chaos = a wider search through your pantry's possibility space.