This Virtual Recipe Could Be the Future of Cooking

Before photography was widespread, home cooks could only refer to the text of a recipe and hope that whatever came out of the oven looked like it was supposed to. Now, we have high-definition photos and instructional videos to help guide us on the path to culinary perfection—and if the clip below is any indication, augmented reality may be the next visual recipe tool to infiltrate our kitchens.

As Co.Design reports, this tutorial created by "3D Scanning Enthusiast" Romain Rouffet captures every layer of a banoffee (banana and toffee) pie in three dimensions. Viewers can drag their cursor around the screen to view the pie from above, from the sides, or close-up. The action in the video mimics the instructions written in the recipe in the sidebar, starting with the crackers getting crushed to form the foundation and leading to the sprinkling of chocolate on top of the final layer of whipped cream.

The project makes for a neat effect, but it also opens the door for a whole new way to share recipes. If home cooks were able to visualize a meal unfolding on their countertops using augmented reality, it might increase their chances of success when they set out to recreate it in real life.

Until this point, AR has mostly been used in video games or social media apps. But there have been practical applications of the technology, like IKEA’s feature that lets shoppers test-run virtual furniture, or the INKHUNTER app that lets users try out tattoos before getting them. Romain Rouffet doesn’t have his own app yet, but you can use his creation on Sketchfab to make a banoffee pie with or without a pair of VR goggles.