Brands publish the ingredient list. They never publish the recipe. We’re built for BBD nerds, curious cooks, and anyone who’s ever stared at a jar thinking: okay but how much paprika is actually in here?
From the jar
Point the camera at the ingredient list (or type it by hand when the jar is greasy and the lighting is tragic). EU and US labels list spices by descending weight — first listed weighs the most. That’s our starting clue.
We filter out “may contain traces of” and the manufacturer address. You’re here for cumin, not the KvK number.
Order alone isn’t a recipe. SpiceHack estimates percentages with a Zipf-style curve, then applies kitchen reality: salt ranges, heat caps, profile types (savory, hot, sweet/aromatic). You get honest bands — not a fake “exactly 12.4%” lab assay.
If cayenne is listed first, we raise an eyebrow. Nature (and marketing) usually don’t work that way.
Before you trust the curve, we flag odd order: cayenne as primary reagent, salt buried at the bottom, sugar where salt should live. Think sticky notes from a slightly judgmental lab tech.
“Unusual” isn’t always wrong — but it’s worth a second look at the label.
Include the EAN in frame when you can. We look up the product on Open Food Facts and cross-check the scanned list against what’s published — handy when OCR misreads “paprika” as something unprintable.
Optional web + OFF verification compares your OCR against listings and nudges generic label words toward more specific spice names. Guidance for the blurry jar, not a courtroom transcript.
In the lab
This is the product. Drag proportional sliders — nudge one reagent and the rest rebalance to 100%. Reset to the algorithm when you’ve over-tweaked. When it smells right in your head, save the Perfect Copycat.
OCR is the on-ramp. The workbench is where you stop guessing and start weighing.
Pick a target weight (presets 30 / 100 / 250 g, or anywhere from 10–1000 g). Live gram readouts plus teaspoon hints so you can cook before the precision scale finishes charging.
Chili-forward blends get a weighted SHU readout (Mild → Insane) so you don’t accidentally recreate “mild” as “call the fire department.” Guidance, not a dare.
Seal a Perfect Copycat and the specimen locks — no accidental slider drift while you’re mid-rub. Unlock when you’re ready to iterate again.
Saved blends live on your phone in SwiftData. Field notes for store, batch, and “too much garlic.” Composition bars show algorithm vs. your tweaks. No account. No cloud spice vault.
Your rubs stay in your pocket — next to the crumbs.
Against the internet
Built-in copycat search (no Brave account needed) finds recipes online and can refine your estimate. Side-by-side comparison shows where your reconstruction agrees — or where the internet is just vibes.
Prefer the open web? Browser search links still work. We’re not holding your paprika hostage.
Estimates on purpose. Official ratios are never published. SpiceHack is a lab notebook for your spice shelf — not affiliated with any brand, and not a substitute for dasting, adjusting, and writing “too much garlic” in the margin.
Help
Bugs, burned tongues, App Review notes, or “why is salt always weird” — we’re here.
Email support@spicehack.orgUI in English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese — or follow the system language. The lab speaks your kitchen’s language.
Blends stay on device. Camera OCR stays on device. No ad SDKs. No creepy trackers.
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