Is it just me, or does anyone else hate when people review a recipe that they've made substitutions?

A

ann

Well-known member
It bugs me when people share a recipe and someone decides to change the recipe, then rate it lower.

I don't mean we have to have the same taste buds. but when they substitute flour and sugar substitutes, it's a different recipe.

Of course, then there's also less experienced bakers, cooks attempting recipes whose results may be different.

I think the reviewer should post their results, but not rate a recipe where their vote gets averaged in?

 
I think everyone says so when they change a recipe - if they have made changes then

yes, that is a new recipe and the reader can weigh their outcome accordingly.

 
I remember once when somehere kidded that they made "So and so's" sauce and

substituted basil for the oregano, peppers for the tomatoes, and margarine for the butter and said "I didn't it". Funny ;o)

 
I agree with you Ann. Frankly, I think it is just rude to tell someone

I love your recipe, but here are the changes I made.
Instead of beef, I used chicken
I omitted the mayonnaise, and used yogurt
Instead of thyme, I used oregano
And I didn't have any blue cheese, so I used Feta.
Please, this is a totally different recipe. So you changed it and liked it...keep it to yourself, the person who took the time to post the recipe does not want to read this. OK, if you made one substitution, or omitted one item because you are allergic to it, fine, but when you rewrite it, it is just wrong to rate it.

 
I agree if the creator is at your table for dinner but here, I like to think we have a more Socratic

environment, one where give and take is not only acceptable but invited. I mean wouldn't you like to know that "when I added basil to the recipe it didn't work" rather than, "thanks for sharing, we enjoyed it".

How else would we learn and grow without input from the vast array of experienced (and even not so experienced) cooks, willing to share their experiences with the rest of us, right here?

 
No, not this site. The King Arthur Flour site and Recipezaar.

I agree that you may change a recipe to your liking, but then I don't think it's fair to be allowed to rate the recipe based on your changes.

Maybe, a box that one checks like at iChef that says "I've tested this recipe, or made substitutions, so when they rate the recipe low, because it didn't work, their vote isn't actually averaged in.

 
There are so many variations to a recipe that I appreciate when someone tells me what they did

different. It gives me more ways to serve a favorite recipe and ideas for new directions to go in. I can (often) think only inside the box. So when someone says, "I used cardomom instead of nutmeg" I think "EUREKA, why didn't I think of that?!" If they changed 3 things and said "we didn't like it", I just think "you might have liked it if you made it the way I posted it". Their loss, not mine.

 
Oh, that clears it up... for a second there I thought you were bragging about your guest list *g*

 
Bugs the heck out of me too....

.... I particularly hate when a recipe calls for something like chicken thighs, the "reviewer" uses chicken breast and then complains it's too dry. smileys/smile.gif

 
Me too. I had fun with this over at Epi a while back and posted this:

"This was very dry and bland. I used skinless boneless chicken breasts instead of the whole goose called for. I also left out the bacon because of the nitrates and the spices because my mother-in-law has diverticulitis. I cooked it on the barbecue because my oven doesn't work. The vegetables and potatoes fell through the grill. What a waste!

I think the 3-hour cooking time was too long. I was very disappointed and I will never make this recipe again. Epicurious, I wish you'd test these recipes before you publish them!"

 
I agree, Cheezz. I like to read what others have changed, but then of course it's often

a totally different dish. But that's ok as long as they aren't rating the original recipe. And we don't rate here... I don't really see the problem.

 
I didn't actually post it as a review. We were just chatting in the forum smileys/wink.gif

 
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