Stupid Recipe Ratings

We no longer use cookbooks. In our downsized living space, we don’t have room for them. Besides, it’s easier to find a good recipe on the internet than look through stacks of cookbooks. As a plus, internet recipes are rated.

You have to be careful when relying on the ratings. I guess they can be ‘padded.’ But our biggest gripe is stupid raters.

One stupid rater says, “Mac and Cheese. 1 Star. We tried the macaroni and cheese recipe. But our son doesn’t like cheddar cheese so we used Limburger cheese and we are a gluten-free family so we used spiralized zucchini instead of macaroni. The dish was watery and mushy it stunk up the whole house. I’d never fix it again!”

YOU DIDN’T MAKE THE RECIPE STUPID!!!

We have a rule. We always make the recipe by the exact instructions the first time. If we didn’t like cheddar cheese, we wouldn’t have made that recipe. If we were gluten free, we wouldn’t have made that recipe. We would have found a cheddar cheese free, gluten-free mac and cheese recipe.

On the other end of the spectrum, you get great reviews from people who have made lots of changes to the recipe. Then you are totally confused. Since so many people modified the recipe, should I make it? One example: “Moroccan Meatball Tagine. 5 Stars “Really tasty! I didn't use olives as I don't like them and I served it with lemon wedges rather than putting them in at the end. It was then up to the individual to make it more lemony (I liked the extra lemon). I added more lamb stock as there wouldn't have been enough sauce, especially as I was serving it with couscous. Went down really well with everyone, including my highly critical parents!”

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Again, the rater didn’t make the recipe. She didn’t use olives? That’s a pretty big omission. Olives usually add a lot of flavor. Ditto with the lemon. So, if I do use the olives and lemon, will the recipe not be really tasty? Better skip this one.

I’ve made oodles of wonderful recipes from the internet. I belong to a few cooking clubs and it’s so much fun to try something different and be pleasantly surprised when you find a delightfully delicious new dish.

When I make a recipe from the internet, I most likely will not read through the pages of text/instructions with the recipe (although my husband will). I just ‘Jump to Recipe.’

So, I’m curious.

• If you make recipes off the internet, do you read all the accompanying text? Or do you just “Jump to Recipe?”

• Do you print the recipe? I most likely don’t, but if my husband is working with me I will. I do worry that if I don’t print the recipe, it might eventually disappear off the internet.

• Do you Pin the recipe? Do you know what I mean by Pin?

I have a Pinterest ‘cookbook’ with probably more than 1,000 recipes. (www.pinterest.com/sleonard811). I have about 30 food categories including celebrations such as Fat Tuesday, Margarita Day, Pi Day, Cinco de Mayo, Octoberfest; cuisines such as Greek, Indian, Irish, Foreign, etc.

I used to review a recipe when I made it. Now, Pinterest requires a picture. That’s too much trouble. My kitchen is usually a disaster and I have to get the food on the table so I don’t have time to take a fancy photo.

Here's one of the few food pictures I've ever taken. I know it looks ghastly (that's why I took it).

The chicken marinaded overnight in red wine for Coq au Vin. Despite the purple chicken, the final dish was delicious. We served it for Bastille Day.

There is a wonderful new world of cooking and delicious dishes on the Internet if you like to experiment. Just be careful and read the reviews – even the five-star reviews. Because it seems ½ of the people out there aren’t really reviewing the recipe.

Here are some of our favorites from the past year:

Arroz con Pollo. A dish my Cuban campground neighbor fixes. Braise boneless, skinless chicken thighs and set aside. Pan roast red bell peppers, onion, garlic. Add rice and roast until brown. Add chicken broth (instead of the water that rice uses), one pack of Sazon, at at least 1/2 cup sliced Manzella olives, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Cook per rice instructions. Chop chicken and put on top (or add it a few minutes before the rice is done).

• Mac and Cheese - the top picture. Take a double dose of Lipitor

• Spaghetti with Lemon Pesto - the pesto is made of lemon zest and almonds

• General Tso’s Tofu – if you hate tofu, this might change your mind

• Pasta Shells with Chickpeas and Arugula – you need a good, preferably thick, balsamic for this

• Indian Red Lentil Dahl

• Basmati Rice with Dried Fruit and Almonds – Delicious. We used apricots

• Butter Chicken - a favorite Indian dish for people who don't like Indian food (we do)

• Moroccan Chicken Tagine - Second picture above