Messing with your recipes -- Tell your stories

[mmmchocolate]

I brought my always requested baked beans to a Fourth of July party and put them on the stove to reheat.  When I checked them a bit later I was shocked to see that someone had added a ton of onions to them.  I looked around in surprise and another guest said "I added those-onions make everything taste better!"

a)  Who does that??

and b)  my husband is allergic to onions.  So yeah, thanks for that!

[evely28]

My mum is the classic recipe messer - to the point where her sisters have dubbed her Mrs Cropley. There's nothing wrong with experimenting in cooking, but whenever mum tries it, things never seem to work out.

I've been making my chicken cacciatore for years, and have had many recipe requests. My special ingredient is marsala wine at the end of the cooking, which adds a subtle sweetness to the dish. When mum made it once she didn't have any marsala, so instead of just a bit of wine or sherry, which would have worked fine, she added Galliano to the mix, because in her words, "Might as well have something Italian in there". It was revolting!

 

[still in va]

Umm - substituting a different meat, different seasonings, and a different starch really does change a dish enough that it can't be considered the same thing at all................but not according to the one complaining about how their dish turned out.

several years ago, a friend of mine gave a pasta recipe to someone she knew slightly.  the recipe called for heavy cream, shredded parmesan cheese, and fresh or frozen peas.  the printed recipe clearly stated "Do Not Substitute Ingredients...the recipe will not work."

the acquaintance used 2% milk, the parm cheese powder in the green can, and canned peas.  and accused friend of leaving something out to make her look bad, since she prepared the dish for the first time for company.  

[doodlemor]

My dear Swedish grandmother always claimed that she got her spaghetti and meatball recipe from an Italian friend.  She would put the cooked pasta, sauce, and meatballs all mixed together in a large "roaster" and bake it in the oven for several hours.

[Reuth]

I'm not a great cook, but I'm able to do a substitution successfully, usually. But I know when I do that, I am taking a risk, and if it doesn't work, it's my fault. I wouldn't blame the recipe. And I would never EVER alter what someone else was cooking. I don't know if "rude" is the right word for that. Pouring a bottle of ketchup in a pot of chili? That is more akin to just dumping the whole thing into the trash for no reason.

My grandmother is not a good cook, either, and she's too cheap to buy the correct ingredients when she tries a new recipe. She will end up substituting at least half the ingredients, and cooking it on a different temperature, and then honestly wondering why it didn't taste the same as the original.

[Elfmama]

I think adding/eating/excessively commenting on things when you're doing the cooking is horribly rude. 

However, if you gave someone a recipe and they decided not to follow it exactly, I don't see why that any of your business?

If they announce LOUDLY that they made VorFemme's special cookie recipe and it didn't turn out right so she must have given them the WRONG recipe (only later admitting that they didn't make the recipe up as written) - then, yes, it makes the person who is announced as the "developer" of the recipe look bad.  When it should have been the person who couldn't follow written instructions who needed to accept that the MISTAKES in following directions were what really ruined the dish............

Right.  It comes off as "Vorfemme didn't want to give up her secret recipe, so she selfishly gave me the wrong one."

Even admitting that you didn't follow the recipe makes it sound like the people who write reviews on cooking sites: "Well, I didn't have any half-and-half, so I used skim milk, and nobody in my house likes lemon, so I left out the lemon juice, and it was the worst thing I've ever made!"

[spookycatlady]

My Mom used to change every dish I made for her.  If I made a chicken stir fry, she would add a new vegetable. If I made soup, she would come in later and thicken the broth into stew.  I made chicken cordon bleu, and she requested avocado on the side because she saw it in my fridge earlier.

Nothing was ever accepted as I made it.

One day, I made her my version of the ultimate grilled ham & cheese.  Country smoked ham & brie on homemade bread. She took one look, went into the kitchen and added a tomato.  Not saying it was a bad addition-- it was just really insulting that what I made wasn't good enough.  Again.  I may have had a small meltdown.

She doesn't do it any more and is usually pretty gracious about whatever was offered.

[Lynnv]

My mum is the classic recipe messer - to the point where her sisters have dubbed her Mrs Cropley. There's nothing wrong with experimenting in cooking, but whenever mum tries it, things never seem to work out.

I've been making my chicken cacciatore for years, and have had many recipe requests. My special ingredient is marsala wine at the end of the cooking, which adds a subtle sweetness to the dish. When mum made it once she didn't have any marsala, so instead of just a bit of wine or sherry, which would have worked fine, she added Galliano to the mix, because in her words, "Might as well have something Italian in there". It was revolting!

 

Galliano?  Really?

I have no words.  I am reduced making disgusting noises in the corner.

[Elfqueen13]

I once added pepper to my mother's home-made banana jam.  In my defense I was 18 months old, desperate to "help" (as toddlers often are) and I was left alone with the jam and the pepper pot.  Fortunately Elfmama caught me before I stirred it.

[Mikayla]

I perfected a recipe I found once for no-cook mojito, which is basically a marinating sauce for fish or anything else.  It has orange juice as the main thing, but then lime juice, garlic, olive oil, ginger, oregano and dry sherry.  My sis decided white wine would make it better than the sherry (which it didn't - the sherry flavor was key).

[evely28]

Around midnight before an all day holiday function at a close friends house, I was talking to another guest that said she was making chocolate cake to bring. The next day we all go over to start with brunch and end with an early dinner. We sit down for brunch and I see the other guest Mary, has made my signature dish. One that I was so well known for I actually used to sell it, as it was a bit difficult to make and time consuming as well and when she asked for the recipe way before, I gladly gave it.

I was bothered by the deception involved but didn't say anything, nor did I say anything when I bit into it and found it really, really bland. Yes, her presentation was prettier than mine, I would have liked to have taken a picture, but when dish'es were being cleared I saw many others hadn't finished what was on their plate. Hours later, when several others were talking about how hungry they were, the leftovers still sat on the table uneaten. I had opened my mouth a couple times to say something like, "I thought you were making a chocolate cake" but then I would close my mouth, as their really wasn't anything to say. It was a fail and stood on it's own. Such karma.

Later when the ackwardness of realizing the host's were not putting the meat in the oven or getting anything ready for dinner and one other guest kept saying how tired the host's were from a previous nights hosting, we kinda figured out they had decided brunch was enough and dinner was cancelled, even though the host's had shown off the meat that was supposed to be cooked earlier. As we were leaving I asked if they would mind if I took one of the pies I had brought and was told it was my contribution. Since I was hungry, cranky from lack of food and confused over the whole mess, I left pie less.

I realize now that the dinner may have been cancelled because I got blamed for that fiasco. Mary had been the SO of one of my family members and then under deceit became the SO of the host's family member. Some recipes I don't share. For the one's I do, I am just as careful giving them out as I am counting out money, I make sure it's true and correct.

So yes, if you don't follow someone's recipe to a t, don't blame them if it doesn't turn out right!

[heartmug]

I had to ask my DH to please stop saying "But it needs mushrooms" every single time I made my potato and chive soup.  Yes, he might like the mushrooms, but mushrooms are not a general crowd pleaser.  Nor does the soup need it.

[Lovekitten]

I have posted on a similar situation a long time ago.  I gave a friend of a friend the cookie recipe that everyone loves.  Unfortunately, she made significant changes (low fat margarine instead of butter, changed the extracts, etc.), then accused me of altering the recipe BEFORE I gave it to her.  I was befuddled.

I recently took a dish to a potluck.  When I went later to get some, someone had added a lot of black pepper to it.  I know it was my dish because of the container it was in.  I seriously dislike large amounts of black pepper. I don't know who did it, but I was very unhappy.  I made this dish because I liked it so much, then I got none of it.

[ilrag]

I don't mind at all when people change my recipes. I give them out happily to anyone.

If some one makes them and changes a technique or ingredient oh well. It might not turn out the same - who knows it could be better - but that's not on me.

In all honesty most times people ask me how I make something I tell them to hang out and watch the next time I make it. That way they really see exactly what I'm talking about.

[evely28]

I have posted on a similar situation a long time ago.  I gave a friend of a friend the cookie recipe that everyone loves.  Unfortunately, she made significant changes (low fat margarine instead of butter, changed the extracts, etc.), then accused me of altering the recipe BEFORE I gave it to her.  I was befuddled.

I recently took a dish to a potluck.  When I went later to get some, someone had added a lot of black pepper to it.  I know it was my dish because of the container it was in.  I seriously dislike large amounts of black pepper. I don't know who did it, but I was very unhappy.  I made this dish because I liked it so much, then I got none of it.

I think it's a cardinal sin to change a dish that's not your's. Everyone's free to doctor up their own dish, more pepper, more salt, ketchup.....I am really astonished at someone that decides to change it for everyone.