Question about etiquette when people ask about recipe suggestions

[ipsedixit]

On the Home Cooking board, if someone asks for a recipe suggestion for a particular food product, i.e. "Need good recipes for apples" etc., is it bad form to just suggest what to make and not how to make it?

So, for example, using the above query, would it be bad form to simply reply by saying "make apple pie" instead of providing a full step-by-step recipe and instruction on how to make apple pie, i.e., use cold butter, measure flour, roll out dough, cut and core apples, macerate apples, prheat oven, bake at 350F, etc.?

I typically only do the former (i.e. only specify what to make without explaining how to make it) because I figure once they have the idea and end-product, they can just Google it and figure it out themselves.

Thoughts?

[Quine]

Sometimes I just want a recipe and so I say recipe, other times I want more and so I ask for suggestions, tips, experiences.
It's hard to guess exact what one hopes to get for a reply; times have happened that a reply helps me redefine my idea, and question, a good thing.

Etiquette, I am not sure that such has been established in this new online world so far but I do find replies that say " this is an opt asked question, try a search" to be so un-helpful, that it does go against some good manners I have been taught.

[meatn3]

Each poster has their own style. As long as the intent is helpful and polite then its good!

The posts that work best IMO are those that describe the main attributes of a suggested recipe (Chai spiced applesauce, but made in a slow cooker) and include an offer to post the recipe or a link to the recipe.

The way the opening post is phrased has a lot to do with the way I might choose to answer. Your example of "need good recipes for apples" is just too wide of a topic for me to post a specific recipe , I'd just provide some ideas and see if they interest the poster. A query phrased as "looking for Amish sour cream apple pie recipe" I'm probably going to contribute a recipe or a link.

As Quine mentions, the suggestion for a search can feel unfriendly. Not everyone is good at searching this site. I've searched and found similar posts, but not addressing my specific question and then have been chastised for not searching... a new poster could feel discouraged by that. A nicely phrased response with links to past posts provides the hint of searching while actually being helpful and kind.

[Naco]

When I ask for recipes on here, I have the same idea in mind as when I ask about a restaurant- I'm looking for a personal recommendation. I know full well how to use Google- the problem is that the internet is chock full of recipes for everything(just as it also contains the Yellow Pages), and it can be hard to determine the quality of many of them, especially with the rise of content farms.

I don't mind a link at all: what I am looking for are the personal remarks. That one has used the recipe before and considers it a good example, etc. etc.

[chowser]

I think the former, post ideas and figure the person will ask follow up questions if interested. Seems like wasted effort to post a recipe if the person isn't. Even if asked for a recipe, eg "Looking for a recipe that uses apples" , I'll offer one but not post it unless asked. But, if asked for "recipe for an apple pie," that's specific enough to post a recipe.

[ipsedixit]

That's my train of thought as well.

[HillJ]

Except that all of the CH's following along are also learning from the OP. So while the original poster starts the inquiry/conversation-in a matter of nano minutes the entire thread, and all the inevitable directions it takes, has value.

[chowser]

In those cases, people other than the OP have piped up and asked for the recipe. I figure if no one asks, no one is interested. It takes time to post a recipe and not worth it if no one wants it.

[ipsedixit]

I think sometimes posters are just lazy and use "recipe" as code for "idea".

So when someone posts, "I need recipes for apples" they more often than not mean "I need ideas as to what to do with apples".

But maybe that's just my (incorrect) assumption.

[rworange]

Yep, incorrect assumption, at least when I'm requesting a recipe.

When I want an actual recipe, I post on the Home Cookig board. When I am looking for ideas, I post on the general topics board. If I think the general topic might lead to actual recipes, I'll set up a link to the recipes boards.

This was an iffy topic for me on where to post. I didn't really want recipes, but ideas on how it was used.

What do people do with fresh bergamot, anyway?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/766529

There were links to two other threads from posters on the Home Cooking board if anyone really wanted to add recipes to them, though I wasn't as specific as I could have been.in saying, anyone with a good recipe post in those links ... given it was bergamot, and the narrow response it has gotten over the years, I really didn't think I'd be getting any recipes.

There are links to a few cocktail recipes in there, which also gave me pause on where to post. But the links were mainly for bergamot affinity ideas.

Also, I wanted a wider audiance than people focused on cooking to get a wider range of ideas. If a bergamot and I ever cross paths again, even though I didn't get real response, I did enough of a web search to post somewhat coherently that I'll probably play with a few combinations.

On those few occasions when I ask for a recipe. I want a recipe ... even if it is a link to one.

If I get ideas back, it annoys me. If the idea is good enough, I'll ask for the recipe, but usually I just ignore general thoughts.

[Quine]

I think that is an incorrect notion, as recipe requires more char than idea.
As ugly as it may seem to some of us, minimal char use is minimal what to know. If someone says recipe, I do think they maybe a Chow to Chound gateway/crossover. They may not want the idea, just the make it recipe.

[HillJ]

Point taken. I was focused on the number of threads on the Home Cooking board that wind up a mix of posted recipes, blog references, articles to, sources for, etc. Those threads are my favorite and more reflective of the kind of group discussion I enjoy most.

Sometimes I forget that CH's don't always come back to a thread, or return right away and I've noticed a few instances where the communication was just a matter of walking away and forgetting the thread was still in "play."

[HillJ]

I figure once they have the idea and end-product, they can just Google it and figure it out themselves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most of us come to CH for the hands on experience. Where the Home Cooking Board rocks is in the cultural, special diet, family background, fearless arena of cooking at home. A take on ingredients or cooking/baking styles clearly enhanced by our collective experiences. How we all approach a recipe differs and is so significant to how we learn and grow in our kitchens.

Google can provide tons of general information but CH's provide enriched detail and LOTS of fantastic suggestions, sidebars and humor one on one. Recipes can be a total waste of time & ingredients if you haven't road tested it; CH's road test!

[chowser]

We're our own America's Test Kitchen!

[HillJ]

chowser, I prefer to think of us as a global experience in what tastes good :)
far beyond American kitchens, we reap cultural exposure.

[chowser]

I stand corrected--World's Test Kitchen. Even better. :-)

[fourunder]

I typically only do the former (i.e. only specify what to make without explaining how to make it) because I figure once they have the idea and end-product.
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This is generally my MO. Unless they specifically state they are inexperienced cooks, I presume they have the basic knowledge to follow the suggestions provided. If they come back to request specific details, then I will expand further and answer any questions as detailed as possible. I end my participation if there is no longer any communication.

[nomadchowwoman]

I think, with others here, it makes more sense to wait and see if people follow up if you offer to post a recipe. I think the real etiquette issue comes into play when someone specifically asks for a recipe, another hound (or several) take the trouble to type it up, and that person, even though s/he is actively posting, never bothers to acknowledge that s/he has even glanced at it. That's the real bad manners, imo. Responding to a query with your suggestions strikes me as being (or trying to be) helpful. .
As to the googling--sure, anyone can google, and lots of times, one can get great results, but I assume most people asking questions on CH want the CH take or they want to be able to ask questions in an active discussion.

[paulj]

But often people say 'I've searched and don't like any thing I found', or 'I don't trust any of it', without giving any details. Or they say 'I've tried a bunch of recipes and didn't like any', without giving any indication of what they did not like, or what went wrong. Why should my favorite recipe work any better for them?

I think there's an art to asking productive questions. They can't be too general, but they also shouldn't be to restrictive. Sometimes a deliberate mis-statement help generate discussion. There's nothing like an error to draw out the experts with their corrections.

[nomadchowwoman]

I think we're agreeing: I've come to think that it's not worth the trouble to type a recipe until some parameters are established by the asker. I totally agree that there's an art to asking questions.

While I certainly wouldn't expect that my recipe *will* be the solution, I'm willing to go to the trouble if it seems like it might help and the asker is appreciative of the effort. If it's just a link, that's one thing.

To me it makes sense, if someone asks what to do with all this _________, to throw out some general suggestions/ideas and wait for the OP to ask for a recipe if something sounds good. While some posters may mean, very explicitly, that they want recipes, not ideas, there seem to be far more who ask without giving enough information, waiting for the appearance of that magical one that suits their tastes, dietary restrictions, budget, current pantry contents, etc. Stating at least some of those up front will save others from wasting their time typing up recipes.

[Servorg]

What seems to be being overlooked here is the same factor which informs the discussions on the local CH boards when posters reply with suggested restaurants outside the OP's (Original Poster's) requested parameters.

Many other people are lurking along on these threads. Many other people will come to these threads later via Google or what-have-you.

No recipe or list of ideas will go to waste. Don't worry about replying with the "perfect" post. Just add what you know best, and interests you and, if someone wants further information, they can always ask for it. If they're aren't interested they can ignore it.

[nomadchowwoman]

No, I know that things don't really go to waste, so maybe that's the wrong word. (I lurked and took a lot of excellent info, ideas, and recipes from these boards before ever posting.)

I'm certainly not trying to discourage anyone from posting any/all recipes that s/he may want to--just from taking a lot of time/effort that might be better spent otherwise (like keeping up w/all these other CH threads!) to type up a recipe w/o asking a few questions. But I do see your point.

[paulj]

It is funny to do a search on some topic, and find that something that I wrote 3 years earlier.