# One of my Pet Peeves!



## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I absolutely get livid about this! I wanted to make chicken and dumplings for dinner. (DH's not home and I love chicken), so I Googled it and got Allrecipes.com. I clicked on a recipe that had FIVE STARS (got to be good, right?). The people giving 5 stars frothed over how good it was, but then they listed the changes they made to the recipe and it is nowhere even CLOSE to the recipe that Allrecipes posted. :hammer: How can you rate a recipe as 5 stars but you never even cooked it the way the recipe called for??? Here's the link to what I'm talking about. Read the first "review".

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-and-Dumplings/Detail.aspx


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

Too funny....she just made it into "her" recipe instead of the one posted, but they both sound good. Many times I will use less ingredients than called for...trying to reduce sodium content or something like that....and add an extra spice that is not listed just because we like the flavor of it....I am guilty ...LOL


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

I've gotten pretty good at reading recipes and dismissing them quickly if they include ingredients I don't like or exclude those that I love; IMO, this particular one screams for some "oomph". Apparently the reviewers, like me, don't have unlimited resources or time to squander making it as written when they can see it doesn't fit their taste. My signature ginger cookies and brownies were both perfected after studying far too many recipes for what seemed like forever (in the case of my brownies, over 20 years); both have a bit of many OP's ideas but are now mine. 

Why 5 stars? That I don't understand unless they were awarded for technique which is important.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I agree that the recipe sounded bland as written, but the reviewer was actually rating her own recipe with the 5 stars. If she had to make that many changes, she should have given the original recipe 1 star and THEN list the changes she made to make it palatable. If it was a 5 star recipe, she wouldn't have had to make _any_ changes.

(I did say this was my pet peeve, right?) LOL!


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## thebaker (Dec 2, 2009)

I went and read that recipe an it very simple to make. I believe it would be good for someone to make if in a hurry or someone is not feeling well. My recipe isn't that bland it a little different. I got to reading more about what others done to that recipe so IMO why rate it great or etc when you go making changes to it. Before I would rate a recipe I would make it the way it is posted not make no changes then I will know if it's worth having a good rate or not JMO on that. 

I've read lots of recipes that suppose to have great ratings but after get to reading them will see where people have done lots of changes to the recipe to make it taste better. 

:huh:


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Thank you. You understand.


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## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

I use a chicken and dumplings recipe from Taste of Home. I will post it for you if you are still looking for one.


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## kyweaver (Nov 30, 2009)

That annoys me too! If you make that many changes, its not the same recipe! Or the ones who will change everything and then give a bad review cause it didn't turn out well! Grr! Argh!


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Highlandview, I have most of the annual Taste of Home books. Rather than type the whole thing, what issue is it? I'll see if I have it. If not, I'll let you know.

And, thanks!


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

I sometimes wonder if the people actually used the same recipe I did. I made vegetarian minestrone today and it called for four cups of vegetable stock (which I made), four cups of tomatoes and 1.5 cups of macaroni. I ended up using eight cups of stock, with the 1,5 cups of macaroni and far less tomatoes and still thought it was too thick. Every minestrone soup I've ever had was a thin broth-type soup, not a thick stew-like dish.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

There have been, on occasion, cookbook writers that have ADMITTED they never tried the recipes in their book. "Oh, it LOOKED good!"


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

That is annoying. It is a different recipe when any alterations are made. If I had a recipe for Chicken & Dumplings I would surely share it with you 

I like going to www.recipezaar.com if I can't find a tried and true from a friend. I type in whatever recipe I am looking for and when that page loads, click on 'sort by rating'. I have found the best recipes there without needing to 'tweak' them.


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## thebaker (Dec 2, 2009)

Bad mistake from people that writes a cookbook an has never tried their recipes what a major mistake that is. Before I would write a cookbook I would try all my recipes before doing that. Sorry to say but boy are they crazy for not trying out their recipes. I've watched on Food network on certain shows if you don't taste your food as you go to see how it is they will really jump on you for that because the judges say that is very important to do so you know how your food is. I've got cookbooks here from church members an all their recipes have been tried before they would even post them for the cookbook. 

IMO its a big NO NO if you don't try your recipe before posting or rating them.

Try your recipes before having them put in a cookbook. :nana:


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## rightathome (Feb 10, 2009)

I always read the reviews before I print a recipe, and I completely agree that a review of how a person totally changed the recipe isn't a review at all. Worse, are the reviews by people who didn't even make the recipe!


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## woodsman (Dec 8, 2008)

If you buy cream of chicken soup this recipe calls for there might be a better recipe printed on a label.


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## ya-ni-sa_song (Nov 23, 2009)

I am amazed with how often people post without having tried the recipe. I would rather see someone's ratings for their altered version than from someone who has NO clue what the recipe is even like.

With that said, this is the recipe I have used for over a decade, and is a family favorite. My alterations--I use a much lighter hand with the pepper and replace the milk with half-and-half on special occasions. It is actually from Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Restaurant Recipes, but is now all over the internet.

-Stacie


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

ya-ni-sa_song, did you forget to post the recipe?


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## ya-ni-sa_song (Nov 23, 2009)

I am so sorry, I thought I had included this link:

http://www.cookingcache.com/crackerbarrelchickenanddumplings.shtml?rdid=rc1


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## thebaker (Dec 2, 2009)

ya-ni-sa_song I was looking at the recipe an was wondering what does the lemon juice has to do with making the chicken dumplings?

My chicken and dumplings don't require that stuff in it but of course mine just a very simple recipe...


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

There is one thing DW hates about recipes. She has a well stocked pantry and can cook anything from scratch. She looks up a recipe and one of the ingredients is a box of yellow cake mix or a something like that. Makes her furious. She wants to cook, not go shopping.


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## woodsman (Dec 8, 2008)

Ed Norman said:


> There is one thing DW hates about recipes. She has a well stocked pantry and can cook anything from scratch. She looks up a recipe and one of the ingredients is a box of yellow cake mix or a something like that. Makes her furious. She wants to cook, not go shopping.


Now that's a true homesteader attitude


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

I have an account at recipezaar and people do the same thing there as well...

"I didn't have THAT so I subbed THIS, added blah, blah, and blah, DIDN'T use blah..." Drives me nuts as well!

I just ignore those posts and make the recipe as written. Only THEN will I review it.


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## Solarmom (Jun 17, 2010)

woodsman said:


> Now that's a true homesteader attitude





Ed Norman said:


> There is one thing DW hates about recipes. She has a well stocked pantry and can cook anything from scratch. She looks up a recipe and one of the ingredients is a box of yellow cake mix or a something like that. Makes her furious. She wants to cook, not go shopping.




This is me. I HATE having a recipe the requires store bought items like soup,cake mix,muffin mix,w/e.
Chicken and Dumplings is such an easy, down-home,good-for the soul kind of food. It makes my daughter "breath Happy Air" as she says when she's feeling so content!


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