The things we got wrong
This page is a log of corrections—not a list of successes. It exists because a site about cooking is only useful if the recipes work, and the only way to prove that is to show where they didn’t.
You’ll find the mistakes we caught early enough to fix, the ones we missed until someone pointed them out, and the ones that slipped through until a reader did. If you’re here for recipes, this is where you learn what to trust.
Three we had to fix
We started with good intentions, but some things didn’t hold up. These are the three that mattered most—where the work failed before the food ever did.
The log of corrections
- 1Wrong oven temperature in 40% of guides
The first batch of baking guides used a standard ‘375°F’ for everything from scones to roasted potatoes. It wasn’t until a reader emailed—*politely*—that we tested it: the scones came out dense, the potatoes underdone. We rewrote all 28 guides with exact temps, tested them twice, and added a ‘thermometer check’ note. Roland Dubois did it.
- 2Salt measurements were in teaspoons
The ‘quick-pickled onions’ recipe called for ‘1 tsp salt per cup of vinegar.’ It took three failed batches and a DM from a home cook in Portland to realize we’d halved the dose by accident. The fix was simple: double the salt, update every recipe, and add a warning about ‘taste as you go.’ Roland Dubois caught it.
- 3Mashed potato ‘technique’ didn’t work
The guide swore by ‘boiling potatoes in their skins, then peeling and mashing with butter.’ It sounded traditional, but the texture was gummy. A test kitchen volunteer (who shall remain nameless) filmed the process—turns out, the skins absorbed too much starch. We scrapped the method, rewrote the steps, and added a ‘potato variety matters’ disclaimer. Roland Dubois approved the rewrite.
What those three changed
These failures forced us to build three rules into the work: measure twice, test with real ingredients, and never assume ‘traditional’ means ‘foolproof.’
Rules that came from mistakes
- ‘Thermometer first’ (from the oven temperature mistake)
- ‘Salt is not optional’ (from the pickling error)
- ‘Film the process’ (from the mashed potato failure)
The people behind this
Meet Roland Dubois, the founder and editor of *Potato Recipes Root*. You’ve just read their mistakes—which is how you learn who they are. They’re the one who burns toast, over-salts dishes, and still publishes them because the corrections matter more than the failures.
Keeping this log is uncomfortable. It means admitting when a recipe was wrong before it went live, or worse, after. But the alternative—pretending nothing ever fails—would make this site useless. The best cooks learn from their own messes, and the best writers do the same.
There’s a small mistake Roland won’t admit to publicly: the first batch of ‘perfect roasted potatoes’ they served at a family dinner came out mushy. They blamed the oven, then the potatoes, then the recipe—until their sister pointed out they’d used *waxed* potatoes instead of Yukon Golds. The fix?
A handwritten note in every guide now: ‘Not all potatoes are equal.’
If you find something we got wrong, the contact page is where to tell us. No email, no shame—just the chance to fix it before someone else does.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. We’ll add to it whenever we find another mistake—or when you do. The contact page is open for corrections, questions, and the occasional ‘this didn’t work’ message. If you’ve tried a recipe and hit a snag, let us know. The next entry might be yours.
The recipes are grouped by category: Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Main Courses and Reviews.