I am wanting to work through the recipes on foodlovers and make sure they are all as good as they should be.
One of our readers has emailed me with a suggestion that I ask for help with this from our community.
While I don't have $$ to pay, I do get sent samples, books etc... that I am happy to pass on in return for enlisting help in testing recipes and writing feedback on recipes you like for others to see.

Is anyone interested in helping with this?
You would be able to choose the recipes you tested etc...

I'm happy to help with any recipe that doesn't include wheat or pre-mixes.

i am also willing to help, especially with baking recipes or deserts

I'll give anything a go..... Except shellfish!

I am happy to give some recipes a go too.

Count me in

Count me in

Me too Helen. Happy to cook most things but probably my 'thing' is baking and desserts.

I'd be keen do any vegetarian ones, cakes and biscuits.

And me - and I promise to stick strictly to a recipe.

This sounds like fun, I'd like to have a go if you still need people

I can’t help with cooking recipes but thought I could help with recipe search functions or something.

Under Baking Recipes, described as “cakes, slices, biscuits, desserts and much more”, there are 15 pages. The following are included but shouldn’t be?
Chicken Pie
Fish Pie
Beef, Guinness and Mushroom Pies
Zucchini Tourte
Salmon Loaf
Goats Cheese, Cranberry and Walnut Tart
Porcini Oven Baked Risotto
Lamb Shank and Parsnip Pie
Moroccan Lamb Pastries
Chicken Noodle Loaf
Chicken and Avocado Savoury Filling

The following bread recipes are included under Baking Recipes. I see there isn’t a separate Bread Recipe section, so I guess Baking is the suitable category but wonder if the description should include it - “cakes, slices, biscuits, bread…..”
Basic Focaccia
Focaccia with Rosemary Leaves and Olives
Flat Bread
Bun for soup

These dessert recipes are included in the Baking Recipes section but I personally feel they don’t fit the category:
Rhubarb Ripple Pavlova
Brown Betty
Double Chocolate Puddings (note this recipe has errors – the method is missing)

Under Cake Recipes, there’s Best Pancakes. Maybe not quite the right category, despite the name? Likewise, Wheatgerm Griddle Cakes.

Also under Cake Recipes is Easy Chocolate Puddings and Chocolate Banoffi Pie. Don’t fit category? Also Portuguese custard tarts (and there’s image errors on this recipe). Ginger Crunch – not cake? Goats Cheese, Cranberry and Walnut Tart – not cake. Hot Cross Buns seems odd under Cake, as does Fresh Herb Scones. Chocolate Crepes With Mascarpone Figs doesn’t belong, nor Hersheys Chocolate, Banana And Caramel Pie (there are image errors on this recipe)?

It was funny to find Gingerbread Men under Chicken Recipes! Mischief makers!

Under Dessert Recipes, there’s Chocolate Caramel Slice (Radio Live) (there are image errors on this recipe), which seems more appropriate for the baking/biscuit categories. The Neenish Tarts recipe has image errors. Some seem to not fit/not quite fit the dessert category, e.g. Coca Cola Fudge Cake, Coconut Cake, Madge’s Ginger Fudge, Moist Kumara Cake, Pat’s Pikelets, Alison’s Mum’s Pikelets, Ginger Crunch, Lemon Nut Loaf, Hokey Pokey, Fudge Cake, Chocolate Chip Biscuits, Chocolate Chewy Cookies, Hersheys Chocolate Shortbread, Hersheys Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Bran Muffins (diabetic Friendly).

Under Dip Recipes, Chinese Bbq Meat Marinade doesn’t sound like a very nice dip.

I get a major image issue on page 2 of Fish Recipes, page 2 of Lamb Recipes, page 1 of Noodle Recipes and page 3 of Soup Recipes. I get major software issues on page 3 of Occasion - it takes me to a recipe for Sesame Crusted Scallops and then other recipe titles follow in strange formatting, and the same thing happens with page 5 of Soup Recipes.

The Loaf Recipes section seems a little odd in that its description refers almost exclusively to cake-type loaves but, amongst the 10 such loaves, there is one Chicken Noodle Loaf.

Balsamic Chicken Marinade is listed in error under Pasta Recipes.

The Radio Live Recipes category seems broken? It comes up with only two recipes, yet the description refers to at least three recipes. When I click on the coconut ice recipe referred to in the description, I get a nonsense page.

Thanks so much for all of your responses.
J1 I have printed off your list to work through.
Some things are very hard to iron out - eg if a recipe is called a loaf then it comes up when people search for loaf as the search doesn't differentiate between sweet and savoury loaf.
As for gingerbread men coming up under chicken.... there is certainly work to be done.
THANKS

I am working on a list of recipes at present and will post them soon for people to pick from.
Meanwhile J1 have been working through your list and correcting issues.
Thank you so much for pointing out the things that I have overlooked. It makes a huge difference to have these issues pointed out.

I have created another big list . Rather than post it here, I'll email it to you in the next day or two.

Ok here is the start of the recipes that I am not sure about.
Please can I say that I definitely don't want anyone wasting ingredients so feel free to change recipes as you go if you think they need it and then let me know the changes.
If recipes look unappealing then we can just "axe" them now or if you make something similar and it is OK then please could you let us know.
I want all of our recipes to be reliable and worth making so if we end up culling lots then so be it. Better to have few and good than lots that are not. We do have to be aware of varying tastes so please only try recipes that have ingredients that you like to start with.
one last request - if the recipe is a stayer then please would you place a comment on it so others know that someone else has made it...

Thank you!



Spicy Pot roast
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

Mum's coconut biscuits
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

Date and sultana cake
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

Bran biscuits
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

Honey roasted peanut biscuits
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

jaffa cakes
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

Old fashioned ginger biscuits
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2012 04:42AM by helen.

I am just looking at this recipe as well - a chocolate yoghurt cake that I must have made when I was doing recipes for Hersheys but can't remember it.
Has anyone made one like this - not neccessarily with Hershey chocolate but with yoghurt and all ingredients mixed at once?
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

Helen, if it's any help to save someone testing the Parsnip and Beef Casserole, this recipe I have made often and we think it's very nice and tasty and especially easy. It is in my folder of "favourites", so can vouch for this recipe.
Regards,
Dawn.

Oh wonderful thanks Dawn.
I will take it off the list - would you mind posting a comment on it that you have made it etc...?
Just when you have time of course.

I am happy to test the jaffa cakes next week.
Thanks

I will give the date and sultana cake (although it will be raisins in mine) a go tonight.

That chocolate yoghurt cake Helen is one that a lot of chefs have as their own that I have made a lot. Can be halved successfully and very moist. Can recomend it totally.

Actually, the recipe I use doesn't have the chocolate chips in it but I am sure it would make it even better!

Oh phew thanks Clare, will take that off the list as well.

If anyone notices any dodgy recipes then please do add them here as I really want us to be a fail proof as we possibly can.

I will test the bran biscuits on Monday and the pot roast recipe too if the beef is a reasonable price. By the way - the honey peanut biscuits aren't gluten-free since they contain flour.

I have made (and eaten some of) the date and sultana (raisin) cake tonight.
Would I make it again? Yes. It is lovely and moist, and I am really pleased with how little butter is in it. I want to try it again, using oil instead of butter, and with the addition of some mixed spices to darken up the cake a bit.
This will (I hope) give me something very similar to a sticky date cake but with a lot less butter than the recipe I normally make. I will post feedback on the recipe page, and again once I have tried with the changes.

I invented a similar recipe to the jaffa cakes one, with the biggest difference being that I use 2 oranges & 2 eggs, but no milk. It's a favourite of mine, and I love the full-on orange flavour. Next time I might consider just using one orange to achieve a more delicate flavour...just for fun

One recipe that I can recommend is the Spicy Chicken Drumsticks - easy to put together, tasty, inexpensve (especially as chicken drums are often on special)and can be cooked either in a pan on the stovetop, in the oven or in the crockpot. I usually serve it with rice to mop up the sauce and a green veg (pak choy, peas).

So I think you can safely cross that one off your list, Helen.

Regards,

Barbie Girl

Thought I would try the honey roasted peanut biscuits because we have coeliacs disease in our family, can't help noticing they have flour in them! they may be tasty but def not gluten free

This chocolate and yoghurt cake is very similar to one I have made for years and years. In fact there is a really similar one in Annabel Langbein's cookbook Eat Fresh. It is easy to make and rich and delicious. I can try this one if you need someone to.