this post was submitted on
1,573 points (71% like it)
2,606 up votes 1,033 down votes
all 157 comments

[–]flashtastic 49 points50 points ago

Perhaps this could be added to the sidebar or as a little note across the top like /r/gaming?

[–]DrJulianBashir[M] 56 points57 points ago

Added to sidebar, and as a warning on the submit page.

[–]Anomander 18 points19 points ago

Thank you.

I personally really appreciate making it a hard rule for this community, and the motivation that backs that decision.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]DrJulianBashir 15 points16 points ago

Then you describe in detail what you did. Notice the rule says "may." That does give a little leeway.

[–]fimcotw 43 points44 points ago

A submission to /r/Cooking should intend, enable and instigate some form of new, meaningful discussion. If you post a picture of a dish, that means including enough information so that we can understand what you did. It doesn't have to be a complete recipe.

Subreddits exist for a reason. I'm not sure about the difference to /r/food, but /r/Cooking, as a broad subreddit, should catch everything related to cooking unless it fits better into a more specialised subreddit. If you dislike this split, you can simply ignore it by bookmarking (or setting a shortcut in RES) to sth. like /r/Cooking+foodporn plus anything else from the sidebar.

If you ignore other subreddits than your favorite one, you make Reddit quite inefficient for anyone who doesn't share your mish-mash preference.

[–]exdiggtwit 0 points1 point ago

Is the DownVote button broken? What you're really upset about is that people still entertain those "off topic" posts.

Do mods have the power to "Move" posts between subs? If not maybe this would be a great feature, then if someone posts in the "wrong" sub, it could be moved to the "proper" sub.

[–]JamesAJanisse 71 points72 points ago

I agree. It's almost cruel and unusual to post a picture of a delicious looking meal and then not share how to make it.

[–]dominicaldaze 52 points53 points ago

Chances are they didn't make it, in which case it should go in r/food or r/foodporn...

[–]Kernel_Forbin 5 points6 points ago

The problem is that pictures are upvoted like crazy. Every time I post a link to my roomate's blog with full details on the meal, it gets completely ignored. This is 100% ad free blog with pictures, process, recipe and a personal touch.

If I post a single picture from one of those blog posts, it gets upvoted to the top with tons of comments "RECIPE PLEASE?!". =/

[–]ftothe3 4 points5 points ago

Well, you've figured out the answer to your own problem. Submit the picture and link to the blog in the comments.

This really just demonstrates the difference between the people who (only) vote and the people who comment.

[–]Kernel_Forbin 0 points1 point ago

Truth, yeah I started to do that but then I feel bad. Makes me look like a karma whore going after link/comment karma. Oh well, will just keep at it! ;)

[–]aDildoAteMyBaby 0 points1 point ago

I don't know why everyone's getting their knickers in a twist. I thought anyone who cooks can eyeball a dish and make a reasonable reproduction, but now I'm thinking that's a superpower...?

[–]KhamanV 18 points19 points ago

I thought recipes were part of cooking, and therefore something to promote. Since I'm not interested in just pictures, I don't subscribe to foodporn. I'm a little confused by the defensiveness about being asked to consider contributing a recipe when you post a picture.

[–]CaptKing 5 points6 points ago

Because people will bitch about anything on Reddit.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]chillster12 -2 points-1 points ago

Anyone who knows how to cook hasn't used a recipe in years.

[–]TheBigStapler 116 points117 points ago

I would go further and say this isn't r/recipes either! To me, this subreddit is more about concepts, technique, kitchenware, and cooking experiences. I think photos can be enormously instructive, though.

[–]flashtastic 96 points97 points ago

I think that fragmentation is going a bit too far. I mean, cooking is cooking. Yes you can cook without a recipe, but if you don't have one, at least list the ingredients. We cant cook without one or the other.

[–]fimcotw 4 points5 points ago*

If you dislike fragmentation, simply browse /r/Cooking+recipes and the like.

I agree it's fine to list just the ingredients or rather the non-obvious information from the recipe.

Edit: In case there is confusion: You can combine arbitrary subreddits with the plus sign.

[–]lgodsey 75 points76 points ago

Jesus, could we be more up our own asses? It's just food -- no need for all the subreddit nonsense.

[–]ChaosMotor 47 points48 points ago

Excuse me, but this kind of comment is more appropriate for /r/SomeObscureRedditNobodyUses, please remove this post and re-post in the proper location, else suffer the constant bitching.

;)

[–]Flowpoke 20 points21 points ago

Another quick and easy way is to post anything in /r/ocd and they will catalog it, organize it, and designate it to it's proper sub or make a new one if it does not fit.

[–]rottenborough 5 points6 points ago

I thought you were serious there for a sec...

[–]christycreme 1 point2 points ago

Twitch

[–]ScarletJew72 6 points7 points ago

If you actually clicked the link, you would find that fimcotw's link is merely the Cooking and Recipes subreddits combined in one convenient listing. It's not a separate "Cooking and Recipes" subreddit.

I have no idea why that guy is being downvoted...

[–]fimcotw -1 points0 points ago

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't stop to think there might be confusion. I added an explanation.

[–]fatima_gruntanus 0 points1 point ago

Could you include instructions, please? I already have my own ass, I'm just not sure if I'm doing it right. It seems... uncomfortable...

[–]lgodsey 0 points1 point ago

I'm not saying it's an unpleasant sensation...

[–]quaquenbiquar 0 points1 point ago

You would say that wouldn't you, lgodsey? Or should I say, Phineas LeTulle, Time Detective?

[–]lgodsey 3 points4 points ago

Actually since 2013's SOPA IV, The Protect Virgins From Neckbeards And Free Kittens Act, reddit was all but destroyed, save r/circlejerk which congress appropriated for use as their own web presence.

[–]fimcotw 0 points1 point ago*

It's just food -- no need for all the subreddit nonsense.

Look at the sidebar.

Edit: It lists dozens of subreddits. Someone must be using them.

[–]boourns75 4 points5 points ago

You mean where it says, "All things cooking related"?

[–]fimcotw -1 points0 points ago

I mean where it lists dozens of subreddits. Someone must be using them.

[–]randoh12 0 points1 point ago

Someone must be using them.

Yup, there must be tens of subscribers. Maybe there should be a subreddit for discussions about subreddits. Wait...nevermind there already is.

[–]Tartantyco 0 points1 point ago

There's dozens of us! Dozens!

[–]SeaLegs 1 point2 points ago

Sorry, this isn't

r/I think that fragmentation is going a bit too far. I mean, cooking is cooking. Yes you can cook without a recipe, but if you don't have one, at least list the ingredients. We cant cook without one or the other.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]Anomander 32 points33 points ago

I think that /food is the place for anything related to food - cooking needs to at least make a nod towards the "cooking" aspect in a better way than simply being a place for folks to show off that nice thing they cooked recently.

Food and cooking are so intrinsically linked that having two overlapping "umbrella" subs is pointless, and there is no differentiation if this community doesn't lay some down.

[–][deleted] ago*

[deleted]

[–]videowordflesh 2 points3 points ago

Could be a gerund...

[–]Lifeonthesidewalk 10 points11 points ago

I don't think demanding recipes is necessary, posting a delicious looking picture and saying the technique used, or asking for help recreating would be awesome as well. But only pictures with no other info is just a tease.

[–]kochipoik 3 points4 points ago

Yes, and photos of delicious looking food that wasn't even made by them (ie bought at a restaurant/take out place) is just mean

[–]monabona 1 point2 points ago

Personally I can't think of anything helpful or interesting about a badly shot photograph (let's be honest—almost all of them are) of some dish cooked by an anonymous redditor unless the recipe is included.

[–]rlrguy 2 points3 points ago

I hate looking at awesome pictures in /r/cooking and not knowing what ingredients was used or how it was made :(

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points ago

Thank you.

[–]bw1870 4 points5 points ago

I don't know that everything needs a full recipe, but something interesting about the dish should be included. Why are you sharing this? Did you learn something about a technique? Have questions/suggestions on how to improve cooking methods or the recipe? Was there a unique combination of ingredients, or something new or unexpected result? The point is to foster some conversation, and simply linking to (ie. pointing and grunting at) a picture like you're an imbecile doesn't really add much.

[–]Cdresden 1 point2 points ago

This is completely reasonable. Lots of cooks are free-form, and don't use measurements, yet their cooking is awesome. All they need to do is explain what they did to achieve the pictured results, and I'm happy.

[–]seydar 2 points3 points ago

I say report and remove the foodporn.

[–]mwproductions 8 points9 points ago

I agree in principle, but I often don't use recipes and just cook based on what I think will be good. I couldn't even tell how much of certain things I add.

[–]flashtastic 13 points14 points ago

But you could tell us what you put in, or even ballpark it.

[–]mwproductions 9 points10 points ago

Yeah, a list of what's in a dish would be more helpful than nothing.

[–]arlanTLDR 2 points3 points ago

You could also post in /r/food instead, which has a broader mandate.

[–]mwproductions 1 point2 points ago

This subreddit didn't have a recipe mandate yesterday. Today it does. I don't disagree with the requirement, and if I post pictures of food here I'll post a recipe to the best of my abilities, but the point I was making was (A) it has heretofore not been a requirement of this subreddit, and (B) some of us don't use recipes when we cook, so wouldn't have one to provide.

[–]jbiz 3 points4 points ago

I think home cooks can benefit tremendously by learning to cook without a recipe. A list of ingredients, sure. Techniques/steps to prepare something, absolutely.

Work on getting to the point where you know you own tastes for things and develop your own recipes. It's so much easier to come home from work, open the fridge/pantry and start preparing ingredients without worrying about how many cloves of garlic you need, how many tablespoons of oil to saute in, etc.

That's why discussion around HOW you prepared a meal is just as important, if not more so, than the quantity of each ingredient.

That said, established recipes are very useful for something you're attempting for the first time. And baking.

[–]Cdresden 8 points9 points ago

Originally, a recipe was just a list of ingredients. Recipe is latin for procure. It's a shopping list.

Procure:

  • onions
  • garlic
  • lizards
  • etc.

[–]jbiz 1 point2 points ago

TIL :)

[–]wilkinsk 1 point2 points ago

thank you!

[–]FarmerFupa 1 point2 points ago

Do you mean the poster should try the recipe AND include the recipe in the post?

[–]eddy159357 2 points3 points ago

WHERE'S THE RECIPE FOR THIS POST?!?! GODDAMMIT!

[–]macros-the-black 4 points5 points ago

Cooking discussions are just as much about sharing ideas as recipes.

[–]beedogs 1 point2 points ago

Feel free to discuss your technique, then, after you post your picture with a recipe attached.

[–]macros-the-black 0 points1 point ago

I might work on it over the weekend. I sense a real demand here in r/cooking for a recipe for Gordon Ramsays haircut. I don't want to let people down.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]Anomander 30 points31 points ago

Except someone always asks.

Why don't we spare the congratulatory cock-sucking and skip to the fact that if someone posts a photo of food, someone inevitably asks for the recipe?

[–]j_alt 11 points12 points ago

I've asked a few time in comments of images of good looked stuff for recipes or tips to improving a dish. I never get comments back from the posters.

[–]ChaosMotor 14 points15 points ago

Cuz they didn't cook it, they were karma farming.

[–]hopstar 2 points3 points ago

Though I'm sure the original poster would offer up their recipe if you asked in the comments.

That only works about 50% of the time because there is a frustratingly large number of users who do nothing but submit stuff and never comment, so the request for recipes falls on deaf ears. It's not just /r/cooking either, it happens in every subreddit that actually fosters or relies upon redditor-created content, like /r/DIY, /r/homebrewing, /r/itookapicture, etc.

[–]starbaaa -4 points-3 points ago

Yeah, I don't get why you can't just ask for the recipe if you want it. The poster would be flattered, as you say.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]fimcotw 4 points5 points ago*

(Edit: parent said those asking for recipes had a sense of entitlement, demanding to be spoon-fed every last detail.)

Does this happen to you a lot? It would suck, of course.

I've never seen it. What I have seen is requests ignored completely. Many submitters also have a link to a blog post with the recipe handy.

However, at this point in the discussion, many redditors have said a rough, ballpark recipe would be fine.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]fimcotw 4 points5 points ago*

Well, are we talking about a complete recipe? No, we don't need that here every time. That seems a like a majority opinion at the moment.

But if a submission is such that the only possible reaction is "Yummy.", than it either belongs in /r/FoodPorn, or it is so boring it's pretty much spam.

Give us something, anything; tell us why you posted.

Edit: P.S.: The problem is not that google doesn't give me a recipe, the problem is that it gives me thousands, like you said. Obviously the submitter found one that works especially well. So give us a hint. Otherwise why have a community at all?

so what would make their recipe so special that it must be included with the posting.

That would be the same thing that made them post it. Should there be nothing noteworthy whatsoever, why post?

[–]always_learnin 0 points1 point ago

I think the reason most requests for the recipe are ignored may be that the OP doesn't receive the request. Orangereds only show up for self posts (or PM's) so if the OP doesn't check their submission, then they don't know about the requests.

[–]hopstar 2 points3 points ago

Even if it's not a direct reply that triggers an orangered you would think the submitter's curiosity would get the better of them when they look at their profile later that day and see that their post had x number of points and x number of comments.

[–]beiOnkelKoefteGrill 1 point2 points ago

/r/FoodPorn exists?

One more subscription…

[–]CGord 0 points1 point ago

TIL!

[–]Ickulus 1 point2 points ago

I completely agree, but "try and" is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

[–]jeckles 0 points1 point ago

me too! you shouldn't be getting downvoted! but alas, this is /r/cooking and not a grammar police state.

[–]istillhatecraig 0 points1 point ago

I think people have jumped to the conclusion that you are attempting to be a grammar Nazi. To me it seems you are stating the headline should have read "if you post something on here please include the recipe."

I think, as a result, you are being downvoted. I think a recipe or explanation of the intent (i.e., you could be asking about plating, technique, etc. as others have mentioned) should be a requirement rather than a suggestion.

[–]Ickulus 0 points1 point ago

I completely agree with both of your statements.

[–]brancron -2 points-1 points ago*

Is "go and" (as in "go and get my book") like nails on a chalkboard to you too?

[–]sadwer 0 points1 point ago

"Foodporn" was something totally different from what I thought it'd be.

[–]zabblezah 0 points1 point ago

I think a venn diagram of what to post in which food-related subreddit is in order. I usually just pick the subreddit with the most subscribers when submitting. I think a venn diagram would help immensely, but alas I am too lazy and not knowledgeable enough about each subreddit to make it.

[–]baconsat6 0 points1 point ago

Amen

[–]LordJezo 0 points1 point ago

The only way to combat this is to either make it so only text submissions can be made or to make a new subreddit. Take a look at /r/fitness, they implemented that rule and it's a great place for discussion. Ff you want to submit a pic you need to surround it in actually talking about something That little bit of effort keeps people away who are just in it for the points.

it happens with all reddit categories, eventually it becomes overwhelemed with pictures and people need to move elsewhere. Its like why /r/gaming splintered off into other ones like gamernews and games. Just look at /r/food, there is nothing in there but people posting pictures of food for karma. It's why I had to unsub from it, it was a useless category.

All subreddits as they become more popular and get more subscribers become overwhelmed with picture submissions because all most people care about is karma, the original few who go for content get marginalized. Its just how reddit works.

[–]sweetgreggo 0 points1 point ago

There aren't that many daily posts that they can't be easily sorted through.

[–]massivelydinky -2 points-1 points ago

I disagree with this. If you got your recipe from a cookbook you should say where you got it, not post the recipe. If you're trying to show off decorating or a visual then you shouldn't need to post a recipe. If you're developing a recipe for a cookbook you'll be working on or something you're going to sell you shouldn't need to post the recipe. If you went to a restaurant you shouldn't pester the waitstaff/kitchen for the recipe.

I don't think I've made one single thing from any of the recipes posted here. I get ideas, I do my own thing. It really doesn't seem likely to me that there are people that make every single recipe posted here. There are plenty that are posted, go make those.

[–]chrunchy 0 points1 point ago

Do or do not. There is no try.

[–]leviticus11 -1 points0 points ago

DUH DUH AM I DOIN' IT RIGHT GUYS

[–]Indubitableness -2 points-1 points ago

First I checked to see if you were a mod of this subreddit, then I decided I can ignore your demands.

Foodporn and the "whateverporn" format are awful names for subreddits. They make it look like you're visiting a fetish porn site. If someone wants to post pictures of their food here, they damn well can.

[–]Panzerfauste -4 points-3 points ago

This is pretty stupid, cooking for me is about creativity and coming up with great ideas with what you have available. Not following some recipe, if I post a picture it is because I want to show others what I made and provide them inspiration, not so they can write down a recipe and put zero thought into what they are making. Recipes are useful, but people need to learn how to develop flavours and how different ingredients fit together, so they can learn how to cook for themselves and not follow directions. I can post a detailed description on what I made, but HAVING to post a recipe is non-sense.

[–]leeto 5 points6 points ago

Inspiration is great, but I'd like to know what you did to develop flavour and what ingredients you used that fitted together. There is very little you can learn from a picture and I feel every post in this subreddit should add to the collective knowledge of cooking.

No need to know how many mL of this or that you put in, just general ballpark so I have something else in my repertoire.

[–]Cdresden 4 points5 points ago

A detailed description is wonderful, and fills the bill.

[–]TheBananaKing -3 points-2 points ago

Dammit, I want to crosspost this to /r/aww just to see what happens