Here you will find frequently asked questions from my readers! If you have a question about a specific recipe, please leave a comment on that recipe post. It may help other readers who have a similar question.
Table of Contents
Recipe questions
Can I substitute x ingredient with y?
I do my best to offer substitution options on each post. You're also welcome to leave a comment on the recipe with your question and I will get back to you.
If you need to make a recipe immediately with different ingredients on hand, I'd suggest googling for a recipe that matches your ingredients. This ensures the recipe turns out as expected and no ingredients are wasted.
I can't guarantee the outcome of a recipe if substitutions are made that I haven't tested myself.
How do I make this gluten-free/sugar-free/dairy-free/vegan?
I do not specialize in recipes for specific dietary needs. If you have a particular need for a recipe, I would recommend googling for a recipe that fits your needs, instead of trying to change the recipe with multiple substitutions.
Millions of recipe websites exist - many for specific diets. I will not be offended if you use another recipe, and I actually encourage it.
I made your recipe and it didn't turn out. What happened?
If your recipe doesn't turn out, feel free to leave a comment with specifics as to what went wrong. I'd be glad to troubleshoot with you or provide recommendations for next time. Without being in the kitchen with you, it can be very difficult to know exactly what happened.
Most of the time an ingredient substitution, improper measuring of ingredients (like flour in baked goods), using the wrong size/type of pan, or trying to follow the recipe "to a T" no matter what, are the reasons a recipe doesn't turn out.
Yes, there are times when you should not follow a recipe exactly. Ovens and stove tops do not all run at the same exact temperature. Some ovens run hotter and some ovens run colder, even if they're set to the same temperature.
If your pan looks too hot, turn the heat down. If your chicken breasts are gigantic, they may need a few more minutes to cook through. It takes common sense, understanding of cooking, and time to learn these things - I've been there many times! Your cooking will improve with more experience in the kitchen.
All of the recipes are tested multiple times before publishing, and all photographs are of the actual recipe I've made myself. I do my best to provide clear instructions and notes for every recipe, and suggest reading everything through once (or twice!) before starting.
I am always looking for ways to improve my recipe writing. If something is unclear, please let me know.
Website questions
Why are the posts so long? I just want the recipe!
There are several reasons why blog posts tend to be long.
- Google needs information about the recipe to determine when to show it to people. For each recipe, I add a description, talk about ingredients/substitutions, flavors, and mention for what meals/holidays/events the dish may be served.
- Many beginner cooks find it helpful to see photographs of the process and ingredients. I've had teenagers email me with questions because it's their first time cooking dinner for their parents.
I do not add personal information about my life, or paragraphs of "filler" to any of my posts. I only add information that would be helpful to someone making the recipe for the first time.
For seasoned home cooks, I include a "Jump to Recipe" button at the top of every post. This button scrolls down the page for you, so you don't have to scroll yourself.
This is a great article that goes into more detail: Greatist - In Defense of Long Food Blogs
Why are there ads?
This website is free to view. There are no paid memberships required to access the recipes. Therefore, I run advertisements to pay for my time and money spent developing the recipes, taking photographs, making videos, and writing the recipes for you.
Why are the comments moderated?
When you leave a comment on a recipe, it goes to a queue. Myself or another moderator will manually approve the comment and provide a response, if needed.
Trolls, bots, and stalkers leave comments with hatred and spam. Moderating the comments ensures that my readers don't have to sift through these when looking for real reviews.
If you'd like to leave a 3-star or lower rating, a comment needs to be attached. Unfortunately, trolls leave 1-star ratings to lower the ranking of a recipe, without actually making the recipe.
If you have a legitimate review of a recipe, good or bad, I will gladly post it.
I can't view/read one of your posts!
If you are having trouble viewing one of my recipes or the accompanying photographs, please let me know by email - info (at) thetoastykitchen.com.
I am working hard at making my site ADA compliant, and am actively working to update every single post to make it viewable for everyone. If something is not viewable, please let me know and I will help you!
Personal questions
Do you eat all the food you make?
Yes! I make, test, and eat all of the recipes in my home kitchen. All of the photographs on the website are of the actual recipes made in my kitchen.
How do you make so much food every day?
It may seem like we produce an abundance of food every day. I've been asked if our kitchen is stocked with cakes, pies, and casseroles 24/7! In reality, we eat the food that we create as our meals, freezing and storing leftovers as needed.
The Toasty Kitchen publishes about one new recipe per week. The majority of our recipes are savory dinners and side dishes. If you think about it this way, it's not that much food. The only difference is that we photograph it while we cook.
If I make a dinner recipe, it's what we eat for dinner. Leftovers are stored and eaten over the next day or two. If it's a dessert like a cookie recipe, I'll make a dozen to photograph, then freeze the rest of the cookies (or dough) for another day.
We frequently promote recipes on social media that are a few years old but make sense for the time of year (Christmas cookies during December, etc). So what you're seeing on Facebook is probably not what we've just made in the kitchen.
Is this your full time job?
Yes, running this website is my full-time job. I develop the recipes, research, test, photograph, and write everything here.
I have the help of Mediavine who manages my ads, BigScoots (affiliate link) who manages my hosting, an assistant who manages my social media, a videographer who produces videos for me, and several paid website plugins that do things for me behind the scenes.
Do you manage your own social media?
Multiple individuals, including an assistant, have access to my social media business accounts. They handle posting content and replying to messages and comments. Messages sent to my business accounts are not private and should not contain any personal information. I kindly ask that if you're trying to reach out to me directly, please send business related correspondence to my email, [email protected]. Thank you!
How do I start my own website? I have recipes!
The best part about having a website is that anyone can do it - with little to no experience. You can teach yourself from free resources on the internet and a handful of books.
It is much more work than you'd expect, and very difficult to turn into a profitable business. It takes time, perseverance, and consistency. The first 1.5 years this website existed, I made zero dollars. It was an expensive hobby that I spent all of my free time on.
You'll need to learn about writing, photography, how to build/manage a website, social media, search engine optimization, how to drive traffic to your website, how to add/manage plugins, and how to make and edit videos.
I'm not saying all of this to turn you off from the idea, but to make it clear that it is much more time consuming and difficult than it seems. However, if you are passionate about food, cooking, baking, and creating, it may be perfect for you.