MeFi cookbookfilter redux

December 7, 2016 11:07 AM

In the middle of a year-end personal accounting, I came across this MeTa post and wondered: Has there been any progress toward a community cookbook? I am happy to contribute to, or even help organize, such an enterprise. Anyone else?
posted by key_of_z to MetaFilter-Related at 11:07 AM (42 comments total)

I have a few fab recipes I'd be willing to contribute.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:15 AM on December 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

IRFH: Your response has been noted in your permanent record. Thanks.
posted by key_of_z at 11:39 AM on December 7, 2016

Previous expeditions to Mt. Can I Eat This:

How about a MeFi cookbook?, 2005.
How about a cookbook?, 2012.
MealFilter, April, 2016.
posted by zamboni at 11:46 AM on December 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

I even made a cover.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:18 PM on December 7, 2016 [15 favorites]

I would eat read this. Yes.
posted by HFSH at 12:27 PM on December 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

I'm disappointed that only 33.3̅% of those previous threads have a request for a MeatFilter section. Come on, people!
posted by aubilenon at 1:21 PM on December 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

In the spirit of incremental iteration, maybe people should just post their stories and recipes here. Maybe someone, someday, will compile them.
posted by Miko at 3:03 PM on December 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

Yes, we wants it. But it will be HUUUUUUUGE. It needs a location, and searchability, and some means to either add comments regarding useful tweaks or to edit a la Wikipedia.

I will definitely contribute my World's Best Fudge Recipe. Here meanwhile is a link because it is that season.
posted by bearwife at 3:55 PM on December 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

I'm a little surprised at past me for not being in on earlier versions of this, but in the interests of future me, present me says yes.
posted by notquitemaryann at 5:20 PM on December 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have a couple recipes I've invented that I'd be happy to contribute
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 6:50 PM on December 7, 2016

Here is the recipe that has gotten me through the past 20 years of my life:

Ingredients - 15 units of alcohol (any variety), whatever food you have in the house.

1. Drink as much of the alcohol as you can.
2. Eat the stuff you have lying around.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:38 AM on December 8, 2016 [7 favorites]

I'm happy to spearhead this if we want someone to take charge. I don't have many recipes myself, but I am familiar with designing for print and I think it would be an interesting exercise to learn how to get it printed.

Actually, I'm super excited to do this. What is the best to collect the recipes do you think?
posted by INFJ at 7:03 AM on December 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

Ooooh I made up a recipe for Pear-Walnut cookies to pair (pear!) with some Maple-Mint ice cream Duffell was making for a DC ice cream social! The recipe is here. They were pretty okay! I'd never written a recipe before and I enjoyed it! I did neglect to add that you should stir the nuts with a spatula a couple of times while toasting them so they don't scorch so pretend that's in there.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 7:37 AM on December 8, 2016

Most of what makes a cookbook useful rather than food porn is independent testing of the recipes, which would be well suited to a wiki. eat.metafiler.com, anybody?
posted by Kreiger at 9:17 AM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

I would be happy to contribute a recipe or two, and I would love to help with some of the logistics, though I probably don't have the time/energy to be much of a leader. I would also be happy to be a recipe-tester if we go that way.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:27 AM on December 8, 2016

I grant permission to use any recipes on our site: gagehillcrafts.com including the beer recipes I occasionally post.
posted by terrapin at 9:29 AM on December 8, 2016

I'm disappointed that only 33.3̅% of those previous threads have a request for a MeatFilter section. Come on, people!

meatfilter.com used to go to a domain that existed solely to hawk books for the affiliate kickback. Now it resolves to nothing. It doesn't expire for another year.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:36 AM on December 8, 2016

What I said in the thread linked to in this post still stands.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:11 PM on December 8, 2016

Y'know, I was just standing here over a sauce pan full of onionskins, gelatin, and arugula wondering if there was some way for me to give back to the community.
posted by beerperson at 1:43 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Are we thinking more Anarchist or Nigella?
posted by comealongpole at 1:43 PM on December 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

Are we thinking more Anarchist or Nigella?

Why not both?
I know I personally could use another explosive chili recipe.
posted by HFSH at 2:20 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

What I said in the thread linked to in this post still stands.

Aaaaand now I want roast chicken.
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:27 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

It would be cool to have a cook book with real recipes shared by MeFites with some of the jokey ones or food stories sprinkled between. It would make it inherently Metafilter-ish instead of just another cookbook.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 3:30 PM on December 8, 2016 [3 favorites]

The basic infrastructure is in place. if y'all want to make this happen, have at it:


1. THE RECIPE SUBMISSION FORM.

2. To improve the sumbission form & view recipes: THE FIX-IT LINK.

3. To collaborate and make a cookbook happen: THE LISTSERV
posted by aniola at 3:34 PM on December 8, 2016 [6 favorites]

Aaaaand now I want roast chicken.

Guess what I'm literally making for dinner in about an hour?
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:38 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Does the recipe really need to be unique invention? That's pretty rarefied. My understanding is that recipes, as in a list of ingredients and proportions, are formulas and thus not copyrightable in themselves. The titling, creative work in the narrative, etc. may be, but it should be fine to share a basic method and ingredients without attribution or permission. The narrative work and embellishments should be one's own, of course.
posted by Miko at 6:02 PM on December 8, 2016

I'm not married to whatever I put in the form. Anyone can please feel free to change it.
posted by aniola at 6:04 PM on December 8, 2016

Guess what I'm literally making for dinner in about an hour?

/shakes fist at lack of High Speed Rail
posted by Celsius1414 at 6:25 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

In the spirit of incremental iteration, maybe people should just post their stories and recipes here. Maybe someone, someday, will compile them.

And for once, the recipes won't be a derail.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:29 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thank you, aniola. I've started a list of promisers at the LISTSERV.
posted by key_of_z at 8:28 PM on December 8, 2016

Guess what I'm literally making for dinner in about an hour?

/shakes fist at lack of High Speed Rail

Give me a little advance notice next time, is all...
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:15 PM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm interested in providing recipes and can also do typo-identifying as well as help with big picture editing stuff like style guideline discussion and creation.

My recipes are, for the most part, kind of loosey-goosey though, with the exception of some traditional family recipes, mostly baked goods which I rarely actually make. (See: Grandma Tessie's Apricot Thins [link goes to alphabet megathread.]) Most everything else is something savory and I have guidelines for making whatever with whatever whoever has on hand with lots of tangents to explain what's actually important in the recipe and what some of the steps do cooking-wise and also really loose measurements like "a handful" and "about the same amount of each ingredient" and so-on. I'd be up for actually testing and refining a couple of these but not before I know which one would actually end up being used.

I bet we have enough cooks with different favorite things to make that you'll get recipes for all different types of dishes. Would it make sense to aim for a few recipes in each category, whatever those categories may be? Or would it be better to just have recipes that folks find meaningful?

Someone definitely needs to have a killer bean recipe, though.
posted by Mizu at 2:19 AM on December 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Dammit, Brandon! Aren't you finished with this yet?


I'm so annoyed that this keeps falling by the wayside that I'm vaguely interested in seeing you edit it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:59 AM on December 9, 2016

I suggest keeping this link open for reference and checking your recipe against these points before submitting your recipe.

I'd highly recommend that checklist a submission form itself. People are probably not going to reference it too well.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:19 AM on December 9, 2016

I will find out mama bee's recipe for apple bread when I see her next and post it. (Apple bread in the Irish style, as in a large stuffed potato farl rather than a cake). I only loosely know the ingredients from watching her make it:

cooking apples - enough that I can snarfle lots of slices and still leave some for the filling
butter - a shitload
sugar - a fuckton
posted by billiebee at 5:10 AM on December 9, 2016

Brandon Blatcher, feel free to discuss potential edits via the listserv or to edit the form using the fix-it link.
posted by aniola at 6:29 AM on December 9, 2016

In the spirit of incremental iteration, maybe people should just post their stories and recipes here. Maybe someone, someday, will compile them.

Yeah, I'm curious about formatting and style sheets, so if a few people could do, I'd take a crack at that portion.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:54 AM on December 9, 2016

Someone definitely needs to have a killer bean recipe, though.

I have so many bean recipes I am overthinking how many I should actually submit.
posted by thecaddy at 1:55 PM on December 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

I think that if this gets off the ground, there might have to be some sort of bean recipe contest.
posted by aniola at 4:57 PM on December 9, 2016

My slow-cooker calico beans are legendary.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:58 PM on December 9, 2016

You know, they say January 6 is Bean Day (I read it on the internet).

That's a Friday.

IRL meetups happen on Friday sometimes.
posted by aniola at 5:19 PM on December 9, 2016

We wouldn't want to hold a beans-centric meetup in a close intimate space.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:03 PM on December 9, 2016