How do you know the recipes you find online are any good without trying them? Do votes or comments make you more confident? If you've wondered about "user submitted" recipes, you're not alone.
Recently I was invited to a taste test of recipes submitted online. The culinary social network CookEatShare held a cooking contest and brought together a number of restaurant chefs and food professionals to cook and judge the recipes. I wasn't a judge, but I did get to try all the dishes.
What a surprise! Some recipes that sounded terrible ended up being terrific and others that sounded great really missed the mark. I guess this proves that you can't necessarily tell a good recipe without cooking it. I'll let you know which ones were my favorites and then you can follow the linked recipe name to get the ingredients and preparation details.
While it didn't win any top prizes with the judging panel, TomCo's Yogurt Pumpkin Pie was my favorite recipe and it also received the highest number of reader votes. I can honestly say this was one of the best pumpkin pies I've ever eaten. It had an almost cheesecake-like texture and a crunchy cinnamon nut topping that was irresistible. The executive chef from Draeger's markets who tested the recipe said it was very easy to make.