My Least Favorite Comments and Questions
Ok…I realize that I am going out on a limb here and hopefully I won’t offend anyone. First, let me say that I am very grateful to all of you who come here for healthy inspiration, information and recipes. I am grateful for all your lovely comments and wonderful e-mails. But, there are a few questions that I seem to get daily, and every time they show up in my inbox, I cringe. Mostly because there just isn’t a good answer. But sometimes it is just simply frustration. The following is an example. The names are changed to protect the innocent.
Dear Esmerelda (actually, that is me. I probably didn’t need to change my name),
I recently tried your recipe for (insert recipe name here). I didn’t have ingredient x so I substituted with ingredient y. Oh, and I didn’t have ingredient p so I substituted with ingredient q. And, by the way, I don’t have a dehydrator so I just baked them at 350 in my oven (or used a low temp with the door ajar).
I am not sure why, but this recipe didn’t taste good. Also, the texture doesn’t look the same as in your picture. I am dissapointed and will not be making this again!
Signed,
Mrs. Whatisrawanyway
Then there are the two evil step-sister questions: I don’t like (or am allergic to) x. What can I substitute? And…I don’t have a dehydrator, how I make these in the oven?
First, I will address substitutions.
While I understand and sympathize with people who have allergies and taste adversions, and I would guess there are some things that could potentially work as substitutions, I simply don’t have time to experiment with different ingredients in each recipe to see how it will turn out.
Recipe development is a tricky thing. I carefully balance every flavor and texture with all the other flavors and textures present. I take this to an extreme because I want the final recipe to be delicious beyond words. If I change just one little ingredient, it changes the whole recipe, requiring re-testing and rebalancing. Every ingredient used has it’s own personality, flavor and effect on all the other ingredients. It can be a delicate dance to get them all to work together in the most pleasing way. I take great pride in what I do and want your results to be the best.
Since I don’t know how substituting one ingredient is going to effect all the other ingredients, I can’t guarantee how it will taste and that is why I don’t offer substitutions. I do encourage you to experiment and see what you can come up with.
Second, the nasty little oven question.
Ok, here’s the deal. This is a raw food site. When preparing raw food, the food temperature never goes above 115 degrees even though some recipes start at 145. (If you want more information about that, read this: Dehydration Basics. ) Why? because we want to maintain the integrity of the nutrients of the food. The food temp has to stay under 115 to accomplish that. I only use a dehydrator for raw recipes. I don’t test the recipes in the oven.
Using an oven has two potential problems. Even at the lowest temperature with the door propped open, you normally can not regulate the temperature to keep the food raw. Second, ovens and dehydrators work very differently.
A dehydrator is a small box with a big fan and vents in the front. TONS of air move through the dehydrator during the dehydration process. You simply can not replicate that with an oven. Even a convection oven is a big box with a small fan. It moves air but doesn’t come close to functioning like a dehydrator. That said, the two are not inter-changeable. I can’t offer instructions on how to make my raw recipes in an oven. If you don’t care if it is raw and want to experiment, I encourage you to do so. Just don’t be surprised if you get different results than shown in the pictures.
Oh, and one little hint. We are dehydrating, not deep frying. The recipes simply will not have the same texture. But they will still be great!
Ok, I got that one off my chest. I am working on a FAQ page and will be reposting this and many other questions that keep coming up.
A final note. While I am still trying to get to all your emails and comments, the incoming volume is becoming overwhelming. I never want to be one of those people who say, I can’t respond because I am too busy, or I get too much mail, etc. You can do me a huge favor by searching the site before you email (I would say 95% of the questions asked are already answered on the site), asking questions of the Facebook Page for Rawmazing here: Rawmazing FB Group or carefully reading the post before clicking on that send button. I will try to answer as many as I can but with our traffic levels nearing half a million hits a month, it is becoming a bit of a challenge.
Hmmm. wrote on April 11, 2012
People come to a site like this because they want to learn more. When I was new to raw, it was overwhelming and in my excitement to get it all ‘right’, I might have asked one of the annoying questions here there or somewhere else. Unfortunately some of the comments here, using the words ‘stupid’ and ‘silliness’ are exactly the sort of attitudes that do NOT inspire change or confidence.
Kristina wrote on March 23, 2012
Hilarious! Not really – it’s kind of sad that people visit a raw food site and then make all kinds of crazy substitutions and then think YOU are leading them astray. I just happened upon your site yesterday and am so excited to start trying your recipes! Thanks for creating this website and posting what look to be delicious and easy recipes. I’m off to buy a food processor and ordering a dehydrator. Can’t wait to try the beet and kale chips.
Dragonmamma/Naomi wrote on March 21, 2012
Oy vey! I was reading your new post (the strawberry thumbprint cookies) and see a few more of these questions! (Please don’t feel like you have to respond to this.)
Susan wrote on March 14, 2012
Honestly, to be fair, it surprises me that you found something where I gave instructions on how to use an oven vs a dehydrator. Can you point that out as I don’t feel that the two can be used to accomplish the same end result especially if you want to keep it raw. Cheers!
Linda Gillette wrote on March 14, 2012
My husband and I are adding as much raw as our time allows and I love your receipes and blog. I have noted that in many of your receipes you list substitutions that you know could be substituted. If nothing is listed I consider it a “try it at my own risk” receipe is I am not going to follow your receipe. As you said, this is a raw food website and many of your receipes do not require dehydration. Also, as I researched your site I found suggestions on how to use the oven if no dehydrator. Like any good carpenter who is not going to try and build a home without having the proper tools, having the right tools to prepare raw food is just as important. If you are going to dabble in raw then you don’t need all the tools but if you intend to make it a lifestyle then you certainly are going to want to make the investment in your health. Thank you for sharing all your wonderful receipes and creating a forum where we can share information.
Mary wrote on March 13, 2012
Even your complaint is gentle, entertaining and humorous! Love your recipes. I make ‘inspired changes’ to most recipes to suit my specific preferences and tastes and I find that is part of the fun of making new dishes. I call it ‘improving’ them, and sometimes it appears that it didn’t 🙂 I finally made your hazelnut, fig and sage crackers last week, and had delayed because I never seemed to have all of the ingredients on hand at the same time. I ate the hazelnuts by before I got around to making the crackers…. I used other nuts and didn’t have enough fresh sage so had to add some additional herbs. Nothing major – same basic recipe. It turned out wonderful. Thanks for sharing with us.
Is the body butter recipe in one of your books – and if so, which one? Sounds great!
Alejandra wrote on March 12, 2012
Awesome Post, some people really have some nerve! ;p
Becky @ Pure Vitality wrote on March 11, 2012
You have an awesome site, Susan, and I refer clients to it all the time for delicious raw recipes that turn out great every time. A FAQ is a great way to handle this situation, and even a “disclaimer” at the end of each post that explains about substitutions could be helpful!
I am so glad your site is getting so popular. You are amazing, and I hope you are wildly successful in your business!
Mindy wrote on March 6, 2012
Great post!!! It’s my pet peeve when people respond to online recipes about how much they loved a recipe, but changed x for y and p for r. How about reviews about THE RECIPE that was posted? Keep up the good work. We all love you!