I was scrolling through Instagram about a month ago when a recipe developer I follow posted a call for volunteer recipe testers. I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Up until now, all my recipe testing has been for fun and through this newsletter—this would be the first time I was testing recipes for someone else. 👀

A few weeks later, I received six recipes to try for their upcoming cookbook, along with a short feedback form for each. It was exciting but also more challenging than I expected. These weren’t just blog recipes—they were early versions of what might one day appear in print. ✍️📖

I’ve gotten used to giving and receiving feedback (grad school will do that to you), but this felt different. Recipe testing is personal. Someone is sharing a piece of their work—something they care about—and asking for your thoughts. That can be a delicate space to navigate.

Out of respect, I’m keeping the recipes anonymous. I gave thoughtful feedback focused on things like ingredient order, unclear steps, or missing details—but it didn’t seem to land well. I never heard back, and after submitting all six feedback forms, I didn’t get a thank you or follow-up.

That experience made me reflect a bit. Moving forward, I’d only sign up to test recipes for someone I know or after having a quick conversation about what kind of feedback they’re looking for. For now, I’ll stick to my usual approach—just noting whether I’d make a recipe again or not. No detailed breakdowns when something doesn’t work, because food is so subjective. My focus will always be on finding and sharing the recipes that do. ✨

I tested six recipes for the upcoming cookbook.
Only one made the Would Make Again list. My brother-in-law loved it. He even asked me to make it again before he headed home.

That same week was packed in the kitchen. My brother-in-law was visiting, so he taste-tested everything with me. I also had a fun cooking session with my mom—we made crispy corn tostadas, a delicious salmon, a hearts of palm salad with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, and a refreshing cucumber-pineapple agua fresca. 🐟🥗🌽🍍

To top it all off, my brother-in-law gifted me a paella gas burner for my birthday (!!), and we took on the challenge of making my first-ever paella together. 🥘 We also made pad thai and pad see ew in the kitchen.

I posted a reel of everything we cooked that week—it’s up on Instagram now 🎥💫

Recipes Made So Far This Year:

Goal: To try seven new recipes each week 🗓️, aiming for 365 this year!

Number of Recipes Made This Week: 17

Number of New Recipes Tested as of 6/22: 359

Weeks Achieving Seven or More New Recipes: 25 out of 25

This Week’s Recipe Test Summary

Impress Someone🌟

Nothing this week.

Would Make Again 👍

Tostadas de Elote (Corn Tostada) – Cuchara Mia 🌽
Simple, fresh, and comforting. Easy to assemble and super satisfying.

Salmón “María” mantequilla piquín – soulfoodmx 🐟
A nice twist on my usual soy-glazed salmon.

Ensalada De Palmitos Y Aguacate Con Vinagreta De Jitomate Deshidratado – Mesa Sana 🥑
A refreshing salad. Just make sure to mix it well—the flavors come together beautifully once combined.

Paella Valenciana – Albi 🥘
This was my second time trying this recipe. It’s quick for a paella, and still delivers on flavor. I’m used to slower, more layered versions, but this one’s a solid shortcut.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes – Cooking Classy 🍋
Light, fluffy, and not overly sweet. My brother-in-law and I both loved these.

Mango Sorbet – Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home by Ina Garten 🥭
My siblings and I were big fans—keeping this one.

Green Smoothie with Pineapple, Arugula, Greens and Cashews – NY Times Cooking by Martha Rose Shulman 🥬
More of a green juice vibe than a smoothie, but a great way to use up leftover arugula.

One recipe from the cookbook testing 📚

Would Not Make Again 👎

These didn’t hit the mark for me, but recipe testing is super subjective. Some were just okay, some were good but not memorable, and a few I didn’t enjoy at all. Rather than breaking each one down, I’m just listing them here.

Five recipes from the cookbook testing 📚

The Best Homemade Vodka Sauce – Spoon Fork Bacon 🍅

PAD SEE EW (THAI RICE NOODLES) – The Woks of Life 🍜

Pad Thai – Tastes Better from Scratch 🍤

Agua Fresca de pepino y piña – Healthy Tips 🍍

I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or any recipe requests you might have. Just respond directly to this email.

See you next week. Keep cooking! 👋 

Vale from ValeCooks