Recipe Development and Quality
As an experienced home cook and recipe developer, I am committed to creating reliable recipes that work flawlessly for my readers every time. I test every recipe repeatedly to make sure that it comes out successfully. The goal of recipe testing is to ensure that the recipe works for anyone who finds it on my blog and wants to give it a go. As a baseline, I test recipes a minimum of 6 times but often exceed that number. My testing process takes place over weeks, months, and even years when necessary. All testing is completed in my home kitchen.
I trial my recipes using different equipment or different cooking temperatures to see which works best. Countless variables can affect the outcome of cooking, so I need to work to find the best options and then recommend those to my readers. I need to experiment thoroughly with ingredient substitutions so I can make informed recommendations to allow for flexibility, personal preferences, and dietary restrictions, for example, if they eat dairy-free or vegan.
I pay close attention to all reader comments on my recipes and use those to guide me to make the recipe better. I aim to be as helpful as possible, so if people are struggling with something or something’s not working properly, I try to help them troubleshoot it and add those tips back into the post after retesting. I even regularly retest my recipes unprompted from years ago just to ensure they’re still getting consistent results.
If you see a recipe or post on my site that needs to be corrected or improved in some way, please contact me at [email protected].
Photography and Video Content Policy
I shoot all my photography and video myself and do all my own photography and video editing. In the beginning, when my blog was simply a way to share my recipes with friends and family, I needed to snap pictures of the final result to help them along. I wasn’t an experienced photographer at first, so I started teaching myself how to photograph my recipes.
My goal in my photography is to give as accurate a representation as possible of what the final dish will look like. I edit all my photos using Affinity Photo to improve the lighting, color, and composition. I also touch up photos to clean up any visible imperfections such as fingerprints, dust, crumbs, and debris. I may sometimes combine two images to create a composite image for certain shots or ingredient photos. I never use stock photos or use AI tools to generate any of the images.
All the category icons and illustrations on my website were hand-drawn and created by me.
Written Content Policy
I write recipe content for my blog in partnership with a virtual assistant who aids me with recipe research, keyword research, and copywriting. Every recipe without fail contains a full written recipe, step-by-step recipe instructions, an ingredient list with ingredient substitutes, and any relevant tips and tricks I recommend. All the written content on the blog is thoughtfully considered, well-researched, and proofread for consistency and accuracy.
My tone of voice is friendly and colloquial, and I don’t try to adhere to any mandated editorial writing format. My writing is easy to read and inviting for all. I prefer not to refer to food items as “addictive” or “addicting” or use any language that may be triggering for readers. My goal is always to empower readers to cook and eat the foods that make them feel great in their bodies.
This blog is not a place where I share nutritional or health advice. When applicable, I link to reputable sources.
Comment, Review, and Rating Policy
I personally read and moderate all of the comments left on my website. I am always grateful to receive feedback from readers and hear what they think of my recipes. That said, hate has no home on my blog. Comments that are threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or contain derogatory, hateful, racist, or offensive remarks about any individuals or groups will be deleted and flagged as spam.
I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a review to share your thoughts with me on a recipe! This is not only helpful for me, but for thousands of readers who browse my blog looking for their next recipe.
You can rate recipes from 1 star (lowest) to 5 stars (highest). I’ll never alter star ratings to make a recipe seem better than it is or review it myself. To submit a rating, just make sure to include a comment, your name, and email address. Ratings without comments aren’t allowed, so I encourage you to leave some thoughts on the taste, texture, smell, and look of the finished dish as well as the overall experience of making it using my recipe.
When a review is left by an individual with whom I have a personal relationship, such as a family member, friend, or colleague, I will disclose this relationship with an asterisk and a brief description e.g. Jane* (family member). Please note that I do not encourage or prompt readers with whom I have a personal relationship to leave comments, and all opinions expressed in the comments section are entirely those of the individual commenters.
Credit and Citations
This is a non-negotiable. All creators deserve full and explicit credit for their work. I always cite my recipe inspiration and sources to ensure original creators receive full credit for their work. I ask that creators using my work extend me the same courtesy.
Where necessary, links to official sources are provided to support any information, health claims, or educational context given in my recipes.
Paid Content and Affiliate Disclosure Policy
Transparency is extremely important to me, especially when it comes to disclosing sponsored or paid content. Whenever a post includes content, products, services, or brands that I have been compensated to feature, I will prominently disclose this information at the beginning of the post. Whether the compensation is financial, in the form of free products, or through affiliate links, I want my readers to be fully aware of any partnerships.
Whether the compensation is financial, in the form of products, or through affiliate links, I never consent to showcase products or services that I have not personally vetted and believe will be beneficial for my readers.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party in question. My opinions and reviews will always remain honest and reflect my genuine experience with any product, regardless of sponsorship terms. Trust and integrity with my readers are my top priorities.
Proportional Plate LLC accepts various forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, or other forms of compensation. I affirm that the compensation I receive will never influence the content, topics, or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third-party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements. Proportional Plate LLC may be compensated if consumers choose to utilize the links located throughout the content on this site and generate sales for the said merchant.
Proportional Plate LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.