frequently asked questions

Can you help me find this certain recipe I'm looking for?

We can't, but the millions of people who use Recipezaar probably can. Just post what you are looking for in our Recipe Request Forum.

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How do I correct typos or errors in a recipe?

We all make mistakes sometimes. We appreciate everyone's help in improving the recipes here. If the recipe has been published, click the "Submit a Correction" link at the bottom of the recipe instructions. You don't have to be the chef that posted the recipe in order to suggest a change or add information. Your change won't take place immediately, but we will review and update the recipe as soon as possible.

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How do I correct a recipe in the wrong category?

Sometimes people select the wrong categories for their recipes when they post them. We are all human. If you find a recipe in an incorrect category, please click the link to "Edit this Recipe" under the recipe instructions and you will find a link from the bottom of that page to submit updated category information. We really appreciate everyone's help in making Recipezaar a better place.

You don't have to be the chef that posted the recipe in order to suggest a change or add information. Your change won't take place immediately, but we will review and update the recipe as soon as possible.

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How do you calculate Nutrition Facts?

Recipezaar uses the USDA nutritional information database, which classifies thousands of foods and gives their nutritional analysis, to compute the nutritional facts on our recipes.

Nutritional totals are figured on a per-serving basis including all foods in the ingredients list. We simply total the nutritional information for all foods in the ingredients of a recipe, and then divide by the number of servings it makes to arrive at the per-serving nutritional information. Please pay attention to what the serving size is that the Nutritional Facts are calculated on. If the person who posted the recipe does not provide servings information the Nutritional Facts will be calculated for the whole recipe.

Ingredient sizing can vary. Some recipes specify an ingredient size as simple "1 can", "1 package", etc. Obviously, the size of the can or package you use may differ from the size the recipe author used. We encourage recipe authors to explicitly specify the exact size in these cases, but not all authors have. In these cases, Recipezaar assumes a standard size for the ingredient (10 3/4 ozs for a can of soup, for example) and uses this size to compute nutritional data.

Optional ingredients or ingredients without discrete measurements are not included in the nutritional information. When an ingredient in a recipe does not have an explicit measurement, we cannot calculate nutritional data for it. We don't know if "salt, to taste" or "sour cream, to taste" means a teaspoon, a tablespoon, or a cup to you. Therefore, we omit these ingredients from the nutritional computation. Likewise, if the ingredient is marked "optional," it is not included in the nutritional information.

Our nutritional information is approximate (just like everyone else's). Our nutritional database is not complete and serving size information for many recipes is unknown, which leads to incomplete nutritional data. Thus, we encourage any user to submit corrections or add information to any recipe on the site. You can do this by clicking the Edit this Recipe link at the bottom of the steps on any recipe.

Always consult a registered dietician or your physician before embarking on any diet plan which relies on these numbers, and for any other questions.

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Recipes and Copyright

Copyright protects creative works (written or artistic). Though we think of cooking as art, that does not make a recipe copyrightable.

"A mere listing of ingredients is not protected under copyright law. However, where a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a collection of recipes as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection."
  — The Copyright Office of the US Government

A list of ingredients cannot be copyrighted. An idea, concept, system or method of doing something cannot be copyrighted either. Only the the substantially literary expression associated with a recipe can be copyrighted. To the extent there are only so many ways to say "boil water" it is not creative, or therefore protected as copyright. If the recipe directions or description are a wholesale copy of another person's creative literary expression, they are in violation of copyright. So even if the recipe originated elsewhere, even if the ingredients are still the same, if the directions and description of your posted recipe are in your own words, it is your recipe.

Keep reading for more information.

What is copyright?

Copyright is a "branch of law granting authors the exclusive privilege to reproduce, distribute, perform, or display their creative works. The goal of copyright law is to encourage authors to invest effort in creating new works of art and literature. ...Not every product of the human imagination is eligible for copyright. To qualify for copyright protection, a work must be both fixed and original. The law considers a work to be fixed if it is recorded in some permanent format. ...To be original, the work must not be copied from previously existing material and must display at least a reasonable amount of creativity. For example, if an author writes the words "the sky is blue" on a piece of paper, copyright does not protect the words because they lack sufficient creativity. ...Copyright only protects the words, notes, or images that the creator has used. It does not protect any ideas or concepts revealed by the work. If, for example, a scientist publishes an article explaining a new process for refining oil, the copyright prevents others from copying the words of that article. It does not, however, prevent anyone else from using the process described to refine oil. To protect the process, the scientist must obtain a patent.
  --Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia

In other words, Copyright is intended to protect artwork, not techniques like recipes. Copyright protects your fiction and expression, it doesn't protect ideas or methods, you have to get a patent to protect those. Furthermore copyright only protects truly creative works, works of fiction, essays, musical compositions, etc..

So the literary expression in the form of directions or description might be protected, if it can be proven to be truly creative. In other words, a lasagna recipe with 3 basic steps (cook the noodles, make the sauce, and bake for an hour) is not copyrightable — no matter how tasty — because it is obvious, not creative. Or a collection of recipes into the unique presentation of a cookbook is copyrightable due to the choice of the collection and it's arrangement, not the individual recipes themselves. For more information, download the US Government PDF on Copyright of Recipes

Where does Recipezaar stand? A list of ingredients is a list of ingredients, the government doesn't care and neither do we. But when it comes to other people's description and directions don't copy the flowery stuff, put it in your own words. You probably made the recipe, you probably did it slightly differently than the original directions anyways, describe what you did. If you copy the literary work of someone else, post it on Recipezaar, and they notify us with proof of the violation, we will immediately remove your recipe and you could be liable for damages. If someone else copies the recipes from our site, and uses them, we would want to protect your original work and demand they be removed. So don't copy. However, we encourage our users to try recipes from other places, and post them to Recipezaar in their own words. We don't mind if you include information about where you got the recipe from as long as the description and directions are in your own words ("giving credit" is always the right thing to do). For more information see our Terms of Service Agreement.

If you suspect there is a violation of your copyright on our site, please contact us with the recipe ID #.

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Who decides if a recipe is Low Carb, Low Fat, Vegetarian, etc.?

Some Dietary categories are set by the person who posts the recipe (Diabetic, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Egg-free, Kid Pleaser, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan) and most are set by Recipezaar after we have done the Nutritional analysis on the recipe. See our standards for each category.

Keep in mind that certain ingredients might be optional or there are other things with the recipe which affect the nutritional analysis.

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Use Trademarked/Brand Names in Recipes?

Brand name products are often protected in the United States by registering the name of the product with the US Trademark Office. If a name is Trademarked (e.g. Recipezaar), the trademark can only be used in certain ways.

You can always say that a recipe calls for a certain trademarked product in the ingredients list or directions, e.g. "1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmans)." This is basically free advertising for the company's specific product.

You cannot title or otherwise imply that your recipe is the same as a particular brand name product, e.g. "Hellmans Mayonnaise Recipe." This would obviously create confusion as to whether your recipe is the secret formula and endorsed by that company. The company would say that your recipe was benefiting from the good reputation of their product. Though, you may include your opinions in your description for the recipe as long as it is clear it is your opinion, e.g. "I think this tastes as good as Hellmans". Likewise, you may not put your mayonnaise in a Hellman's jar (or something that looks like it) to make it seem as though your recipe is the same as theirs.

We do occasionally edit recipes to remove trademarked names used inappropriately at the request of the trademark owner.

Putting the "tm" next to the trademark name does not mean you have permission to use the name, and makes absolutely no difference. For more information about trademarks, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark

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One of my Recipes was Removed Because it is a Duplicate?

Recipezaar has a policy of removing duplicate recipes from our public database, but the recipe is still available. If you click on your recipe title, you can access your unique description, and the primary recipe. All cookbooks and lists that included your recipe will be updated to use the primary recipe, and all reviews and photos are also copied to the primary recipe. We suggest that you post your rating and review of the recipe on the primary recipe.

We understand that the recipe might have sentimental value to you, and you might feel let down that your name is no longer on the recipe. If that is the case, we encourage you to post the recipe privately (a benefit of Premium Membership), so that you can privately store and print the recipe with your name and unique description.

If you think your recipe was removed by mistake, use the Contact Us link and let us know why your recipe is not a duplicate, and we’ll re-check your recipe.

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If Someone Posts a Duplicate Recipe?

Recipezaar does not want duplicate recipes in our database. Duplicate recipes degrade the efficiency of our database, annoy people searching for a recipe, and are unfair to the first person to post a recipe.

Before posting a new recipe or making a private recipe public, the poster should perform a search to see if the recipe is already posted. Mistakes are sometimes made by posters and duplicates can happen. You can notify us of potential duplicate recipes by clicking on the Contact Us link and we will evaluate the recipes.

When a recipe is determined to be a duplicate, we remove it and redirect everyone to the primary recipe (usually the first one posted): (1) searches for the deleted recipe are automatically directed to the primary recipe; (2) cookbooks are updated to include the primary recipe; (3) any reviews and photos transfer to the primary recipe; (4) the person who posted the duplicate is notified.

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