Welcome, Tasters!
Hello! Thank you so much for signing up for my pilot recipe testing program. This is just the first iteration, and I imagine it will evolve over time.
I’ve been writing my recipe blog almost exclusively by myself since 2016. While I test every recipe, I’ve realized that having independent testers would be beneficial not just to me but also to other (and ) readers. There’s nothing I hate more than getting a comment on a recipe that I forgot a step or that cooking time is way off. I’m hoping this will help perfect my recipes!
Eventually, I’ll develop a badge for the recipes you all test to help create an even stronger sense of trustworthiness on both of my websites. I’d love for all the recipes on Tried & True Recipes and Exploring Vegan to be independently tested, but that’s a lot, and I’m not there yet financially, hah!
How it works
I put together a spreadsheet that you can bookmark. I’ll be adding recipes as I develop them, or I may add existing recipes from my websites that I feel would benefit from an independent test. As a note, recipe testing will be for both Tried & True and Exploring Vegan, so if you’re looking for plant-based recipes, don’t worry…they’ll be coming too!
The sign up is on a first-come basis, so simply add your name to the Tester 1 or Tester 2 column.
From there, you can select yes or no to me using your comments along with your first name on the site or when I share the recipe with my readers. The attribution would be your first name and “Independent Tester” or something to that effect.
If I use an ingredient that I feel is integral to the recipe, I’ll send you that product free of charge. I’ll contact you directly to get your mailing address. For example, the “Chicken Meatball Pita” recipe would pay $25 in addition to a free jar of Villa Jerada Aleppo Pepper and Villa Jerada Kefta Rub.
After you’ve made the recipe, you can add your comments in the Tester 1 or Tester 2 column. You can also email me directly with recipe feedback by responding to one of the Taster emails or by emailing kylie@triedandtruerecipe.com.
The payment column is how much you can earn by testing the recipe. If a recipe is more complex or requires many specialty ingredients, the payment will be higher. Payment will be sent upon delivery of feedback.
The “redo” column is for me. After I receive feedback, I’ll determine whether the recipe needs to be reworked.
I’ll send these Taster emails as I add recipes to the spreadsheet, once a week or so.
Other notes
This is not super formal or intense, but if you sign up to test the recipe, please try not to sit on it forever. Ideally, I’d love for them to be turned around within two weeks of sign-up, but I know you all have lives that don’t revolve around my recipes!
If you have any feedback about this program, please let me know. I’d really love to make my recipe development a more communal effort that speaks more to the “Tried” part of my brand. We’ll see how it goes!
Also, please feel free to send this newsletter to ANY of your friends who may be interested in joining this testing program. This is absolutely open to anyone who wants to help out! You can use the button below to refer this publication to your friends.
Lastly, this does not need to be a secretive process at all! It’s not required, but feel free to share on your socials about the recipe-testing process and please tag me! I’d love to hear about your experience as you’re working on them! :)
Thank you again so much for signing up to help me out. It really means a lot. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, and I’ll continue to tweak this process as I get feedback!
That’s all for now. Have a great weekend, everyone!
-kylie
So excited to be part of this and see how your brand continues to grow!