Review: Can't Recommend
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 9, 2012
Some effort does appear to have been made to render this more than just a collection, with some recipes having a little bit of introductory text.The first recipes are for pie crusts, and it would be nice to have some more information.  For example, one calls for 2-3 tablespoons of cold water, but doesn't say how one would know when enough water has been added.There's a recipe for a "chocolate chip torte" which says to "use the Torte crust as described above."  A torte is a cake.  It's obvious that "tart" was intended, but when incorrect terminology is used or errors aren't caught, it makes me question the reliability.The sour cream pie says to "set aside the egg whites for when you prepare the meringue."  There is no meringue noted for this recipe.  If the intent is to say that they can be saved for a meringue for another recipe, then some information about storage methods and length of time they will keep would be helpful.The lemonade pie title says "pie," the note says to use a 1"3 X 9" pan, and the instructions say "pour in cake pan."  This can lead to confusion about whether a 9 x 13 pan is intended, or a 9-inch cake pan, or whether it's supposed to be a pie.Some of the non-pie recipes don't give pan sizes or pan information at all, and one cake recipe says to bake in a loaf pan. An experienced cook may be able to judge from the quantity produced by the recipe or by similar recipes, but a newer cook could wind up with trial and error, either with multiple pans to wash from pouring batter, or a less-than-ideal baking result.  There's also the question of whether grease should be used or whether the pan should be greased and floured.I'm a bit dubious about the 2 tablespoons of baking powder in the Dark Secret recipe.All in all, I can't really recommend this one.  I do think many of these recipes come from a personal collection rather than simply collected online, largely because of the lack of specific information.  I have recipes of my own which I would have to amend before passing on - I know what to do because I've made it several times, but someone else might not.