Feedback - forum question/recommendation.
Would it be possible to break "General Discussion and Recipe Exchange" into their own sections?
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy lurking in the discussion threads and certainly am not wanting them limited at all. They're great for newbies (like myself) trying to learn from the pros here. But, the other day for example I was looking for basic sourdough recipes. It took forever "sifting" (haha) through all the discussion threads, just to glean out the much rarer recipe threads.
It would have been much faster and simpler if they were all in one spot. Perhaps each section could have its own "Recipe exchange", (ex "Sourdough Discussion" and "Sourdough Recipe Exchange" then "Cookies, Cakes, and Pastries Discussion" and "Cookies, Cakes, and Pastries Recipe exchange")?
Is this a worthwhile idea?
Have you tried using the TFL search bar? You can get results very quickly there - and the search includes the many wonderful formulas that appear in the blogs, which are separate from all the forum sections.
I think even if we broke it into separate places, people wouldnt know where to post. If I have a new recipe I tried, and want to discuss it - where would it go? Or, does that mean if I post a recipe, people can't discuss it? That sort of thing. As it is, we get a lot of folks posting to the probably not-best-fit category. It's best to use the search bar and mark favorites for the stuff you want to find again I think.
The long discussions on many topics that start with a recipe have additional examples of the product, questions, tips for improvements, etc. that enhance the usefulness of the original post.
I don't bookmark individual recipes with my browser. I created a blog entry on TFL which is my personal index of favorite recipes and discussions. So, for those topics, I can go to my own index and find the link without looking through all the topics found with a key word search.
David
>> Have you tried using the TFL search bar?
A: Yes, Searching for the terms "Sourdough" and "Recipe", returns 10 pages.
On just the first 2 pages about 50% of the returns are not recipes. There are multiple "How to", and requests for recipes, and questions about recipes (without listing the recipe). These are great threads, but are not actual "Recipes" :)
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>> I think even if we broke it into separate places, people wouldnt know where to post. If I have a new recipe I tried, and want to discuss it - where would it go?
A: Easy. If you post a recipe it would go under "Recipe section" and any discussion about improvements or experimental variations on that Recipe would be welcome in that thread. If on the other hand one is asking a general question, say "how to get crispy crusts", or "Kneading techniques" that would fit in the "Discussion" section :)
>> The long discussions on many topics that start with a recipe have additional examples of the product, questions, tips for improvements, etc. that enhance the usefulness of the original post.
A: Sure, those discussions would fit in the recipe thread as they are regarding a specific recipe that started the dialog :) (See reply above)
KneadtoKnow,
First, you need to know, that the forum is not a recipe index. It is a place where people who want to learn to bake or want to learn how to bake a special bread come for help, knowledge and camaraderie. There are many recipes that get posted as a result of our conversations in various threads.
With any search-able database, you have to understand how it was built. If you look at the front page you see there are two main places where you can create new content. 1.) Recent Forum Posts and 2.) Recent Baker Blog Entries. Most of us have been using the Baker Blog entries section to post about breads we have been happy with and want to share the recipe or technique that makes it great. Now and then someone will post in the Recent Posts area about successful bakes but usually that section is where questions get asked and answered on a wide variety of subjects.
Knowing now that most blogs are related to breads that have been baked by members, the thing you need to do is look at the Baker Blog section to find a member who is doing interesting work on something you would like to make. Once you have a baker, search the blogs on that name and look at that blog.
Searching on "sourdough recipes" will indeed return hundreds of posts that include those words in any order. Using the quote marks will require they be in that order and as typed which does help shorten the list some.
Also, remember that most of the time, the term sourdough refers to the natural yeast used to provide leavening and not to a bread type. Most Rye breads will contain some sourdough culture and may be referred to as "sour" but wouldn't be discovered using sourdough in a search.
Finally. Although we do share recipes here rather freely, I think I can say that most of us have a substantial library of books from authors around the world that we consider the basis of our knowledge. You will find that the recipe is only a fraction of what you need to make great breads. The technique and handling methods are far more important than a simple recipe. Understanding this concept is key to your success.
Eric