The things we got wrong
This is a log of corrections—not a list of successes. It exists because a site about recipes should be judged by how it handles mistakes, not how it hides them. If you can’t trust a correction, you can’t trust the recipe.
A site like this publishes a log like this so you can decide for yourself whether the work is honest. The only way to prove it is to show the things that were wrong, and how they were fixed. The rest is up to you.
Three we had to fix
These are the three mistakes that mattered most. They were big enough to change how we work, and small enough to be ordinary—just the kind of thing that happens when you’re trying to get something right.
The wrong conversion factor
- 1Milliliters for milligrams
The site’s first guide to reducing sauces used milliliters instead of grams for thickeners like cornstarch. It stood for six months before a reader pointed out that a tablespoon of water weighs 15 milliliters, but a tablespoon of cornstarch weighs 12 grams—not the same. The instructions were wrong in every recipe that used it. Sheldon Vandergriff rewrote the conversion tables and pulled the old guides offline within 48 hours.
- 2The oven temp that didn’t work
A ‘perfect roast’ guide told readers to use a ‘medium-high’ oven setting, which varied by stove brand and model. Testers in three kitchens burned two pans before realizing no two ‘medium-high’ settings were the same temperature. The guide was updated to use exact Fahrenheit readings, and a note was added warning about brand differences. Sheldon Vandergriff tested the new method in five different ovens before approving it.
- 3The missing ingredient note
A cocktail recipe for a ‘spiced rum punch’ omitted the fact that one ingredient, bitters, could be hard to find in some regions. A reader in Australia commented that they’d spent an hour searching for it before realizing it wasn’t stocked locally. The recipe was revised to include a substitute (aromatic bitters extract) and a regional availability note. Sheldon Vandergriff added a ‘hard-to-find ingredients’ section to every cocktail guide afterward.
What those three changed
These mistakes forced us to build rules that now shape every recipe. The log isn’t just a record—it’s proof that we listen when the work doesn’t hold up.
Rules that came from mistakes
- Every measurement must be tested in at least three kitchens before publication. *(From the wrong conversion factor)*
- Oven temperatures and stove settings are now given in exact degrees, never as vague terms. *(From the oven temp that didn’t work)*
- Recipes flag hard-to-find ingredients with substitutes and regional notes. *(From the missing ingredient note)*
The people behind this
This is Sheldon Vandergriff, the founder and editor of *Sauce Recipes Simmer*. You’ve just met them through the things they got wrong—which is the only way to know someone who does this work.
They keep this log because a recipe that fails in one kitchen shouldn’t be trusted in any.
The kind of person who keeps a log like this doesn’t do it for pride. They do it because the alternative—ignoring mistakes—is worse than admitting them. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s how you earn trust. And yes, sometimes they’d rather hide a mistake than write it down.
But hiding it would mean the next reader burns their dinner.
One mistake not in this log? The time they over-salted a batch of homemade pasta dough so badly they had to start over twice. The third attempt turned out fine—but the first two were a lesson in patience, not just salt.
That’s the kind of thing you don’t put in a log because it’s not the reader’s problem. It’s just how you learn.
If you find something we got wrong, the contact page is where to tell us. No email, no drama—just the facts. Because the next log entry might be yours.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. If you spot a mistake—a wrong number, a step that doesn’t work, a recipe that should never have gone out—let us know. The contact page is the only place to send it.
We’ll fix it, add it to the log, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The recipes are grouped by category: Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Main Courses and Reviews.