# Anyone use the recipes on the box? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876 "2016-10-27T19:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/1 "2016-10-27T19:56:15Z")
I bought some frozen Tilapia on a lark and when I got it out of the freezer, I saw it had a recipe on the back for Tilapia Veracruz. Looked quick and easy so I made it and liked it. Same with a Cornbread Supreme recipe on a Martha White cornbread package. Now a lot of things like mac and cheese have suggestions like “add your choice of meat.” But that’s something I do anyway, not really following the package recipe. Anybody else ever use the recipe on the package? Do you like the results? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/2 "2016-10-27T20:01:24Z")
Only a few. The Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe, of course. More often though the Choc-Oat-Chip recipe from the canister of Quaker Oats. And Magic Muffins from the Malt-O-Meal box, because it’s one of the more amazing baking recipes I’ve come across. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/3 "2016-10-27T20:04:31Z")
Cheddar-garlic drop biscuits recipe from the side of the Bisquick box. Of course, I’m as liable to mess around with that recipe as any other. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/4 "2016-10-27T20:16:03Z")
All the time. Of course, they’re usually recipes I’ve found in [this book](https://www.amazon.com/Best-Recipes-Backs-Boxes-Bottles/dp/0884860639/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477599267&sr=8-1&keywords=best+recipes+from+the+back+of+the+box). Well worth seeking out, and available for only a penny (plus shipping and handling)! Such a deal. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/5 "2016-10-27T20:20:53Z")
Aside from chocolate chip cookies, I mostly just use those for inspiration, if that. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/6 "2016-10-27T21:50:38Z")
My personal recipe for Chicken _Paprika_ originated on the back of a bag of egg noodles about 35 years ago. I’ve adapted it so many times that bag wouldn’t recognize it today. I don’t even serve it over noodles anymore. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/7 "2016-10-27T21:57:27Z")
I’ve personally had good luck with most “side of box” recipes as-is. The ones that come to mind are Gerhardt’s chili powder (chili). White Lily (biscuits). S&B curry. ---
**Author:** ![Tara57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Tara57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tara57)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/8 "2016-10-27T22:02:47Z")
Toll House cookies Quaker Oats oatmeal cookies Libby’s pumpkin pie Jiffy corn muffin mix - follow the directions for cornbread waffles Jim Dandy (I think) cheese grits Rotel dip Bisquick - quite a few - biscuits, impossible pies, oven fried chicken, coffee cake ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/9 "2016-10-27T22:07:55Z")
No, I always make up my own because I know what I like. That’s all recipes are, just someone’s opinion but I’d rather just do my own if I’m the one paying for it. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/10 "2016-10-27T22:12:20Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > The Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe, of course. Yes, and the chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips on the back of Nestle peanut butter chips. Two Christmas mainstays in my house growing up. [https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/29103/chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies/](https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/29103/chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies/) ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/11 "2016-10-27T22:14:17Z")
Grape-Nuts Puff Pudding was much better than I expected it to be. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/12 "2016-10-27T22:19:50Z")
I don’t, but I’m a professional cook. At home, I either don’t feel like cooking after doing it all day at work and so just throw a frozen pizza in the oven or microwave a burrito, or I look and see what I have on hand and throw it together using my imagination. My mom, OTOH … My mom wasn’t a great _cook_, but she was a fantastic _baker_. She would bake pies for dessert when we had guests, and she would constantly get other husbands covertly asking for her pie crust recipe because it was so much better than what their own wives made. My mom was baffled by this because, “It’s just the recipe on the Crisco can!” (Honestly, Mom’s pies were so amazing that I rarely eat pie as an adult. I’ve never had a pie with a crust as good as Mom’s.) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/13 "2016-10-28T00:12:50Z")
The best chocolate chip cookies I ever made came from a recipe on a Land O Lakes butter package. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/14 "2016-10-28T00:29:03Z")
Not that often, but I have made two of those recipes people share on Facebook. I hate that people share them all the time, honestly, but I recently saw two that were actually pretty good. I know you aren’t asking, but this is the best one I’ve seen there and I have made a nice clean Google Document of it so you can skip all the stupid Facebook stuff. [Dill Pickle Soup](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ElRBtRDd99-vvDPwR6orWF3rhVxCNigzYvQ5BYhkug8/edit?usp=sharing) I recommend a very sour dill pickle, for those who care. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/15 "2016-10-28T00:34:51Z")
> [@Tara57](#): > > Quaker Oats oatmeal cookies My secret recipe. I keep it cleverly hidden under the lid of every container of Quaker Oats in the world. > [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > My mom, OTOH … My mom wasn’t a great _cook_, but she was a fantastic _baker_. She would bake pies for dessert when we had guests, and she would constantly get other husbands covertly asking for her pie crust recipe because it was so much better than what their own wives made. My mom was baffled by this because, “It’s just the recipe on the Crisco can!” Crisco? My pie crusts are the reason God created butter. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/16 "2016-10-28T00:39:32Z")
Technically, I found this recipe on a bottle not a box. Jamaican Shepherd’s Pie A homey dish with a Calypsonian twist. 4-6 Servings 1-1/2 pound lean ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1 8 oz can mushrooms 1 11 oz can corn niblets (drained) 1/2 cup Blue Mountain Jamaican Jerk Sauce 4 cups mashed potatoes 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese Salt & pepper to taste Vegetable cooking spray Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Brown meat together with onions. Drain. Stir in Jamaican Jerk Sauce, mushrooms, drained corn, salt & pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes. Spoon meat mixture into 9 x 12 oven proof dish. Top with mashed potato. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, until cheese has melted. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/17 "2016-10-28T00:47:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Only a few. The Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe, of course. Same here, since my mom made them when I was a child. We make the pan/square variety. Also the meat loaf on the Lipton onion soup mix is okay, but I’m still looking for a slightly less onion-y replacement. Maybe with just onion powder… ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/18 "2016-10-28T01:13:32Z")
I once made an apple pie that wasn’t to my girlfriend’s liking and she would tease me: “Is this a Mock Apple Pie from the Ritz Cracker box?” I wonder if anybody has ever made a mock apple pie. What an absurd concoction! Fill a pie crust with crackers and call it an apple pie! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/19 "2016-10-28T01:53:52Z")
I think that fresh fruit used to be a lot more expensive than it is today, so mock apple pie made sense for someone who couldn’t afford to splurge on the real thing. > [@](#): > > Quoth **Ukulele Ike** : > > My personal recipe for Chicken Paprika originated on the back of a bag of egg noodles about 35 years ago. I’ve adapted it so many times that bag wouldn’t recognize it today. I don’t even serve it over noodles anymore. Heh. My chili recipe started life as my gramma’s, but I tweak it every time I make it. About a year before she died, I told her how I make it, and she was completely baffled. Of course, I’m sure she went through the same process, too, many times more than I ever have. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876/20 "2016-10-28T02:28:46Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > My mom, OTOH … My mom wasn’t a great _cook_, but she was a fantastic _baker_. She would bake pies for dessert when we had guests, and she would constantly get other husbands covertly asking for her pie crust recipe because it was so much better than what their own wives made. My mom was baffled by this because, “It’s just the recipe on the Crisco can!” > > (Honestly, Mom’s pies were so amazing that I rarely eat pie as an adult. I’ve never had a pie with a crust as good as Mom’s.) My mother in law used to brag about her pumpkin pie and how she used her mom’s secret family recipe that hadn’t changed in 50 years. Everyone loves the family pumpkin pie, and when she wasn’t able to make it anymore I took on the tradition. The first Thanksgiving after she passed away I forgot to write the ingredients on my shopping list and had to check a Libby’s can to see if I needed evaporated or condensed milk. The recipe on the Libby’s label looked familiar… Sure enough, when I got home I confirmed where the secret family recipe had come from. I’m sure she was laughing from wherever she is now. This is really the only thing I recall having picked up off a box label, and I make it all the time because it’s really a complete meal and is so easy. I add a little spice and leave out the cheese. > **[Delicious New Recipes Every Day | Kraft Heinz | Kraft Heinz](https://www.kraftheinz.com/recipes)** > > Cook up something delicious today! Discover great recipes for weeknights, gatherings and special occasions. Find a new way to enjoy the Kraft Heinz brands you love. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-use-the-recipes-on-the-box/769876.md?page=2)