The things we got wrong
This is not a list of what we do well. It’s a log of what we got wrong—and how we fixed it. The only reason to publish it is so you can judge everything else here by the same standard.
Most sites hide their mistakes. We don’t. If you find something here that’s wrong, broken, or just plain off, you’ll see it’s not because we didn’t notice. It’s because we did—and we’re telling you how we made it right.
Three we had to fix
We’ve made mistakes that mattered. Some were small, some were big enough to waste time, ingredients, or even a pan. These are the ones that stuck.
How we fix what we break
- 1The wrong ingredient ratio
Our first roasted potato guide called for 2 parts oil to 1 part potatoes. It worked in the test kitchen, but readers sent back photos of soggy, greasy messes. We thought the mistake was theirs—until we realized the oil soaked into the oven rack. Bernice Barrera rewrote the method with a drip tray and halved the oil. It went live two days later.
- 2The oven temp that lied
We swore by 425°F for crispy skins, but the recipe for *Camote al Mojo* kept turning out mushy. The thermometer was off by 50 degrees after a power surge. Bernice Barrera tested every 25°F increment until the skins held. The fix took a week, and we added a calibration note to every oven-based recipe.
- 3The ‘quick’ method that wasn’t
Our ‘30-minute garlic mashed potatoes’ took readers twice that—if they didn’t burn the garlic first. The issue wasn’t the time; it was the step order. Bernice Barrera reordered the instructions to blanch the potatoes *before* adding the garlic. The update went out with a warning: ‘This is not fast. It is foolproof.’
What those three changed
These fixes didn’t just correct errors—they rewrote how we think about testing. No more assuming the kitchen is perfect. No more trusting a single trial. And no more hiding it when we’re wrong.
Rules that came from mistakes
- Test every variable separately (from *The wrong ingredient ratio*).
- Assume your tools are lying (from *The oven temp that lied*).
- If it’s not working for the worst-case reader, it’s not done (from *The ‘quick’ method that wasn’t*).
The people behind this
Bernice Barrera is the founder and editor of *Potato Recipes Roast*. She’s the one who signs the corrections, not because she’s the only person who makes mistakes, but because she’s the one who notices them—and then tells you about them. That’s how you know this log is real.
Keeping a list like this isn’t easy. It means admitting when you’re wrong in public, even when it’s awkward.
It means looking back at your own work and saying, *That should never have gone out.* But that’s the point: cooking is about trust, and trust starts with honesty—even when it’s uncomfortable.
Bernice once burned a batch of *papas a la huancaína* because she misread the cheese-to-cream ratio. The sauce curdled, the potatoes turned to mush, and she had to start over. No one else saw it. She just cleaned up the mess and tried again.
That’s the kind of person who keeps this log.
If you spot something we missed, don’t just tell us. Show us how you’d fix it. The contact page is where to start.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. We’ll add to it when we find more mistakes—and we will. If you see something that doesn’t add up, or a recipe that still isn’t right, let us know. The contact page is where to go.
The recipes are grouped by category: Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Main Courses and Salads.