Why Recipes from the Internet often fail

Have you ever found a delicious-looking recipe online, tried to follow it exactly… and ended up with a disappointing result?

You’re not alone. As a professional chef, I’ve seen this happen again and again. In this article, I’ll explain some of the most common reasons why recipes from the internet don’t turn out the way we expect.

Hi, I’m Yuri Shaikovsky, a chef at the “Zhivi Vkysno” Culinary Studio and the creator of an online cooking course. After more than 15 years in the kitchen — including teaching over 10,000 students — I’ve learned one thing: cooking well isn’t just about following instructions. It’s about understanding them.

So let’s break it down.

1. The author didn’t test the recipe properly

A lot of online recipes are copied from other sites, with a pretty photo and minimal testing (or none at all). The author may not even know how the dish actually turns out — they’re just chasing clicks. That’s how you end up with vague instructions and bad results.

2. Vague instructions

“Place in the oven for 40 minutes.” Okay… but at what temperature?

Even worse: “Bake until done.” What does “done” mean? A certain texture? Internal temperature? Color? Most home cooks are left guessing.

And then there’s this classic trap: “40 minutes at 180°C.” Sounds clear, right? But did they mean from a preheated oven? If you start from a cold oven, your dish will turn out completely different.

3. Ingredient inconsistencies — especially in baking

Baking is a science, and precision matters. Many recipes don’t mention egg size, but the difference between a small egg and a large one can throw off your whole cake. In my kitchen, I always assume medium to large eggs, but not everyone does — and most recipes don’t tell you.

4. Your kitchen ≠ their kitchen

This is the biggest reason recipes fail — and it’s not your fault.

Every kitchen is different. The person who wrote the recipe might be using a gas stove, cast-iron pan, and local farm tomatoes. You might be working with an electric cooktop, thin aluminum pan, and underripe tomatoes from a supermarket. Even the humidity in the air or altitude can affect cooking results.

That’s why trying to follow a recipe exactly doesn’t always work. What you really need is an understanding of the principles:

• How heat behaves
• How ingredients interact
• How to adjust for your tools and ingredients

When you understand the why, not just the how, you’ll stop depending on recipes — and start adapting them with confidence.

Want to learn those principles? That’s exactly what I teach in my course and here on the blog.

Let me know in the comments: What recipe failed you — and why do you think it happened? I’ll pick a few and break them down in a future post.