Recipe Ownership

Commenters over at Serious Eats raise an interesting discussion: at what point does a recipe become your own? That is to say if you make a recipe from a cookbook or a magazine multiple times and your friends really like it, can you call it yours?

Years ago I took a barbecue class with my aunt. One of the recipes we learned was a brined grilled chicken that was the class favorite by far. I have made the recipe hundreds of times since, and friends, family, and neighbors request it frequently.

I didn’t create the recipe, and I don’t modify it much when I make it. Still, everybody calls it Frank’s chicken. Is this fair?

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• By MikeGras, April 20, 2009 @ 6:21 pm

  In a word yes. If 100 cooks read and prepared the recipe given to you in the course I would almost guarantee 100 different results. Those differences allow one to claim the recipe especially if even slight changes are made. This is true mostly because cooking is more technique than recipe. Few recipes teach techniques well, if at all. If you take a class, learn from a chef, etc, or work as a sous chef – the recipe belongs to the instructor. I myself can lay claim to most any recipe I am taught or read (Not yours Chef Linda – I keep your secrets)because I Cajunize most everything. (See Chef – how could I make your recipes, taught to me in the dead of night, more Cajun.) If you want to claim a recipe bring your own style or ingredients to it. I recommend doing both. If you want to make it yours OWN it and teach another. See who your students give credit to.. :0)

• By Katie, April 21, 2009 @ 7:56 am

  Mike,

  Thanks for your comment! Someone else responded on Twitter saying that you can call it your own when either a) like you said, you make adjustments to the recipe or b) you have made it so many times, you could do it in your sleep. I think the latter is the case for Frank!

  Thanks again for reading. Stop by anytime.

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