The ingredients are incomplete and/or confusing. What is "1 dried lentils" 1 cup, 1 bag, 1 pound? Also, the directions say to add water but it's n...

It is disconcerting to try to follow a recipe with incomplete or incorrect ingredients due to a slip up on the part of the recipe's author. ( I am guilty of that on a few occasions). I think it would be reasonable on the part of food52 staff to contact a user whose recipe is up for a possible CPN when the ingredient deck or the instructions are incomplete or unclear to get clarification.

I agree with the case in question. However, that being said and having suffered from typos, hangovers, sleep deprivation and other catastrophies while submitting receipes, I am always open to questions and try to respond quickly if one comes up. And, unlike other sites, I have found most of the folks here on F52 completely friendly and open to questions about their recipes. I'm all for clarity but (since I'm not a professional or even a ranked amateur) I appreciate the good humor and flexibility that most of my online food-nerdy friends show me and I try to extend to others.

I have some equally strong opinions about online recipes (or anything else on the Internet): there is no copy editing on the Internet.

The Internet is full of garbage information that is poorly vetted and edited. Many times, we have seen Food52 recipes submitted by individuals that differ from the same recipe published elsewhere.

This isn't a specific criticism of Food52.com. This is prevalent all over the Internet, whether it be food, technology, auto repair, whatever.

When you see a "recipe" or other instruction set on the Internet, view it with great skepticism. There is a great likelihood that it is simply wrong.\

Anyhow, the next time you find an anomaly in a Food52 recipe, just contact the author. After all, they are the authority on the document in question.

Good luck.

I have rather strong feelings on this issue. I've tested many recipes for contests, and the majority of them work beautifully. The ones that don't have problems just as you've listed, generally falling under the heading of incomplete or missing information. I've never understood how such recipes wind up in the running for anything. Surely, to have reached that point, they've been tested by Food 52, and surely someone would have noticed errors or inconsistencies and not have included the recipe in the testing list. You have every right to expect that a recipe you choose to test is complete and accurate, certainly without searching the internet for a better version of it. If a recipe is submitted to Food 52 a contest entry, I'd suggest that it be tested in that version. And if the recipe you've chosen in impossible to test in that condition, say so in your review.

She has the recipe on her blog. Here it is: lentil ratatouille
Makes 2-3 big servings (if serving with pastas or rice, its more like 4-5 servings)

1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow summer squash
1 medium onion
1 small eggplant
3-4 cloves garlic
1 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup water
3 medium to large tomatoes
handful fresh basil leaves
a few glugs of balsamic vinegar
couple sprigs of fresh oregano
olive oil
salt and pepper
Drizzle a little olive oil into a large pot. Dice up the onion and place on medium heat and cook for a few minutes. Mince up the garlic and chop up the remaining veggies into medium sized pieces. Once the onion is cooke a bit and strting to smell oh so nice, toss the veggies and garlic into the pot. Mix, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place a lid on it. Cook for a few minutes to draw out a bit of liquid from the veggies. Now add in the lentils and the water. Stick the lid back on and let cook for about 30 minutes on medium low heat or until the lentils are starting to soften.

When the lentils are mostly soft, but still have a bit of biet, dice the fresh herbs and toss into pot with a few swings of balsamic vinegar. Stir and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the lentils are full cooked.

Remove from heat and ladle into bowls..

Serve with rice, pasta, bread, a big old pile of fresh greens, or just as it is.

Eats fantastic right aways, or cold late at night standing in front of the fridge..