Anonymous wrote:I also do not read the comments on the NYT recipes. I don't need to read about how someone subbed tofu for beef or ice cream for cream. So droll.

I find some of the comments helpful. But, yes, lots of people chime in needlessly to share the changes they made.

I have both. I think Smitten Kitchen's recipes are more inspired and better tested. NYT has far more breadth of recipes and is easier to search and use the recipes on your device while cooking.

SK's recipes are more specific and you have to like what she is offering, but if you do, her recipes are usually always winners. I don't have the same luck with NYT. Usually 75% of theirs work out, but some are not good.

I paid for NYT but I’ve been disappointed by the few things I tried so I’ve kind of given up. I don’t think they’re bad recipes but they just don’t appeal to my crew as much as others. I haven’t tried SK but I do subscribe to America’s Test Kitchen. I balked at the price until I had a free trial and fell in love. Now it’s the first place I go online for recipes.

The Times star rankings and comments are very useful—I always skim the comments before deciding on a recipe.

I use both and love them both. I feel like Smitten is generally very reliable, in that her recipes work and taste good, but she is also more offbeat in what she offers. Whereas the Times has a million chicken breast/thigh recipes (or salmon recipes, or banana bread recipes, or you name it) and when I just need a simple new idea for what to do with ingredients I already have, that’s where I go.

I’ve followed Smitten Kitchen for YEARS so she is my go to for everything. Basically because everything I’ve ever made from her site has turned out delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the comments though.

LOVE Smitten Kitchen. I like how she discusses substitutions right in a lot of her recipes. They usually come out well as written. Plus, free.

I also do not read the comments on the NYT recipes. I don't need to read about how someone subbed tofu for beef or ice cream for cream. So droll.

NYT is far better. More variety, videos, articles and the quality is just not comparable.

I love the NYT cooking recipes but they are way too fussy for my five and seven year old and I don't cook two dinners for our family. I recently stopped paying for it because we weren't using it. I like Smitten Kitchen, Defined Dish, and How Sweet Eats.

SK has some fantastic recipes, but much of what she makes won't work for my family. NYT has a much broader range and it's easy to save recipes you like. Well worth the price for my house.

I have NYT but generally prefer SK for the day to day because I find it more consistent and the recipes written as-is generally turn out really well. The comments are good and I like how Deb responds to them, but you don't HAVE to read them. I will make a NYT recipe if it's been personally suggested to me by someone who has made it (usually my mom) but we agree there are some real duds in there and you can't rely on the recipe as written, you HAVE to read the comments. It's the one recipe site where the, "I substituted olive oil for butter, doubled the oregano, broiled the dish for 10 minutes at the end and used salmon instead of swordfish and it came out well" type comments don't annoy me because often you DO need to follow that commenting advice for the recipe to not be crap. I don't always want to deal with that on a Wednesday evening trying to get dinner on the table.

Smitten Kitchen adapts some NYT recipes, so you get some for free. But I can’t stand her prattle! I prefer NYT for the breadth of content.

I love SK and it's free. So I go with that.

I'm sure NYT cooking is good, but I don't want to pay extra for that.

For those who have used both sites, which do you prefer? Why? Is there another that you prefer? And what about the reader comments? Have they offered useful hints? TIA