The things we got wrong
This is the log of corrections for *Potato Recipes Crisp*—the mistakes we made, the failures we fixed, and what we learned from them. It’s not a list of what we do well, because those things are easy to guess. But the things we got wrong? Those tell you what matters.
Nobody publishes a page like this unless they keep the list real. So here it is: the errors that slipped through, the methods that fell apart in a real kitchen, the pages that should never have gone live.
The reader gets a way to judge the rest of the work by how honestly we handle the parts that didn’t work.
Three we had to fix
Every site makes mistakes. The difference is whether you admit it—and whether you fix them. These are the first three we had to correct, in order of how badly they hurt.
The wrong oven temperature for crisping potatoes
- 1Published a 425°F guide
For six months, every crispy potato recipe here called for 425°F. It was a carryover from an old notebook where I’d scribbled down a ‘universal’ temp—except it wasn’t. Readers in humid climates sent photos of soggy skins. One even mailed back a half-crisped potato as proof. Franklin Fontaine found it when a commenter asked why their oven ‘hated’ the recipes. The fix? A range: 400°F for thin cuts, 450°F for thick. Now every guide says so.
- 2Over-salted stock in the ‘classic’ stew
The ‘Grandmother’s Beef Stew’ recipe had 2 teaspoons of salt in the stock—double what any home cook would use. It stood for a year before a reader in Portland wrote in to say their dog had refused it. Franklin Fontaine caught it when testing a revision and nearly spilled the pot in shock. The fix? Halved the salt, added a note about tasting as you go. The stew’s still ‘classic,’ just edible.
- 3Mashed potato ‘shortcut’ that glued
The ‘5-Minute Garlic Mashed Potatoes’ used instant potatoes *and* butter at the same time. It worked in my tiny apartment oven but turned to paste in a real kitchen. A baker in Chicago emailed a photo of their lumpy disaster. Franklin Fontaine tested it again and realized the butter needed to melt *first*. The fix? Split the recipe into two steps. Now it actually works.
What those three changed
Those mistakes forced us to rewrite how we test recipes, how we edit for climate, and how we describe ‘easy’ methods. The rules that came from them now shape everything else.
Rules that came from mistakes
- Every oven temp must be tested in three climates before publishing. (*From the 425°F failure*)
- Salt measurements in recipes are now ‘to taste’ unless scientifically measured. (*From the stew disaster*)
- 'Shortcuts' require a disclaimer if they’ve only been tested in one kitchen. (*From the mashed potato glue*)
The people behind this
Franklin Fontaine is the founder and editor of *Potato Recipes Crisp*, the person who signs every correction. You’ve just met them through their failures—which is the only way to introduce someone who keeps a list like this. They’re the one who still winces when they think about the stew.
Keeping a log of mistakes isn’t for the proud. It’s for the ones who care enough to admit when they’re wrong—and then do something about it. Franklin Fontaine does it because they’d rather fix a recipe than pretend it was perfect to begin with.
The discomfort comes when they realize some mistakes take longer to unmake than others.
There’s a smaller mistake that’s not here: the time they burned a batch of roasted potatoes because they forgot to flip them. No photos survived, no readers complained—just a charred pan and a lesson that even the ‘easy’ recipes need watching. That’s the kind of person this is.
If you find a mistake here, Franklin Fontaine wants you to do two things: tell them about it, and then check the contact page for how to share it.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. The next mistake is waiting to be found—by a reader, by a test kitchen, or by Franklin Fontaine themselves. If you spot something that doesn’t add up, the contact page is where to tell us. No shame in it; just proof we’re still learning.
The recipes are grouped by category: Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Main Courses and Reviews.