Resolving Recipe Rivalries: Harmonizing Family Holiday Feasts

Whether you’re ready or not, the holidays are here, and a time comes when family members will champion their recipes. They will claim that “this is how it’s been done for generations,” or “everyone loves my casserole,” or something that makes you feel as though you can’t reject it, even if you don’t like it. But these types of uncomfortable moments are what create deep family memories and stories about Aunt Stacey’s favorite jelly concoction.

What do you do when you have two family members who want to cook the same dish but two different ways, bringing them to the family get-together? This is the question we will attempt to solve, and hopefully ease some of those uncomfortable family moments.

The issue is whether or not to have the same two dishes at the same family holiday gathering. Putting impeding emotions aside, the question I’m proposing here is if the same dish made two different ways is truly the same dish. You could consider it a variation of the same idea, or you could consider it something completely different, depending on how much the dish is altered from the original intent of the base dish. Once we define the rules, we will be able to work through how to approach these families in a measured way, even helping other family members enjoy the recipe they sided with in the beginning, without guilt associated with not having the other.

Let’s explore a few rules to help us with this question and help you have fun conversation starters when the two dishes come up in a family conversation.

Disclaimer: There are no copyright law protections in recipes as mere lists of ingredients.

According to The Recipe Writer’s Handbook, 2001, p 212, “The general rule […] is that three major changes are required to make a recipe “yours.” However, even if you make such changes, it is a professional courtesy to acknowledge the source of or inspiration for the recipe.”

A common misconception when reproducing recipes is that if you change three items in a recipe, then you can use the recipe without permission. That’s not true, particularly for minor changes like saying Kosher salt instead of sea salt, specifying a different type of apple, or tweaking a half teaspoon of cinnamon to one teaspoon.

A source in Canada argues that if the portion size of the recipe changes, then that qualifies as enough change to be considered “yours.” Stating that recipes often need to be adjusted to meet the needs of different situations. The most common reason to adjust recipes is to change the number of individual portions that the recipe produces. For example, a standard recipe might be written to prepare 25 portions. If 60 portions of the item are needed, the recipe must be properly and substantially adjusted.

Finally, let’s look at the use of advice from a real-world situation, citing someone who had experienced someone else using their recipe without permission. Loren McCune found someone else using her recipe online and wasn’t mad, but offered up some advice to the borrower.

McCune outlines the following as the “Golden Rule:”

1. If I like a recipe from someone else and use it, I give them the credit for the recipe. “Try this, I think you’ll like it. It’s Bubba Thompson’s Poke Salat Soufflé.”
2. If I think I can modify a good recipe to improve it, I say I have adapted Bubba’s recipe or I say it’s my take on Bubba’s soufflé recipe. “See if you don’t think it’s good with collard greens.“ I might even call it Autumnal Collard Greens Soufflé and say that it is adapted from Bubba’s recipe.
3. If I know, for example, that shrimp or crab and avocado are a good combination, I feel good about building a crab and avocado salad with cilantro, purple onions, tomato, and lime juice dressing. Now that’s my recipe and I don’t consider it stolen in the least.

As many of our rules state, substantial changes to the original recipe need to be established before it can be claimed as a new or different creation. Additionally, each rule mentions the importance of paying homage to the known originator of the base recipe. For most, this will be the person who taught them the recipe initially. If a recipe is learned from the internet, that answer would suffice. Therefore, we must concede to three major things when consulting our family members on how to navigate the holiday recipe standoff. 1. Homage to the original. 2. Substantial ingredient change. 3. Substantial portion change.

To satisfy this challenge, we must get the answers to the following three questions:

1. Are we honoring the originator of the recipe?

a. Aunt Stacy’s casserole was passed down from Grandma and so was the same recipe to Cousin Ashely.

2. Are Aunt Stacy and Ashely making substantial changes to the recipe?

a. Aunt Stacy adds pineapple, and Ashely attempts to keep things as close to Grandma’s original as possible.

3. Are the portion sizes substantially changed?

a. They both make for about 6 people.

Therefore, we can conclude (in this scenario) that Aunt Stacy’s casserole has enough of a substantial change (add pineapple) to it to be considered an original recipe.

The lesson in this is to have fun with these rules and the homage you pay to where these family recipes came from. If they originally came from the internet, jokingly tell other family members that you got the idea from “Uncle Net” and see them search their memory for a lost uncle they may have forgotten about. After revealing Uncle Net, any uncomfortable tension will break and everyone will know that they are off the hook if they don’t like what you’ve made.

Under these rules, the conclusion is that all recipes should be welcome if they are different enough. If they aren’t substantially different, suggest the chefs work together on the more original approach. Or, have a “casserole challenge” to see who can make the craziest rendition of the original.

Ultimately, some will like one over the other more but, the fact remains that everyone will have a fun story about how you know odd facts about recipe copyright and ownership, and everyone will know that they are free to like (or dislike) the one with pineapple.

CITATIONS:

1. Copyright Protection in Recipes — Copyrightlaws.com: Copyright courses and education in plain English
2. Converting and Adjusting Recipes and Formulas — Basic Kitchen and Food Service Management (opentextbc.ca)
3. How much do you modify an existing/base recipe before you claim it as your own “special” recipe? — Quora