The secret ingredient in every recipe I publish

Hint: It's not in the pantry. It's about people.

📬 Last week, I sent out the first paywalled recipe I’ve published since relaunching. The recipe is by

Ryan Shepard

and if you haven’t checked out her one-pan pork chops yet, you totally should! Today, I wanted to take you behind the scenes and talk about WHY and HOW paying recipe developers like Ryan is at the heart of my mission here at What Are We Having? Let’s get into it! ✨

Pictured: Poached Cod, Garlic-Soy Chicken Tenders

Tested recipes, created by experts, are vital for functional, trustworthy food media. There is so much food content out there. Sadly, a lot of it doesn’t work the way the recipe says it will.

A lot of free recipe content is created within an internet ecosystem that rewards reach above all else. SEO performance and social virality often drive what gets assigned and published. This isn’t a knock on the creators themselves — many are talented, hard-working,…