A Review of Google Recipe Search
A Review of Google Recipe Search
Jump to RecipeAbout a month ago, Google launched a new tool called “Recipe Search.” It took me a while to figure out exactly what the tool was doing, but now that I have a somewhat firm grasp on it, I thought I’d write up a quick review of the tool and give some thoughts on what it means for finding recipes on the Internet.
Let me start by saying that I use a lot of Google tools. I started using Gmail in 2005 which was during the initial Beta version of the product. I’m a huge fan of Google Calendar and Docs and also use a ton of Google products to track traffic and stats here on Macheesmo.
In short, I’m a Google fan.
And that’s why it pains me to say this, but Google Recipe Search is really bad.
How Google Recipe Search (GRS) Works. The tools is simple enough to use. When you do a basic search on Google for something that it thinks might be a recipe, it gives you the option on the left to filter only recipes. It then gives you some other options to filter recipes based on prep time, ingredients, and even calorie count.
In short, the goal is that you should be able to search for a recipe and, using the filters, find the perfect recipe for you.
How Google Does this. This seems like a crazy tool when you think about it, but it’s actually fairly straightforward for Google to do. They are relying on a specific kind of code call “Snippets” to pull the appropriate filter information into the Recipe Search.
So, for example, a normal recipe might say something like:
Prep Time: 30 minutes.
Straightforward enough, but Google can’t categorize this text. For google to categorize it, it needs to be coded in a specific fashion. So for this recipe to be filterable by Google, it would need to be formatted more like this:
Prep time: <time itemprop="prepTime" datetime="PT30M">30 min</time>
If you’re a techie and want to see the full write-up on how to code stuff in rich snippet format, you can check it out here.
So just by making this small change, Google will now be able to read that your recipe can be made in 30 minutes and it’ll show up in the filter accordingly.
The Coding Dagger
Recoding a recipe with this format isn’t a huge problem if you’re talking about one recipe. BUT, if you’re talking about a site, like Macheesmo, that has around 700 recipes on it and is managed by ONE DUDE, it becomes a completely impossible task to do.
I’d guess it would take me roughly half an hour per recipe to recode my recipes in this format. Just to put that in perspective, that means that if I were to work 8 hours a day doing nothing but recoding recipes and I worked 7 days a week, it would take me about a month and a half to finish.
In other words, not gonna freakin’ happen. Especially considering that I could finish doing this and Google could change their algorithm on a whim and I’d have to redo all my hard work.
What this means
Because of this, the only sites that will realistically be able to be displayed in the GRS are huge recipe sites that will have the staff to be able to code recipes in this fashion.
When you use the recipe filter, you’re eliminating thousands of recipes from very good food blogs from your search. You’ll be left with nothing but recipes from very large recipe sites.
An Example.
Let’s take a look at a quick example.
If you google “Baked Oatmeal”, my recipe normally pops up around 3rd on the results list out of about a million results. Not shabby! It also happens to be a kick ass recipe.
Now, if I click the “Recipes” filter on the left, my recipe goes away, along with about 900,000 other results!
Even though I haven’t clicked on any recipe filters yet (which would rely on those snippets), Google has already eliminated my recipe from the results. In other words, because my post doesn’t contain any code snippets at all, Google thinks it isn’t even a recipe!
Instead, what you’ll find in the “Recipes” section is almost exclusively recipes from large recipe sites. I’m not saying that these recipes are necessarily bad, but I definitely don’t think they are better than mine. Or Joy’s. Or Kath’s. All of which have been removed from the results.
Quality and Quantity
You’ve probably heard the expression, “Quality over quantity.” I’d rather have one really good baked oatmeal recipe than one million crappy ones. So, if this filter is doing it’s job, the 70,000 recipes that are left should really be the cream of the crop and I should be able to filter down and find the perfect recipe for me.
In practice, I’ve found that the best recipes are already eliminated once you click the recipe filter. Since Google uses a chainsaw instead of a razor when filtering recipes, they are not only decreasing quantity, but also decreasing quality. And that definitely isn’t a good thing.
Coding Sharks
Website owners are savvy individuals. When it became apparent that you could stick in some code in your recipe that would immediately jump your recipe to the top, large sites fell over themselves to get the work done. Unfortunately, not all of their work is being done honestly.
For example, do you think it’s at all possible to make a beef stew in 15 minutes? Well, trust me. It’s not.
But if you search for “beef stew” and filter down to less than 15 minutes, you’ll find this gem. A slow cooker beef stew recipe that apparently only takes 10 minutes.
Of course, once you click on it, you realize that it actually takes much longer than that. But it’s been coded in a way to show up when you filter for under 15 minute dishes. Clever guys.
The calorie filters are even worse. Going back to baked oatmeal, this recipe claims that a serving is just under 100 calories (how convenient). Of course, if you look at the serving size it’s basically a few Tablespoons of oatmeal. Who eats a few tablespoons of oatmeal? Get bent.
Now, of course, not all of the recipes that show up in the filter are using “creative coding” to get their recipes to show up. There are some very ambitious sites like Simply Recipes who are doing it the right way. But again, for smaller sites, it’s just not realistic.
In Summary
It seems like Google has decided to try to categorize all the recipes on the Internet using a very strict formula. Unfortunately, because there’s no review process, anybody can use their “formula” to jump to the top of the search. Meanwhile, individuals who have spent years developing recipes that they really care about are left in the dust.
How To Find Recipes
So, it shouldn’t be surprising that I’d recommend you avoid Google Recipe Search. Maybe if enough people stay away from it and they get enough negative feedback, Google will eventually change it or just get rid of it.
I’d suggest that when you’re looking for a recipe on the Internet, try using one of the below resources:
Normal Google Search. If you just search for the recipe normally on Google, you get pretty robust results still. There are quality blogs mixed in with the large recipe sites and the normal google algorithms apply. Just don’t click the recipe filter and you’re good to go.
Food Blog Search. I use this site all the time to find recipes. It includes a reviewed list of around 3,000 food blogs that all provide very quality recipes. It’s a great resource.
Twitter. Sometimes I search for recipes on twitter and find pretty good stuff. These are recipes that are being talked about so they probably are pretty legit.
A few other bloggers have written about this tool also. Check out:
– Amanda from Food52 Reviews GRS
– Elise from Simply Recipes writes a thorough article on how the GRS works and whether it’s worth it or not.
Have any of you tried this tool? What are your thoughts?
Macheesmo, you are not alone. I've seen a bunch of reviews from food bloggers that are very similar — recipes that used to rank the old way no longer show up in the new recipe search. We did a post about it here: http://www.feastie.com/blog/googles-new-recipe-se…
Thanks for the link Valerie. There's a revolution afoot! Maybe Google will get the message….
On the other hand, Amazon.com's "Al Dente" daily food blog is pretty good. Well written and fun.
My recent post The Science of Death- the Ultimate Mystery
I tried Recipe Search when it first came out, like you. I wasn't a great fan. It seemed that 99% of the recipes the search tool returned were from Allrecipes and Food.com–sites that never save me a lot of time. And in the end, isn't that what I'm looking for? Time saving? Allrecipes has hundreds of possible recipes, most of which aren't any good. It takes a LOT of time to review a LOT of recipes on those big sites to whittle it down to one that you think has potential. Even then, you get a lot of duds. I haven't had a great amount of luck on the Food Network site either. I don't know if my tastebuds differ from what they find appealing or what. But I've made a couple of recipes (Alton Brown springs to mind) that I took to work and gave away to poor, starving grad students, because I found it simply inedible. Building a network of food sites that I trust and enjoy has been a labor of love. Yes, I started out on those monster sites that receive priority now on Google's Recipe Search,but through hard work and time I have more options today through small, quirky, inventive blogs, written by food lovers like me (and you). As you point out, the difference in these sites is quality. I liken it to the difference between shopping at WalMart and a charming, locally-owned artisan store. And thinking about the process by which I created this network of trusted food blogs was actually a lot of fun. I have read literally hundreds of food blogs through my RSS feed, and slowly culled that list to a precious few that I trust, that share my interest in certain types of cooking, and that produce good, quality food. To this day, if I find a start-up blog that sparks my interest, I'll add it to a "Test Kitchen" category in my RSS feed and follow it for a few months. This process has challenged me to start my own collaborative recipe site. My friends and I are embarking on a new learning process in blog world. I certainly have lot of good and bad examples for it. By the way, Nick. Your site is now in my Foodie Friends list. :)
My recent post Meal Plan In Action
Thanks for the great comment! Glad I'm on the Friends list! :)
I didn't even know Google started a recipes search, but it sounds like I won't be using it! When I search for a recipe on Google now, I ONLY go to the foodblog websites. I find that the recipes are more unique, taste better and are generally more thoroughly explained. And I did not know about the foodblog search so you just saved me a TON of time! Thanks! :)
My recent post Bound by Guilt
I haven't ever used the Google recipe search and by the way you lined it out- I won't be it either- I don't like the idea of the larger sites being at the top of the list.
Food Bloggers are the best- you take your time, try these recipes out for the rest of us, and if a recipe really stinks, you tell us!
BTW- Thanks for the food blog link, never heard of that search either and I look forward to trying it out.
Well written, and not totally surprising in your take and that of other Food Bloggers. The discussion makes me think of my neighbor who decided to put a small fence up between our properties largely to keep my dog out of her yard – fair enough however she now also lives behind a fence instead of enjoying the big open spance of both our properties.
While it's great to know about Food Blog Search – I'm going to definitely use it – you've also left out 10's of thousands of other recipes at the Big Recipe Sites – All Recipes, Food.com.
So my guess is there is no one size that is ever going to fit all – but sometimes finding a good recipe is like looking for a needle in a haystack and that is where having several choices come in.
For me your blogging goes beyond just a recipe – where similarly a recipe you've replicated or "twisted" from Bon Apetite does show up in most searches either. Good Cooks/Chefs are also good detectives finding what they want.
Nick, thanks so much for adding to the conversation. I hope Google is listening, because food bloggers and their readers are working hard to identify and articulate what's wrong with this new search.
My recent post Recipe for miso-Sriracha glazed salmon
avoid using the word recipe in your google search – it seems to kick in the google recipe search automatically …
Thanks for the review, Nick. Though I guess it could be said the review could be slanted because they did not include you, I know it is not. ;-)
I find it sad for them to use such an aptly put 'chainsaw' approach to their filter. For heavens sake a search using their own search engine returns useful results! (including your own recipe, lol) The fact that they then use this 'snippet' coding to further filter is insane. As you have said, you give enough of yourself and time just sharing the amazing recipes/blog that you do. To expect the 'little guy' bloggers to completely recode is ludicrous.
I am very glad that you wrote this and I am hoping that it trickles down to some one paying attention at Google.
As always, a dedicated fan! Keep up the awesome blogging!
–Ben
Australia has a great recipe website where articles from a number of food magazines are collated and you search literally thousands of recipes. Plus you can create an account to save recipes so you don't lose them. http://www.taste.com.au
This is super helpful. I'm sure as time goes on, the tool will get better…but when you are looking for something fast and easy to use, it's good to know that there are lots of better options. :)
Elayne
My recent post Each Day’s Proper Work
Yeah, I talked with Meathead about this at Kingsford U. I think it pretty much is going to make most hardcore foodies like us just not use the tool as is. Like you, I just don't have the time to recode everything or even code things from here on out, unless there are some formatting plugins.
My recent post Steak Sandwich With A Kick
Well actually it works for me perfectly on that time because I just open a restaurant a few months ago and I use a lot of simple but delicious recipes from around the world, anyway thanks for the review.
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I do not know who you are but certainly you’re going
to a famous blogger if you are not already ;) Cheers!
Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed!
Very useful info particularly the last part :) I care for such
information a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time.
Thank you and best of luck.
I am DONE with Google recipe search! I have used it since its conception and loved it before they kept saying that I could not longer access it. I get this message:
We’re sorry…
… but your computer or network may be sending automated queries
I have done everything that they asked me to do and there is nothing in my computer that will compromise Google and wrote them and included my information.
There are too many other recipe search engines that I can use. Google Recipe Search Engine….be GONE!
Ha! yea… they also refuse to add me to their index even though I’m clearly a recipe resource. Not sure who you need to know to get picked up by them…