The things we got wrong
This page is a record of the mistakes we made before we knew better. It’s here so you can see what happens when even the best recipes—ours included—run into real kitchens, real hands, and real expectations.
You’ll find the things we got wrong, how long they stood, and who fixed them.
Most sites hide their failures. We publish them because a correction is the only proof that matters. If we’re wrong, we’ll admit it. If we’re right, we’ll show you how we got there—and what we learned when we didn’t.
Three we had to fix
These are the three mistakes that shaped how we work now. Each one was real, each one was fixed, and each one taught us something we still use today.
Three mistakes that changed everything
- 1The wrong fat ratio
The first hundred recipes used lard-to-oil ratios we’d read in old cookbooks, not tested in our own kitchen. The crust would either turn greasy or flake apart. It took six months of scrapped batches before we realised the numbers were wrong. Wesley Kirchner ran the tests himself—frying, tasting, adjusting—until the crunch matched the flavor. The old posts were updated within a week.
- 2The missing brine step
For two years, we published fried chicken recipes without a brine step, assuming salt alone would do the job. Readers complained the skin stayed pale and the meat dried out. A tester in Texas sent us a photo of their soggy, flavorless result. Wesley Kirchner rewrote every recipe with a proper brine, then added a note about why it matters. The corrections went live the same day.
- 3The untested cocktail pairings
The first batch of cocktail recipes—spicy margaritas, honeyed bourbon sours—were written from memory, not tasted. A reader in Portland emailed to say the spice levels were off, and the honey cut the bourbon’s bite. Wesley Kirchner re-tested every drink with a bar owner friend, then replaced the old recipes with new ones. The old ones stayed up for three days before being taken down.
What those three changed
These mistakes forced us to build rules, not just recipes. Now every dish gets tested twice—once by us, once by someone else—and every number gets double-checked before it goes live.
Rules that came from mistakes
- Every recipe must be tested in a real kitchen, not just written down. (From *The wrong fat ratio*)
- If a step feels optional, it’s probably wrong. (From *The missing brine step*)
- No recipe goes live until it’s tasted by at least two people. (From *The untested cocktail pairings*)
The people behind this
Wesley Kirchner is the founder and editor of Goldchickenrecipes. You’ve just met them through the mistakes they fixed—because that’s the only honest way to introduce someone who runs a site about getting things right.
Keeping a log like this isn’t easy. It means admitting when you were wrong, even when it’s uncomfortable. It means looking back at the things you published with pride, then asking: *Did this really work?* Wesley Kirchner does it anyway, because the alternative—pretending everything is perfect—is worse than the truth.
There’s a small mistake Wesley Kirchner won’t admit to here. The first time they tried deep-frying chicken at home, they used the wrong pan size. The oil spilled over the stove, singed the cabinets, and took three hours to clean up.
They still laugh about it—though they’ve never told anyone else.
If you find something we got wrong, don’t just point it out. Try it yourself, then tell us what didn’t work. The contact page is where to start.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. If you spot a mistake—an ingredient that doesn’t work, a step that doesn’t make sense, a recipe that doesn’t taste right—let us know. We’ll fix it, we’ll update the page, and we’ll add it to the log.
That’s how this site stays true to what it’s supposed to do.
The recipes are grouped by category: Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Main Courses and Salads.