Thoughts from the Kitchen - An Introduction

An Introduction to Opinions and Reviews

I'm about to introduce a new section for this blog. There are sometimes things I'd like to share with readers that just don't fit into the cooking or baking sections, and they're usually related to things in the kitchen, like some of the products I use (or have used), whether those products are purchased (mixes, flour, pastas, etc.) for use in recipes, or whether it's a utensil, tool, or small kitchen appliances for use in cooking or baking.

I also have a few tales that could probably fit into the "Family Tales" section, but because they relate to cooking or baking (and might helpful to mom's everywhere) it seems more appropriate to include them in the kitchen section.



I admit to spending a lot of time debating over whether or not to include food and product reviews (a couple of years in fact). To the point where I actually selected several blog names, started a new blog with nothing more than the name ... and then never posted a single thing to those blogs. In the end, after having tried to consolidate my other personal blogs in this one effort, I decided to include some product thoughts. It's very hard not to provide opinions on things you use in the recipes you present to your readers.

I've been told by several different people that posting a "bad" review of a product (any type) or business can cause grief for even the average blogger. With the plethora of companies and business out there (both small and large) suing people over bad reviews, that is something that looms rather large in my mind as I contemplated this. Not only have people been sued, but many have filed copyright claims against them (DMCA notices), where the issue patently is NOT about copyright, but about a bad review.

But in the end, a person or individual (whether homemaker or business owner) has the right to decide whether or not they actually like a product, or whether that product suits their particular needs. And they have the right to speak freely about their own experiences in an honest manner.

My own intentions aren't to run about dissing products for the heck of it, and any information I give is only going to be my own personal opinion, to which I'm entirely entitled, whether or not the company that produces the product likes my opinion.

Business has to realize somewhere along the line that they simply can't silence individuals for speaking their mind about products that either don't work (ie: don't do what they say they will do) or that a person just doesn't like.

What you need to keep in mind while writing about these things is the validity of your own opinions. Opinions aren't the same as product reviews that someone is paid for. I buy whatever I use - nobody is asking for my opinion, I'm simply sharing my thoughts on things I've tried and liked, or tried and didn't like ... and maybe just didn't like for personal reasons.

What you can't do is make defamatory statements that might not be true ... such as "this product never works for anyone" ... maybe it doesn't work for you, and that's okay but unless you know 100% of the people who bought and used this product and it didn't work for any one of them, you'll want to be careful what you say about it.

So basically, this section will provide information on the food products and utensils and appliances (mostly ones I like, but maybe a few I don't), and why I do or don't like them. The reader can decide whether it's worth their time to try the products themselves.

Watch for some of our new posts in the opinions section titled "Thoughts from the Kitchen" - the link to this section is the top left of the sidebar. And feel free to chime in with your own experiences and opinions (on any of the products) in the comments section!

author: J.Gracey Stinson

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