Editorial Guidelines

These are the rules we hold ourselves to. If a page on Diane's Kitchen breaks one, tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

The testing rule

We do not publish a recipe we have not cooked. Before a recipe goes up:

• It is researched against the best published versions and their reviews.
• It is cooked in our own US home kitchen, with a timer and a thermometer where they matter.
• It is adjusted until it works again, and the amounts, temperatures and times on the page are the ones that worked.
• Food photos are ours, or, until ours are ready, a credited licensed photo of the same dish labeled "Example photo", or an AI illustration labeled "AI illustration, not our dish". The recipe card photo is never AI. We never present someone else's photo, or an AI image, as our dish.
• A test record is saved with the date we cooked it. A recipe is blocked from publishing, pinning or emailing until that record exists. The date we tested it is printed on the recipe card.

If we change a recipe after publishing, we cook the change first and update the "last updated" date.

What "lower sugar" means

We cut added sugar and say how much we cut. "Lower in added sugar" is not "sugar-free", and we only use that word when a recipe truly has none. Fruit, milk and other natural sugars are still sugars, and we say so.

Nutrition numbers

If a recipe shows nutrition, it is an estimate from a nutrition calculator, shown per serving, and labeled as an estimate. Many recipes show none. They are not medical or nutrition advice.

Health topics

We make no health, weight-loss or blood-sugar claims. Teas, tonics and warm drinks are for comfort and taste, not treatment. We are not chefs, doctors or dietitians. If you have diabetes, are pregnant, take medication or have any condition that affects what you can eat, check with your doctor or dietitian first. We flag common allergens in the ingredient list but cannot know your allergies, so always read your own labels.

Food safety

We give safe internal temperatures and storage times from US government food-safety guidance (USDA and FDA), and we link the source when it matters. When in doubt, we say to throw it out.

Who writes and who reviews

Recipes are written and tested by Diane. Diane is an AI character who presents the recipes in our short videos. She does not write, cook or test anything, and she is always labeled as AI. See About.

AI and human review

AI tools may help with research and first drafts. A person cooks and checks every recipe, and nothing is published until it has been tested. See our AI policy.

Sources and links

We link to the source when we adapt an idea, name the original where it matters, and never copy another site's recipe text. Product recommendations come from what we have actually used in our kitchen. Affiliate commissions never change what we recommend. See our disclosure.

Corrections

If you find a mistake, email [email protected] with the recipe name and what happened. We re-cook the recipe if needed, fix the page and note the change with a new date. Safety errors are fixed first.

Updates

We review our most-read recipes at least once a year and update the date when we change anything that matters.