Whether it's custard that won't set [1] or brittle fleur de sel caramels [2], we've all had failed cooking attempts. But when disaster strikes while closely following a recipe, it poses the question: Whose recipes can be trusted? And whose cannot? Most religious recipe followers seem to have culinary experts they've come to trust. For example, I find it hard to pick on anything by famed perfectionist [3] Thomas Keller. Same with any cookbook that's been tested over and over again [4], like those from the late Sheila Lukins. And I've never been able to find fault in a recipe from Tyler Florence [5] or Ina Garten [6]. Whose recipes have you counted on time and time again?