"I changed the recipe and followed it exactly."
this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2025
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I Didn’t Have Eggs
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People making changes to recipes and then complaining it didn’t turn out.
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I replaced oil with applesauce…
…I don't know what went wrong as I followed the recipe exactly.
Oh god. Please tell me that the word ”exactly” is not going to have the same fate as the word “literally”:
I don't believe people are using it figuratively. In my experience they're lying to themselves about having followed instructions in order to shift blame away from themselves.
bingo.
i got rear ended at a stop light once and the other driver got in my face and was like 'why where you stopped in the middle fo the road like that, you are dangerous and stupid'. i dunno, because it was STOP SIGN.
then tried to argue with me to not call my insurance, even though my car was fucked and undrivable. turns out they had multiple accidents and they were gonna get fucked for getting into yet another one. i just stonewalled them and they went back to their car and then theri friend came over and tried to intimidate me.
then the cops showed up and their tune changed real quick.
most people can't admit fault, so they warp reality so the blame is always someone else's, and even go so far as to harass intimdate others into their false reality.
Governments also intimidate people into false realities
I think it's more that they view it as a drop in replacement. The way you might sub margarine for butter. Or sucralose for sugar. So they say "I followed it exactly" meaning the measurements were right. I don't think they're lying to themselves.
Though the irony is not lost on me. It is very funny to see someone say "I changed something and followed the recipe exactly."
To be fair, I don’t believe people are using literally figuratively either. I believe it’s simply ignorance on their part (whether willful or otherwise), which happens. And I’m okay with that for the most part. What bothers me is that the dictionary codified it as if it should be an acceptable use.
A dictonary should include all common uses of words. Some people might be confused when someone uses literally figuratively and look it up in the dictionary. If hhe informal use was not there, thay would still be as confused. The dictinary is just a service, not the truth.
My brother gave our mom a recipe and she said that she followed it exactly and it turned out horrible. My brother questioned her and bit by bit, it turns out that she literally modified every single step, from the cooking method to the ingredient (singular) used. Some people just isn't aware what they've done.
Exactly has literally exactly the same fate as literally.
I do this all the time, but at least I admit my fault when it fails terribly.
BTW you can replace the eggs with apple sauce, but definitely not the oil
You can replace eggs with apple sauce for their moisture, but not for their protein, ie ability to bind stuff together. You'd have to use something like ground flax seed mixed with warm water for that, or even soy cream.
Similarly, apple sauce can provide some of the sticky wetness that oil usually provides, but not its, well, oiliness.
Before making a replacement, you have to understand what purpose the ingredient serves in the recipe, and then find something else that can fulfil that purpose. Or, like you said, just try it out and admit it's you fault when it fails. I do it all the time too! And then you can learn from it.
aquafaba, you can swap out eggs for cooked chicpea juice. it whips, it has protien, it has moisture.
Applesauce does better for sugar replacements while adding a little fiber, but you need to adjust moisture to make it work.
I've found flax egg to impart less of its own flavour, so it's my go to for sweet stuff, but I like to make aquafaba mayo
I'll have to give it a shot, how is it for whipping like cream?
Brownies don't need protein or binding like a cake needs.
Brownies are kind of special though. They need to crisp on the top (and sides depending on who you walk to) fast enough not to dry out the internal moisture. The eggs/oil are there for surface frying.
You could make more adjustments to make applesauce work, cook at a higher temperature, convection/airfry, but you're going to be battling a thicker tough layer on the exterior.
Yep, that's one example!
You can at least replace oil with applesauce in banana bread. The result of using each is quite different, but both are fine for different goals.
I don't know if there will be an era to look back on this one and some historians will entertain calling it Idiocene.
Unfortunately, I did not turn out well.
Same
Brownies and cakes have fairly different consistencies
Some people like their brownies more cakey. I don’t get it personally, I like mine more chewy.
This is my favourite brownie receta
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-ever-chocolate-brownies-recipe
My hack is not to use an electric mixer and just mix the mixture until my wrist hurts/I can't be arsed
They come out really gooey
I’ll try this one next time. Thanks for the suggestion!
if youre out of oil, reduce the egg use and use mayo
Mayo is just oil, eggs and a little lemonjuice. you can use it in anything that has those items in the same overall ratio :)
Or use butter.
Adds a little tang in my experience, but technically works. I'm curious what happens if I sub in bacon fat, since I usually have that leftover that just goes to waste usually.
It adds salt and tastes very good in a way I can't describe. It works surprisingly well for sweets and even makes a good frosting.
tang of course is due to the vinegar that's in the mayo, but it sure the hell beats using apple sauce
As an oil sub, for sure. As an egg sub, kinda. And ultimately applesauce only works well for moisture but it isn't a binding agent.
There are some ok vegan substitutes I've had to use when my roomie couldn't have eggs in the house (Indian religious thing), applesauce was terrible but tofu and starchy stuff worked ok. Hell, even bananas although it's very obvious flavor wise, like banana bread.
Can't really replicate eggs perfectly, though. They're magic.
Sounds like an Ordinary Sausage video