Am I Obligated To Give Out My Recipe?

Question

Am I obligated to give out my pumpkin pie recipe to my son's friends parents? My spouse and I get along with them very well. They enjoyed the homemade pumpkin pie that I made because it's delicious and not 2 sweet.
The mother asked me for the recipe because her son ate a whole slice because normally he doesn't eat pie.
Is it considered rude if I don't give out my personal recipe? I don't want to give it out and then regret it later because friends come and go.

What is a polite way to say that I can't give it out?

I also feel bad because the mother doesn't cook and the family often eats out to eat or order take out.

My recipe is not on allrecipes

I will say that I will make it for them anytime :-)

Answer 1

Oh no, don't feel obligated!! It may come off as a bit rude at first, but it's YOUR recipe! I wouldn't want to share mine either! You could always say it's a secret FAMILY recipe that has been around for a while, and it's tradition to not give it out! =)

Answer 2

Stretch the story a little. Let them know you have won a couple of competitions with the recipe and you keep it closely guarded for future competitions. But, you'd be more than happy to bake another pie just for them any time they ask. Don't feel bad about not wanting to give out your recipe. It's yours to do with what you want.

I have written 2 cook books and have started a third. I do not put any secret recipe I do not want to share in my books because I do use those recipes in competition. There's nothing wrong with that if someone wants to try to make me feel guilty by not giving them my secret recipe they have a problem, I don't. My standard answer is " If I tell you I have to burn you in my BBQ and I don't want to do that to a good friend or loved family member." I usually get a chuckle and "o ok..."

Answer 3

This is a tough one that I struggle with a lot. I get asked for recipes all the time, but I don't always give them out because I want to be the only one who knows how to make that particular item. Yeah, it may be selfish, but I am just being honest here.
I usually just tell them that I would rather not give it out or that I got it from someone who made me promise not to give it out (which is true - a lot of ones my mom gives me she doesn't want to get out, but she wants me to know how to make them when she is gone...)
Another thing I have done is give them the *original* recipe when I have actually made alterations to it to suit my taste. That way, even if they make it, it won't be the same.
Also, I have told them that there isn't exactly a recipe because I just kind of whipped it up as I went along and I really have no idea what I actually put in there -- that is usually true also because I do tend to do a lot of throwing in whatever I feel like at the time.
The bottom line though, is that you are not obligated to give anyone your recipe. Have you ever seen a law that said "thou shalt pass out thy recipes"? Just find a nice way to tell them that you would rather not let that one out.
"Sorry, it's my specialty" works sometimes too.

On the other hand, if you gave it to them, what are the chances they could make it exactly the same? I have thought that sometimes, because some people may try to make something, but they don't really have the skill. So yours may still be better. I have one recipe that my aunt gave me that she made me make it right there in front of her without her telling me what to do. She just wanted to see what would happen. Well, it turned out exactly like hers. She had given that same recipe to 6 people at work and not a single one of them had been able to make it work.

Just depends on your skill I guess. So there is a thought. Maybe you should give it out cuz they couldn't do it anyway???

IDK. Good luck.

Answer 4

Touchy situation. I would give her the recipe with a couple of changes. I make pumpkin pie all the time and just a smidgen more or less of something doesn't alter it too much. Then you can still have your recipe be yours and not feel bad.Good Luck!!!

Answer 5

U are not obligated to give out your recipe. It is not rude. I give mine freely because they are from cook books or relatives. The choice is yours. Just do not do mean stuff like my mother-in-law. She gave recipes but either left out a key ingredient or gave wrong measurements. Fortunately that was the only bad habit she had.

Answer 6

I don't understand why it matters if you give them the recipe and then you aren't very good friends later. What's the harm in their having the recipe? If someone is asking for your recipe, that's a huge compliment. I'm sure that others have shared recipes with you in the past.

If it truly bothers you greatly, then you can just say something tongue-in-cheek like, "It's a secret family recipe which I can't possibly divulge."

Answer 7

make your pie first. talk to them about your preference of not wanting the recipe out there. give them pie instead.
win - win situation
I am glad you added the You would make it for them anytime. I would do the same thing. But I would still make them the pie first to break the bad news that the recipe won't be coming their way. It also shows you have no problem making it for them.

Answer 8

J --- just copy the recipe off a can of pumpkin and give it to her. She will never know the difference. If she doesn't cook much.
jim b

Answer 9

Not obligated at all. My mom threatens to kill me if I give out family recipes, so my response when people ask is "my mom won't let me. She says if everybody made it like this, it wouldn't be special." There is some truth to that. Don't make it a big deal, just say that you'd be glad to make them one sometime, but you keep that recipe for special occasions.

Answer 10

I don't think you are obligated, but is your recipe copyrighted? Even if you gave it out, another person can't possibly make a pie exactly like you, because there are certain nuances you can't possibly put in a recipe book.