These days half of what I cook is online, 3 forks and up only please.

Since most of my recipes come from the internet, I have come to depend on the reviews quite heavily. Otherwise, from cookbooks, it all depends on if the recipe sounds like it makes sense. And even then, half the time I will still look up a recipe to compare it to online. I can't even imagine how people cooked pre-web!

It depends, I think. For cooking (as opposed to baking), I pretty much go with what sounds tasty, but I prefer recipes that have other people's comments attached so I have an idea what I may need to tweak and whether its worth the effort.

For baking, I am very picky about the author - it's too complicated to trust to just anyone. I am usually very happy with results from America's Test Kitchen, Epicurious, and the NYTimes. I have had a lot les success with Martha Stewart Recipes, despite her popularity. And I honestly have almost no luck with (other) online blogs - if I find something worth trying, I usually go in search of a more trusted source for a similar recipe before digging out my kitchenaid.

I also rely heavily on online reviews -- it has gotten to the point where I'm extremely hesitant to make anything that has received anything under 4.5 stars or 3.5 spoons! This really makes me feel hesitant about investing in a cookbook, since I cannot see any peer reviews or hints/tips/tweaks.

Trusting the source is key on the internets. I've found that if the recipe was written by Joe Schmoe on Allrecipes or Recipezaar, it probably tastes like it was written by Joe Schmoe. Of course there are gems to be found, but it's definitely buyer (or cooker) beware.

Instead, I rely on either trusted food businesses -- like the Food Network, Cook's Illustrated, or even my trusty Joy of Cooking -- or blogs whose recipes and writers have earned by trust -- such as Simply Recipes or Smitten Kitchen. A well-maintained blog is a great find because if you have a question, chances are good someone else had the same question and its already been addressed in the comments.

What an interesting post. I’ve never necessarily thought about my process of sizing up a recipe, but I must certainly have one since 1) I don’t make everything I run across and 2) I have far fewer recipe failures than I used to, which means I’m a better cook and I’m selecting better dishes.

I guess I look to see if the flavors are appealing or intriguing to my palate, what the return on my time/resources/monetary investment will be, whether frying is involved (I’m terrified of massive amounts of bubbling oil) and how long the ingredient list is. That last one sounds lazy, and I know I’m missing out on some good Thai dishes, etc., but my eyes just glaze over when I see 20 items on the ingredient list, I can’t help it.

I usually decide first if it has ingredients that I know I like (this goes even for usually trusted sources, such as Cook's Illustrated or Martha). And, like Squirrely, it can't have too many ingredients. And if it includes ingredients I know nothing about, I usually skip it, unless whoever's writing the recipe has a good explanation.

The best kind of recipe is one that's really similar to one I've made successfully before, with one or two significant alterations.

I look at a breakdown of the basic ingredients and also to see if I 'get it' in terms of a concept. I'll try any recipe that has hope and try to see what aspects are part of the core dish and what are interchangeable (that is, switching out spices to push it more towards one type of cuisine or another but not losing the essence of the dish itself). I never, ever serve a dish to guests that I haven't tried on my own. I also rarely ever really change a recipe, but the above is just a conscious effort when trying something new.

The stars in epicurious mean something. And like your original post, the source is very important (for me, most things Betty Crocker just don't work well, but David Lebovitz and the Amateur Gourmet make me want to skip work to cook all day).

I agree with others that so much of it is feel. Does it feel right?

I've never made a recipe that gave me a bad gut reaction (pun intended?).

Along these lines though before we had the internet there were newspapers with recipes in them. My aunt and I made recipe books for my generation out of my grandmother's recipes and mostly it was things cut out of newspapers. And some papers and columns were much more clipped than others. I think people do tend very much to lean toward reliable sources. (And then there are the recipes that just say stuff like "Mix in the usual way." for a 20 item baked good!)

A trusted source is important, but one thing that I always consider is the indredient list.

I live in a smallish town and some ingredients are not readily available. Other times, an extensive list of ingredients that I don't otherwise use will stop me from making an otherwise interesting recipe. My food budget is rather limited and recipes that call for a lengthy list of fresh ingredients that will soon spoil but only uses a small portion of each will stop me every time.

First I have to be hooked by a delicious idea. But I always rely on how simple and straightforward the recipe and instructions are. Some recipe instructions are so pretentious and complicated that I just don't even try.

I'm super picky about recipes these days. I just don't have the time anymore to want anything to turn out less than desirable. On the weekends, I'll play around a little more though. Besides my own recipes, I almost solely cook from Cook's Illustrated, Splendid Table, Smitten Kitchen, and the recipes from you, the lovely Kitchn-ers! I should've said this ages ago---Thank you for all that you do!!!! All your effort and thought are so greatly appreciated by me and all the hungry mouths I feed!

I'm attracted to recipes first and foremost by whether there seem to be enough flavor components. I'm more likely to choose recipes with more ingredients and more steps, such as toasting nuts before using, or adding wine to sauteed onions, because I think the end result will be more flavorful.

As far as sources, I trust the New York Times and Epicurious (due to the very reliable ratings) the most. Cook's Illustrated is usually reliable, but it has fewer recipes that really knock my socks off, flavor-wise. I have also found some good recipes from the Food Network website, which also uses a rating system.

I ask myself "is the core of the recipe sane and reasonable." Does it follow the common procedure, for example have I made a pie crust like this before?

If the instructions are clear and I have what I need to produce it (or can secure it without much bother and expense) and it appeals, then the recipe will be made.

If online, I do read the comments about the modifications that people did and will include those the make sense or appeal to my tastebuds and budget.

If a baking recipe calls for butter OR margarine, I skip it. They are so different in baking, in my experience, that I wonder how good a recipe can be if it calls for one or the other.

Generally I pick recipies to try based on instinct, tempered by the ingredients, their amounts, the described steps, and my experiences cooking similar dishes.

I read it the recipe; if it looks good/interesting; I make it.

It's not that complicated. I'm not buying a house or selecting an investment, just making dinner. If it doesn't make it the keeper pile, that's not the end of the world. (And if I don't try new things how would I ever add to my keeper pile?)

Nothing from Martha Stewart, even though I love her. The recipes aren't reliable, even in her cookbooks.

Nothing that calls for canned cream of X soup or processed cheese.

Nothing that doesn't end up using all the ingredients in the directions or has ingredients in the directions that aren't listed.

Nothing from a blog that doesn't have a picture.

Epicurious ratings are usually right on. Food Network not so much for fancier things. Lots of points get marked off because things are "too hard" or "take too long."

Alton Brown and Mark Bittman are always good.

Hmm, interesting question.

As others have mentioned, there is the confidence factor - I have certain authors and blogs that I trust. Fine Cooking has rarely steered me wrong. I find Didi Emmons to be pretty consistent. Madhur Jaffrey I trust implicitly - so that I even tried the chicken recipe that calls for 8 ounces of cilantro. And it was wonderful!

Cost and availability of ingredients is a factor. I am unlikely to try a recipe that calls for a pound and a half of scallops, no matter how delicious it sounds.

I consider the contents of my fridge. The software I use for storing recipes lets me run queries, so I sometimes type in three or four ingredients that I want to use up, and see what surfaces! Kind of a game with me.

I am disinclined to try recipes that have strayed too too far from a classic dish.

I don't eat a lot of meat, so while I will make a stew-ish thing with meat and lots of other stuff, I won't even consider a big roasted something-or-other.

If the dish requires the use of more than three pots/mixing bowls/baking pans/casseroles/whatever, forget it. Simple is good.

And because I live alone, I also tend to try recipes that look like they will keep and/or re-heat well or have other left-over potential.

One last thing. I also look to some nutritional elements - fat content (no deep frying, no cup of butter) and carbs (so the meal does not send my blood sugar levels through the roof).

I often use food blogs and epicurious as an inspiration, but will go to certain tried and true sources for the recipe I'll ultimately use. If I see a French recipe that looks interesting, I'll try to find an equivalent in Julia Child, for instance. Probably because I've got two generations of Julia Child devotees above me in the family tree, so her approaches tend to make the most sense to me.

And, yeah, also the "forks" rating on epicurious, though I will usually skim at least a page of the reviews to see exactly what people thought. There are surprising number of bad ratings because something was either "bland" or "too spicy/garlicky/strong", which is a matter of taste and can be corrected easily.

I just look at the recipe. If it's a type of thing I've never made before (e.g. I made brisket for the first time last night), I'll compare it to others, but if it's something like cookies or cake that I make often, or something more easy to imagine coming off the page and onto a plate like a salad, I can usually tell what degree of easiness or yumminess to expect.
I put a lot of stock in Cooks Illustrated but that has mixed results. Online sources are good, but I definitely take reviews with a grain of salt. Blogs/bloggers vary a LOT, even the relatively successful ones. Dave Lebovitz and Ree Drummond have by far the most consistently delicious recipes, I find, but there's another wunderkind with a penchant for overdescribing whose recipes/pretty pictures I rarely give more than a glance because I've been burned too many times.

Sorry for all my food puns, they were unintentional and I don't feel like fixing them!

I try to size up the recipe writer's flavor profile by looking at several of their recipes. If six or so look like knock-outs then I'm more apt to try. Same goes for comments on food sites, some people hate salt, some will only eat sweet. I look at proportions and try and visualize with my mouth.

Yes, a trusted, reliable source is key to me as well. Like others here, NYT & Epicurious are tops as are certain names (for me, Ina Garten and Nigel Slater have been infallible).

I think a lot of it comes down to cooking style and personality though. Certain recipes can resonate with a mood but in general, just like music or clothing, certain recipes are just more my style. The kind of ingredients, the way they are put together, the steps involved, and the writing (whether clean and straight-forward or evocative) all has to come together in a way that engages me. For example, Mark Bittman has never worked for me but both Melissa Clark and Amanda Hesser always do.

Oh, and a little cross-referencing never hurts on certain new recipes, just to check if there are any major or obvious discrepancies, especially when it comes to techniques or ingredients that are extremely new to me.

I evaluate recipes based on a few criteria. First, there can not be too many complex steps and unusual ingredients, hello Martha Stewart, I've never made anything decent from her, the recipes always turn out dissastrous!
I've never made anything bad from Fine Cooking, even though the ingredient list can be long.

Second, I take a look at the ingedients and the amounts listed. Not too long ago I read a recipe from an online source and it called for 2 cups of oil, and no this item was not to be fried. So a little common sense takes you a long way.

Third, I try to find a few similar recipes and compare.

As for baking, if it is from a Susan Herrmann Loomis book, I know I can trust it (I don't even test it before bringing it someplace and I'm crazy about testing). The Silver Palate cookbook is also trustworthy.

I also rely on reviews on web-sites or experience with an author. However, if a combination of flavors sounds interesting or it's a method I haven't tried before, I'll usually go for it. We can always go out.

Like a couple of you, I don't so much care about the source.

I read through the recipe and put it together in my mind (not systematically, just instinctively) and see how it will turn out--how it looks on the plate, how the flavors will come together, if some flavor or texture seems to be missing, etc. It's not a science, but usually it's a pretty good guess.

I don't really "trust" anything, but I've got a bunch of boys in the house who will eat anything you put on a plate. I usually just end up trying the recipe.

I get most of my recipes from thekitchn, smitten kitchen and the small collection of cookbooks we keep around the house. My go-tos are The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything by Bittman.

Other than recipes passed on by friends, Ina Garten and Cook's Illustrated are the only sources I trust without hesitation; their recipes always work for me. Cook's can be overly complicated, so after a few rounds, I sometimes simplify.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who won't use Martha Stewart recipes; they are so often disastrous (and expensive!).

I definitely do pay attention to the source of the recipe, how it is written (clear instructions) and what ingredients are available and in season. I do check other recipes in the cross-check sort of way. I also read reviews. BUT... in books and online I also need a beautiful and appealing photo. Does anyone else? I find that a photo will make me more interested and excited to consider a recipe, and while I would never make a recipe based ONLY on the photo, a really good photo will help me make my decision.

I will at least try anything blogged about by Molly Weizenberg of Orangette. Even the stuff she's made that I read and go "really? 'cause that sounds kinda icky..." I'll try if I have the ingredients on hand. Her poached eggs with garlic yogurt sauce recieved a hearty "Um, EW." from my fiance when he first saw it, but he trusts Orangette too, and tried it, and now we have poached eggs once a week or so.

Otherwise, I try to make things I've heard good reviews of from my mom, or sister, or friends. I also read recipe reviews, even if the rating isn't that great; often times, as someone else mentioned, people rate things down for being time consuming.
If I'm making something entirely new, like a Chinese dish that I have little or no experience making, I look for multiple recipes and compare them, to see if there's anything really OFF about any of them.

A good photo gets me interested; solid directions make me actually try something.

Yeah, for me, it's basically the same exact way that you go about it.

If it's from a source that has worked for me before, then I'm more willing to try it. Also, if that source has a good reputation or good reviews (ie. like online with positive comments). Otherwise, it's really that I just size up based on experience to know if it'll likely work or not.

I think it is important to stay in the habit of trying new recipes and then thinking about where the recipes come from and who has a flavor profile that I generally adore.

I love Tyler Florence. Whether it is gratin potatoes or lemon blueberry cheesecake, his ultimate recipes are incredibly delicious.

I also really like everyday food (as opposed to Martha generally). I have had success with their basic recipes.

For baking, cook's illustrated is fantastic because they explain the science of everything.

The source of the recipe really matters to me, as do the reviews. That weighs heavily as to whether I will make something or not.