Many consumers used others' recipes when preparing food. Some used recipes from books, but most used the Internet to find recipes. When asked what sites they used to find recipes, the majority of consumers said that they didn't use any particular site, like C5 who said “I don't have one that actually stands out.” C11 said that he used to belong to recipe sites, but that he stopped visiting the sites because his friends weren't there. Most usually simply searched on Google to do a “quick web search.” (C8) for recipes. C2 said that while she usually randomly searched online, she was “trying to be more discerning” about which online recipes she used.

Some consumers mentioned enjoying using recipes from CSA boxes, or finding recipes off of farm websites. C5 said that he'd “seen places where [farms] provide recipes for stuff that they grow and that definitely seems more trustworthy than epicurious.” He also felt that “it would be more compelling” to try a recipe from someone who had sold him his food. Other said that they would enjoy recipes that used seasonal food, like C11: “what I would want is more recipes that I know that I really like that are based on the seasons.”