How To Write A Recipe

31 Saturday Jul 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Recipe Writing, Things To Do, Thought For The Day

Sounds like a simple statement , “How To Write A Recipe”, but when you get into the fine points, it is not all that easy. There are suggested rules to follow. The recipe must be precise and concise. This information was gathered from Cookwork – you do have to join the group, but it is free. I use a program called the Living Cookbook from Radium Technologies, which not only puts the recipe in the correct format – you have to follow the rules listed below – but also keeps all your recipes in a printable or web based file. It’s a good little program and I have had no problems with it. But here are some suggestions from the professionals at Cookwork.

1. Measure ingredients accurately — intuitive but many people don’t. This includes things like calling for chicken with skin or without skin, bone in or boneless — accuracy helps a recipe work and helps if nutrition is to be calculated.

2. Think about how ingredients will be measured. 1 cup walnuts, chopped is different than 1 cup of chopped walnuts since whole walnuts take up more room in the measuring cup.

3. List ingredients in your recipe in the order they will be added.

4. When multiple ingredients are added at once, list the largest amount followed by smaller amount. If all have the same amount, list them alphabetically.

5. If you have to preheat an oven, list that step first in your method. If you have to boil water, that too needs to be listed early.

6. Starting each step in the method with an action verb (stir, mix, toss) makes it easier for the reader to know what to do.

7. Once the recipe is written, read through the steps to make sure that all your ingredients are used and that you haven’t missed any.

8. Be sure to list the size pots and pans you really need — half sheet pan, 4” hotel pan, 8-inch cake pan, 10-inch spring-form pan. This is especially important for baking recipes.

9. If there are tips for success, include them as notes. For example: When baking the soufflé, be sure to only use a non-convection oven. Convection ovens will make the soufflé rise very high and then fall very low.

10. Remember your audience. If you’re writing recipes for non-professional cooks, then they may not have access to all the ingredients or tools that you do. Chicken stock from a can doesn’t have the same flavor as the stock made in many restaurants.