WHAT ARE YOU COOKING UP? - RECIPE WRITING

Petra Hadžidaova
Dec 17, 2024
4 min read

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INTRODUCTION

It is that time of the year. The weather has grown cold, and snow has fallen in many places over the world. Christmas tunes have overcome the radio playlists and Christmas movies TV programs.

It is time for storytelling, the time for gift wrapping and giving. But the season of celebrating would be nothing without some good homecooked meals.

The winter season is a season of comforting foods and the season of cooking and baking. Even people who usually do not cook or bake tend to pick up a spatula and whisk some cream.

While the majority cook and bake by memory recipes passed onto them orally, others choose to experiment by looking up new recipes they may find in a variety of cookbooks, blogs, and platforms.

I like to experiment at times too. But when I wish to cook the dish again I realize I had forgotten the exact amount of measurements and the method used. In those moments many a time I wished, I had written the recipe down.

But what exactly does a good recipe entail?

RECIPE WRITING

Recipes are the main source of inspiration for home cooks. In 2020 alone, there was a whopping 45% increase in “recipes and cooking” video views. And Samsung Food users agree that recipes are crucial. (How to write a recipe: The complete guide-Samsung Food, 2)

Modern-day living tends to be hectic and fast-paced. More than ever there is a need for quick and simple recipes.

As stated above, just in 2020 there was a 45% rise in recipe and cooking views. Most probably due to the coronavirus, but still people have grown accustomed to searching for cooking ideas on internet. As we do regarding all other ideas.

Considering how in most countries around the world eating outside is rather expensive, we can safely assume good recipes are highly sought after.

Though it may appear simple at first glance, even recipe writing has its secret ingredients you must follow—if you want your recipe to be well-written or even exceptional of course.

WHAT DOES A GOOD RECIPE NEED?

As with any other piece of writing, there are essential elements a good recipe needs. Beside those essential elements (3) adding some of your flare and flavor is a must.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

The first secret ingredient to great recipe writing is knowing your audience. Yes! Even in recipe writing you must know if you are writing to children learning to cook at school, adults in a cooking course, or professional cooks. The language you will use will be different.

PICK A GREAT TITLE

Picking a great title comes next. Choose descriptive words. Try to catch the attention of the audience with a bit of sensationalism and do not list every ingredient in the title.

ADD RECIPE DESCRIPTION

In short simple words, give some background to the recipe. Share something interesting, like a cooking tip, interesting fact, or story revolving around that specific recipe.

LIST THE PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME

Preparation and cooking time are an essential element of every recipe. They clue us in as to how much time preparing this dish will take. An invaluable piece of information to many, especially when short on time.

While total preparation time tells us how long the whole process will take active cooking time speaks of the time needed to prepare the recipe, without the for instance baking time.

Whether you include preparation and cooking times is up to you. If you do include them, make sure you have tested them yourself multiple times.

LIST YOUR SERVING SIZE AND NUMBER OF SERVINGS

After preparing the dish, choose the serving size and measure the amount of servings.

LIST INGREDIENTS

List ingredients in chronological order for easier and more organized use. Be specific in amounts and measurements. Opt for the full name of the measurements instead of their abbreviations.

List the state of the ingredients and the size of cans, packages, and complete names.

LIST UNIQUE UTENSILS

Mention any unique utensils that will be required in the cooking/baking process.

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Once we have listed the needed utensils, we can begin the process of describing the preparation and cooking steps. Steps should be listed in order, numbered, and kept short, and to the point.

BE SPECIFIC

We need to be specific regarding the size of the cookware and regarding doneness. People may not know what 'well done' might look like. They might not have the same-sized cookware or cups. That is why we need to be specific.

TEST THE RECIPE

The recipe should be tested before it sees daylight. Some say 2 times is enough, others suggest 4 times at least should be considered.

INCLUDE STORAGE SUGGESTIONS

Many times our eyes are too big and we are left with many leftovers. It is advisable to include instructions as to how to store them.

OFFER EXTRA INFORMATION

Share with the readers any additional information and tips that are related to this specific dish.

INCLUDE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

It is also advisable to add a nutritional analysis. That way people will know what they will be ingesting and their amounts.

QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY

Lastly, we are to add quality photography which should include the whole process. So photos of the preparation stage, the cooking stage, and the finished product. All needs to be well documented.

CONCLUSION

Recipe writing as any other style of writing has a certain set of rules and suggestions we should follow. Among them a descriptive, eye-catching title, recipe description, chronological ingredient list, method preparation, and additional information such as nutritional information and storage suggestions. We must be specific when listing ingredients, amounts, and measurements. That is key.

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