Headnotes are practically a requisite for a recipe published these days. Open a cookbook or visit a blog, and you can't miss it: a paragraph or two of friendly introduction leading into the recipe. But do these headnotes really add anything to the recipe? Do we need them?
I'll confess. I often skip over the headnotes. Even when I'm reading a cookbook for pleasure instead of in a need to get dinner on the table, I'm usually more interested in the recipe itself than, say, the writer's trip to Spain. I still like to hear about the trip, mind you. I just prefer to read it as a longer story in the book's introduction rather than little blurbs before recipes.
There are exceptions, of course. Some cookbook authors are particularly adept at writing engaging headnotes. They pull you in with descriptions of the food, ideas for serving it, and stories that explain unfamiliar ingredients. These headnotes enhance the recipe and give it context. (By the by, the headnote pictured above comes from Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It by Karen Solomon, which had some of the best headnotes I've read in a long time!)
Dianne Jacob, author of Will Write for Food, had an interesting post about this very subject a while back. There were lots of opinions on what makes a good headnote:
• What Makes a Recipe Headnote So Good You Want to Rush Into the Kitchen? from Will Write for Food
Do you always read the recipe headnotes? Do you think we need them?
Related: How to Write a Recipe Like a Professional
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I use them sometimes when I'm looking at a new recipe that's going to be using an unfamiliar ingredient or technique. But other than that I admit that I skip them.
I'm usually all about simplicity and I agree that I don't care about the trip to France that inspired the recipe. I do, however, appreciate when they indicate what to serve a recipe with--rice or bread? is there another dish that traditionally is served with this dish?--especially when I'm cooking cuisine from a different culture.
I find them helpful if they truly introduce the recipe--like if they offer a good summary of the cooking process, or suggestions for multitasking, especially for a long or complex recipe (i.e. "do X while Y is simmering.") If it's an ethnic recipe, something about the culture is nice, or if the recipe has some historical significance. I find I am rarely interested in the inspiration unless it's a really good story.
I love them ^_^ Usually a good read with a bit of history
Done well*, they are one of the reasons I still buy cookbooks rather just find a recipe online. It's also why, presumably, there are thousands of cooking blogs - folks like to read about the dish/its inspiration/creation/how-it-went/etc. Otherwise, Allrecipes would dominate the world. :)
(*it must add to the understanding or creation of the dish).
I appreciate them when they are short and to the point, and set a nice tone for the recipe, but I'm not a fan of what seems to be a blogger trend of telling your (unrelated) life story interspersed with a recipe.
As a rule, I enjoy reading them. However, I usually just read them once on my first perusal through the cookbook.
I enjoy them -- and it's easy enough to skip them. As jg09 said, it's one of the reasons why I still prefer cookbooks. I hate when recipes fail to make suggestions for other things to serve with.
Maybe it's from reading so many blogs (which are usually extended headnotes), but I would probably not buy a recipe book without headnotes. I want some info on the background/inspiration of the recipe, possible variations, what's particularly good about it, etc. etc. When I'm flipping through a cookbook, I really want some extra info to help me decide what to make.
I love them. No different than reading the head note on the recipe here on TheKitchn. Sometimes its the headnote that makes me prepare a particular dish.
i always read them at least once, and almost always love them
A great headnote should provide you info about the dish that cannot be ascertained from the recipe. I like headnotes that let me know what the final product should look, feel, and taste like. A short story is fine, but keep it brief and relevant.
They're probably just there so that the author can claim copyright :)
I like to skim them. For a recipe that's unfamiliar to me it can provide just that extra bit of motivation to make it. Some are far too elaborate or try to hard to make the recipe and the author sound fancy, but done well they can be amusing and helpful.
Do you guys see the irony in this? These headnotes are full of irrelevant anecdotes... now go back and read some of the comments on this very blog and see how many of those are about how someone's grandma used to make this thing as a kid, or how someone saw this in a cookbook in Greece but couldn't read and understand what it was, or etc..
Oh yes, I expect the headnote to capture my imagination and charm me into the kitchen. Helpful tips are appreciated, but I like a story!
I love them, and the little connection it gives you with the author. It makes me feel as if I've been invited into their kitchen, to talk about food and the circumstances around food, and gives some background on either the recipe, the ingredients, the author, or something else entirely! I especially think Molly Weizenberg does a good job combining storytelling with recipes, I love to read what she has to say about a recipe.
I'll read them when they're useful, like America's Test Kitchen Best 30-Minute Recipes headnotes, which explain the process, what they tried, what worked and didn't work and what shortcuts they used.
My goodness - I think that's the best part of the cookbook. Please don't get rid off the headnotes/text; I think you learn a lot about the dish from them.
Um, I think I would toss a cookbook out the window if it had no headnotes. I don't want just a list of ingredients and a recipe! I want to know what the write thinks, what he/she has to say about the particular recipe, is there a memory or a story involved with it? Not only do I think they are welcomed and necessary, I think they are ESSENTIAL (which I guess is the same as necessary :).
I hate headnotes, but a recipe can't be copyrighted. Headnotes can. Thus they exist. Sometimes to the point of nausea.
I think they add so much personality and make it that much more enjoyable to curl up on the couch with a cookbook, especially when accompanied by beautiful photographs.
I love them. My favorite cookbook, Everybody Eats Well in Belgium is my favorite because of all the history and anecdotes. A simple listing of ingredients and directions is just boring.
I agree with ATN654!
"A great headnote should provide you info about the dish that cannot be ascertained from the recipe. I like headnotes that let me know what the final product should look, feel, and taste like. A short story is fine, but keep it brief and relevant."
i almost always skip them; i might look at them if the recipe seems hard or i really want to get to know something new. i generally take all recipes to look at quantity, time and temperature and then play with the spices myself
I love good headnotes. Ditto this:
"Done well*, they are one of the reasons I still buy cookbooks rather just find a recipe online. It's also why, presumably, there are thousands of cooking blogs - folks like to read about the dish/its inspiration/creation/how-it-went/etc. Otherwise, Allrecipes would dominate the world. :)"
to me this is a very important part of a recipe.
Usually when I am looking at recipes its because I want to try something new, or reproduce something I had. In both cases the headnote usually gives me clues if its the right recipe for me.
For example if I wanted to make an apple pie its helpful to hear in the headnote if this is a very traditional "just like grandma use to make" recipe or some hipster foodie blogger concoction "updated" apple pie.
Like everybody, I like relevant headnotes. I don't care about the author's personal life, but I love knowing where the inspiration for a recipe came from.
For instance: "I cooked this on my third cousin's birthday and everybody loved it": who cares ?
"The idea came on my third cousin's birthday, from seeing avocados associated with pineapple, then I dreamt of mayonnaise and bamboos and there I had it": you're weird but all right.
Wine associations and side dishes suggestions are appreciated, but I know my wine cellar (one of the great perks of living in France is that it goes back to 1975) and tend to choose my wine after I cook a meal for the first time. Call me old fashioned, I hate wine suggestions and do my choices alone. But they are helpful.
I hate them. Lately it seems to be the fad to write a LOT before the recipe is posted. I usually clip recipes into Evernote, and I always edit that out. I like quick and easy recipe writing so I can see at a glance if I'm going to make whatever the recipe's for.
Whether I like to read the headnotes depends on how I feel about the author -- but then, when the author annoys me, I tend to also dislike the recipes. For instance, I have one vegetarian cookbook (a holdover from a time when I wasn't so knowledgeable/picky about cookbooks) whose author sticks a lot of irrelevant, opinionated commentary about her own life on top of a boring recipe for, say, grilled portobellos. I can't stand reading her headnotes, and every recipe I've tried from that book turns out just as boring as her droning intros.
On the other hand, I love reading Julia Child's observations about this or that dish or ingredient, which are usually clever as well as informative. I love reading Sherry Yard's stories about encounters with the famous people for whom she has created some outlandishly wonderful concoction. Maybe it's not the case in all circumstances, but I think the personality of the chef/author comes out in the food just as much as in the stories.
If the note is going to explain to me (like Cooks Illustrated) why I should follow their technique and use their specific ingredients, tools, or pans, I think it's very useful.
I would tend to make the recipe more like what is written than say "oh, I don't have X in the house", and substitute and maybe it will work. Or think I should do a step differently because I know better than the author.
The other use for me helps me understand the type of dish (traditional Italian like mama used to make; attempt at making low-fat cake, etc.) that I like. Or notes like "If you prefer cake-like brownies, use a 9x13, and 8x8 for fudge-like".
But then again, I'm looking more for recipes that work, or techniques to help me out in cookbooks I get (and have no more room for on shelves), not so much history/stories, unless they support the recipe.
Headnotes make or break the cookbook! Especially if it's cooking recipes (and not baking), if there aren't compelling headnotes, I'm liable not to buy the cookbook. I can make up my own creative recipes, or look them up online if I just wanted lists of ingredients and bulleted instructions. Plus, the best recipes have stories behind them, especially old recipes.
Headnotes are also fantastically great places to explain some stuff about the recipe that doesn't easily go into the instructions or give some hints about execution. Instead of constantly putting bracketed asides into the instructions (like I generally do).
Good headnotes are a must. Online, I skip a lot of recipes that don't have headnotes. I want to know that the banana bread recipe I'm scoping is something you get requests for and that your favourite way of eating it is toasted with butter. I want to know about how your Oma gave you this recipe when you were going through a rough patch and were seeking out budget friendly foods and how it's now one of your go to easy, fast, cheap and delicious meals. I want to know how the first time you made this ferment, you threw the jar out because you were too scared to try your experiment...
A list of ingredients is something any schmuck can do. Food is culture and culture is about story.
It depends. I like to read about daily life, cultural notes if it's a cooking book about a certain culture, cuisine. It makes the experience richer and helps imagination and mood.
I tend to be get bored if it's a general cooking book.
My main reference cookbook doesn't have them, and I came to think it's a trend thing. I agree with those who pointed out headnotes like Julia Child's (informative, relevant to the recipe's ingredients or techniques), but the one in the recipe pictured shouldn't go at the head of the recipe but rather the end. It does have the content and feeling of a comment, don't you think?
So... placement indicates content: headnotes, sidenotes, footnotes. They are different in placement and different in what they say. That's something the cookbook publishing industry doesn't always seem to have clearly understood.
Never read them. At most, a notes blurb about options and substitutions is all I read besides the ingredients list, and the directions. I still love to "read" through cookbooks, but all I really do is look at pictures, and read ingredients lists.
I always read them, and they are a significant source of the pleasure of reading a cookbook to me.
A recipe is a recipe is a recipe.
The headnotes give it meaning. I can get a risotto recipe anywhere.
If there is a fun/sentimental story attached to it, then the odds of me making it increase.
I love them. I'd rather have great headnotes than pictures in a cookbook if I had to choose.