I write recipes, among other things, for a living. It may seem easy, but it isn't always. It takes practice and adherence to a few rules.
Knowing how to write a recipe is something even an amateur cook can benefit from knowing. Especially when it comes to entering our contests... (hint hint).
There are two main parts of a recipe, the Ingredient List and the Preparation Method. I'll take you through some basic guidelines for writing both parts.
This is our own style guide and loose list of rules. Of course, there are endless exceptions and little side-rules. There are also styles that certain publications use that you may be used to and that may be different from what we present here. If you have a question that isn't addressed in the below guidelines, please ask in the comments.
Before the ingredients, comes the title, number of servings and serving size if appropriate. Then the ingredient list and the preparation method. If the recipes is adapted from another recipe, a credit is due ("Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies") below the text of the method.
The Ingredient List
- List all ingredients in order of use, as described in step-by-step instructions.
- List the most important ingredients first, if it can be consistent with order of use.
- Spell out everything: tablespoons, ounces, etc.
- If the recipe has different elements (a pie, for example has a crust, a filling), break up the ingredient list with headings such as "Crust" and "Filling."
- When several ingredients are used at the same time (in the case of baking, often all the dry ingredients are sifted or mixed together at once), list them in descending order according to volume. If there is an issue over preparation, list in order, so for example if you need the zest and juice of a lemon, list the zest first and then the juice since that is the order you will do the preparation.
- Do not use two numerals together. You need to set off the second number in parenthesis. This comes up with sizes of packages. For example, "1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese."
- If an ingredient begins with a letter instead of a number, freshly ground black pepper, for example, capitalize the first letter, as in "Freshly ground black pepper."
- If the preparation of an ingredient is simple, place that technique in the ingredient list, as in "2 eggs, beaten" or "1 stick butter, softened."
- If an ingredient is used more than once in a recipe, list the total amount at the place in the ingredient list where it is first used, then add "divided." In the method part of the recipe, indicated the amount used at each step. For example "1 cup all-purpose flour, divided" then in the method "Sift 3/4 cup of the flour with the..." and later "Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of flour on top of..."
- Use generic names of ingredients (semi-sweet chocolate chips, not "Tollhouse chips"
The Preparation Method- Where helpful, indicate the size of bowls and cookware. For example, "In a large mixing bowl...."
- You do not have to write complete sentences. Be as short and concise as possible.
- With instructions for the stove-top, indicate level of heat. For example, "Simmer over low heat."
- State exact or approximate cooking times, with descriptive hints for doneness, if appropriate. For example, "Sear 1 minute on each side," and "Bake 18-22 minutes, or until crust is light golden brown."
- As in the ingredient list, if there are different elements to the recipe, as with the crust and filling of a pie, separate out each element in the method. Begin with the crust and write a header "For the Crust" and give the method. Then do "For the Filling" and give filling instructions.
- Separate each step into a different paragraph. If you are mixing dry ingredients in a bowl, for example, use one paragraph for all the instructions for that step.
- Finish with serving instructions including how to plate, what temperature to serve, how to garnish.
- The last instruction should be regarding storage, if applicable. For a cookie recipe, for example, "Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days."
A Final Note
You must test your recipes to make sure they work, the amounts and serving sizes are correct, and that they taste as great as you intend. If you are "testing as you go" make sure to take perfect notes. For beginners, and most of us pros, repeat testing and revision are needed. It helps to have other people follow your recipes to see if they actually make sense.
Related: The Best Lick! Ice Cream Contest: 2008 Edition
This is such a great, informative article. Thanks for the tips!
view dishingupdelights's profile
Thanks for the tips! I try to post recipes to my flickr posts but the main problem is I never measure anything when I cook. Its usually a glug of this or two glugs of that, several glugs of red for me, a few more for good measure, etc...
view Plaid Ninja's profile
Use generic names of ingredients (semi-sweet chocolate chips, not "Tollhouse chips"
No no no!
If you know the correct generic term for the ingredient, use it. If you're dealing with something more complex, like high percentage chocolates or small producer cocoas, give the exact product name. Hershey's Cocoa Powder is made with 1% or less fat content as a target... because the fat is cocoa butter, and they *need* the cocoa butter for chocolate production. Many small producer cocoas have 10% or more fat content. That's a large enough difference in fat content to cause problems in some recipes. You can have similar issues with chocolate bars, since a high percentage of cocoa solids means there's less cocoa butter in the chocolate.
(no, this isn't a huge issue most of the time, but it can matter quite a lot in baking. if you're not sure, it never hurts to use a generic *and* discuss the specific product you prefer... that way the reader has a better idea of what to substitute.)
view Torrilin's profile
Torrilin,
It is true that some brands of, say, cocoa powder are different from others. In cases like this, the style I adhere to is to specify style (Dutch Process vs. Alkalized for example), or make a suggestion: "high-quality Dutch Process cocoa powder, like Valrhona." With chocolate, you can specifying percentage cocoa solids without specifying brands.
When developing recipes for a product, of course, the product is always named. It is also almost always listed first, regardless of where in the method it falls.
view Sara Kate's profile
Slightly tangential: I'm a big fan of how Michael at cookingforengineers.com posts his recipes. In addition to a detailed recipe with photographs, there's a great little table thing at the bottom of each page that makes it really easy to get an overview of the whole recipe. As an example, a pretty tasty clam chowder recipe. For recipes I've made before, the table by itself is recipe enough to remind me of what I'm doing.
view somethingelse's profile
very useful tips! I'll have to try and incorporate them, even though my recipes are usually a handfull of this and a pinch of that :)
My sister had an internship at Cuisine at Home magazine in Des Moines, and they had special templates for their recipes, but sadly they were confidential (or something like that)
view orchidgirl1979's profile
I've mostly learned how to write recipes by reading them from Cook's Illustrated, which I find a good model.
I recently bought "The Road to Blue Ribbon Baking with Marjorie" by the blue-ribbon winningest woman in Minnesota. She is terrible at writing recipes, though the results are good since I'm not a novice. She doesn't put preheating oven temperatures at the beginning, or proper place for things made in advance. (It's a BAKING book!) She writes rambling intros to the recipes. I wasn't so aware of why bad recipe writing is a problem till I used her book.
Interestingly, two of my favorite cookbook and recipe writers are also Cook's alums: Mark Bittman and Pam Anderson.
And a teasing bit, if you didn't do it on purpose: "Be as short and concise as possible." = Be concise.
view Girl Detective's profile
You do not have to write complete sentences. Be as short and concise as possible.
Uh, no.
Conciseness is one thing, but that bizarre, article-free language that passes for English in some recipes gives the impression that the writer is a near-illiterate; and since the intentionally featureless prose is also an excellent foil for plagerism, the reader is justified is suspecting that the writer not only can't write, but may not even know how to cook.
You'll notice that Elizabeth David, Julia Child, Nigella Lawson, Richard Olney, et al.--pretty much anyone else who's writing for a readership who actually know their way around a kitchen--make some attempt to make their recipes readable.
view MollyNYC's profile
This post is also good advice for writing lab protocols. I might have to give it to some of the incoming students we are training right now.
For lab protocols, the generic name is generally a bad idea. We buy lots of different kinds of a single reagent for multiple purposes. Some are more pure than others. In the kitchen, I think generic is good for most purposes, otherwise I'd like to see the reasoning behind the specificity.
I'm also a big fan of people who list alternate ingredients if you don't have access to something fairly esoteric.
view sciencegeek's profile
Somethingelse- I love the way he writes recipes too! Maybe its b/c Im a scientist... meh. I always write them like that if they are for me only. If they are for other people then I make it more readable.
view Tara blogs about everything's profile
In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
Dating Advice
view tommy7's profile
very useful tips! I'll have to try and incorporate them, even though my recipes are usually a handfull of this and a pinch of that :)
My sister had an internship at Cuisine at Home magazine in Des Moines, and they had special templates for their recipes, but sadly they were confidential (or something like that)
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view jeff888's profile