How to write a recipe

Whether you want to write a cookbook or share a favorite recipe with a good friend, these hints will help. I compiled them for a panel discussion at this year's St. Louis Food Media Forum. 

A good recipe paints a picture. It tells the cook what ingredients to use, how to prepare them and when to add them, and it gives visual clues as to when the dish is done.

Here are some guidelines to use when you write a recipe:

• List ingredients in the order that they are used. Make sure that all ingredients used are listed, and, conversely, that all listed ingredients are used.

• Don't abbreviate. You’d be surprised how many people aren’t sure if tsp. is a teaspoon or a tablespoon.

• Use exact amounts (1 ½ tablespoons, not a heaping teaspoon).

• Be precise, and pay attention to wording. “1 cup heavy cream, whipped,” means you measure the cream, then whip it. “1 cup whipped cream” is just that – cream that has been whipped before being measured. The difference is significant.

• Call for the measurements that home cooks commonly use (1/4 cup water, not 2 ounces; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, not 1/8 cup).

• Be as specific as possible. (Canned pineapple packed in juice -- or light syrup, or heavy syrup -- not just canned pineapple.) If an ingredient needs to be at room temperature or drained, say so.

• Be specific about package sizes, and be sure that the sizes and products called for are still available. (Package sizes change frequently).

• In the directions, be concise but use full sentences. Be specific about pan sizes, cooking temperature and any other essential details.

• Don’t assume that readers understand cooking terms such as “cream” or “dredge.” Instead, define them: “beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy” or “coat fish lightly with flour.”

• When appropriate, give a range of cooking times and provide a way to determine when the food is done. (Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden brown.)

• Provide the number of servings that the recipe yields.

• If you adapted the recipe from another source, give credit.

When listing ingredients, three reference guides are especially helpful: 

“The AP Stylebook” has a section for food writers. AP is the default style for most publications.

“The New Food Lover’s Companion,” by Sharon Tyler Herbst (Barron’s, $14.95), is a comprehensive A-to-Z look at culinary terms. The appendix includes everything from a listing of trade groups to pan capacities to a pasta glossary.

The Association of Food Journalists has compiled a guide called “FoodSpell.” In addition to defining a host of terms, the 40-page guide notes AP style on words that can be spelled more than one way (use ketchup, not catsup) and lists common brand names, such as A.1. (with two periods).

Copyright 2013 by Judith Evans. All rights reserved.

Writing a family cookbook? Here's help

This is a great time of year to start compiling a family cookbook. You can talk about the project over Thanksgiving and work with your family to refine your ideas over the remaining winter holidays. Establish a deadline for everyone to submit recipes, give yourself ample time for editing and production, and you can have books in hand by Thanksgiving 2013.

You'll need to decide who will contribute, how many recipes you want to publish, whether you want a headnote (a descriptive sentence or paragraph) before each recipe and whether to include art -- either family photos or pictures of the food. (If you decide on food photos, check back soon. I'll talk about food styling in another post.)

Pass out a recipe style sheet to the contributors and ask them to follow it exactly. That will make your task as the compiler/editor much easier.

I suggest using this format, which will result in a recipe that's easy to edit and easy to follow in the kitchen:

1. NAME OF RECIPE

2. Name of the contributor or the person who created the recipe

3. Yield (number of servings)

4. List of ingredients, each on a separate line, in the order they are used. Ask people to be as specific as possible, especially when calling for ingredients that have several common variations (all-purpose flour, bread flour, whole-wheat flour, for example).

5. Directions, including oven temperature; pan sizes; cooking times; and how to tell when the food is done. Again, the recipes should be as specific as possible.

To avoid mistakes, keep the original recipes and compare them with the finished recipes when you give the pages a final look. And don't hesitate to ask for help -- everyone needs an editor, or at least a proofreader.

Many companies work frequently or exclusively with self-published cookbooks, and websites offer software for e-books. For a good sampling, Google "self-published cookbook" and "publish family cookbook." In addition, ask around -- chances are that your place of worship, club or child's school has put out a cookbook recently. Ask the editor if she was pleased with the company that printed it or wishes she had gone a different way.

Compiling a family cookbook will take a ton of work and unswerving attention to detail. When you're done however, you'll have produced a family treasure.