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How to Write — and Read — Recipes Better
It’s a two-way street toward clarity and comprehension
Seems straightforward, this randomly chosen ingredient line. Yet the way it’s written bugs me like no-see-ums at dusk:
“1 medium white onion, finely chopped (about 2 ounces)”
It represents issues rife in the Covid-concentrated era of online recipes. More substantive points about the shortcomings of food media have been raised of late. But here is something we can immediately change for the better.
Let’s start with a two-part premise: A recipe writer wants to impart the methods that lead to successful re-creation. A reader can choose to follow that lead to the letter or regard it as a jumping-off point. When it’s a #RecipeFail — a hashtag so broadly applied — the solutions lie in less ambiguity from the writer and greater comprehension by the reader. The combined result could even net fewer cranky online comments.
Writers of recipes for American audiences long ago kept things brief, assuming basic knowledge and standard, limited equipment. Minimalists decry the verbiage of current recipes even though generations of technology, “non-cooking,” and inclusiveness demand it. When the comments bemoan such exposition, though, I revisit Rozanne Gold’s smart, minimalist recipes of the 1990s and wonder whether the naysayers have a point. Each dish costs 140 words or less.
“I look back and think, ‘I made assumptions, too,’ ” said the accomplished chef, author, food activist, and podcast host. “And I can tell you that three-ingredient recipes are not forgiving at all,” which is another way of saying she relied on the best-quality foodstuffs and tested till the recipes were rock-solid. Gold then considered factors that affect a home cook’s effort: the size and shape of a pan; the taste and heft of today’s chicken breasts versus those of a decade ago. As a result, she found a way to make her recipes more specific while staying true to her brand. (For her Sweet Tomato-Watermelon Soup, instead of just “add salt to taste,” the directions continue with “the amount will depend completely on the flavor and ripeness of the fruit.”)
A universal standard for recipe language seems impractical. The general reading public, however, has come…
