The Art of Recipe Writing IFBC

The Art of Recipe Writing

Agenda
Recipe development basics
Developing a voice/recipe style
Best practices
Recipe elements
Going pro

Recipe development basics
Who is the intended audience for my recipe?
Cooking enthusiast, home cook, parents, kids
Why am I sharing this recipe?
Communicate the value—it’s easy, seasonal, healthy, celebratory
How am I sharing this recipe?
Consistency, clarity
What is my style and voice?

Style
What is the style of your blog or publication?
What is the style of your food?
How much content or detail will you explain?
What links or cross references can you provide?

Voice
Encouraging, reassuring
Enthusiastic, passionate
Authoritative, expert
Efficient, direct, short
Friendly, chatty, longer (more narrative?)

Best practices
Attribute and credit sources
Give more than one “indicator”
Sauté onions for 10 minutes, or until golden brown
Give more than one measurement
Four scallions, chopped, about ¼ cup
Use a digital scale to measure ingredients

Recipe elements
Title
Straightforward, tempting, descriptive, whimsical, fun
Headnotes
Tempt your reader, sensual, helpful info, cultural or historical info, a personal story

Recipe elements
Ingredient list
Easy to shop from, ingredients in order used, easy to cook from, accurate, subrecipes
Directions
Numbered steps, bullets, paragraphs, well-tested, easy to follow

Recipe elements
Yields
Variations
Nutritional information
Tips
Shopping resources
Links
Additional resources, other similar recipes, videos and slide shows

Resources
Recipe Writer’s Handbook
Will Write for Food
The Food Substitutions Bible
Food Lovers Companion
Food magazines + online
Epicurious, Delish, MyRecipes
For inspiration, UK & Australian food mags
Delicious, Olive, BBC Food, Donna Hay

Going pro
Developing recipes beyond your blog
Corporate clients
Editorial clients

Finding clients
Maintain an online portfolio of recipes
blog, website, have a business card, re-write your bio
Join professional organizations
IACP, local professional groups, online communities
Network!
create an elevator pitch, go to events, attend conferences

Pricing
DO NOT GIVE RECIPES AWAY FOR FREE!
Set a minimum fee
Determine & charge the “going rate” in your field or region
Negotiate
Most clients will have at least 10-20% more than what they will initially offer you
Charge for expenses
A flat fee is better than being reimbursed for expenses

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The Art of Recipe Writing IFBC

by bdorfman on Aug 31, 2010

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