I think recipe writing is one of the easiest forms of writing. There are
no prerequisites to a wide vocabulary, no unnecessary elaborations are
required, you can be precise and yet be great.
A touch of perfection to your existing style of writing can take you a
long way. I will take you through some very easy to implement tips which
will make your recipes look perfect and thus provide a better
readability.
Skipping Ingredient Quantities:
Mentioning the measurements of each ingredient is as important as
mentioning the ingredient names. Recreating a recipe without knowing the
quantities is next to impossible.
The only people who can use such recipe will be the ones who already
have an idea about that specific dish. If you wish to reach out to a
wider audience, aim for adding complete details to your recipes.
Still it is ok to use terms like "to taste" or "as required" for
seasonings and similar ingredients. But do not leave the quantity
section blank, the readers should know where you are expecting them to
use their judgement.
**Silly Spelling mistakes **:
It is always a good practice to proof read your recipes once or twice
before publishing . Wrong spellings makes the recipes appear not so
attractive and the reader might loose interest. It might also lead to
lesser number of followers.
Using spellcheck is the best option. For non english words you can
google for the spelling which are used widely for that word. For
example : Illaichi = elaichi, rayta = raita etc.
Using the correct spellings is important since when users search for
recipes on cookpad your recipes might not show up in the search if the
keyword they are looking for is misspelled or written differently
by you
Using Chat Language:
You can not imagine how badly it ruins all your efforts of uploading a
recipe if you do not use proper language. Using short words and skipping
the vowels are NOT recommended at all. Readers do expect proper use
of language.
Never use chat language for writing your recipe. It is ok to use that
lingo for whatsapp, messengers etc. But is it strictly not allowed for
recipe writing as it looks very unprofessional.
I hope you understand how this text takes away the entire pleasure
of reading.
You are playing a writer while posting a recipe and there are certain
rules to being a writer.
Please do understand and make sure you use proper language.
Do not mention the ingredient quantities in Steps:
If you follow the easiest and most standard method to write a recipe, it
is divided into 3 parts Title, Ingredients & Steps. The ingredient
section should have ingredient name and the required quantity, the
quantity part should not be repeated in the steps section as it hinders
readability and affects the flow. There is a possibility that ingredient
quantity listed in the steps is different from the one listed in the
ingredient section.
Do not add additional steps to incorporate Images:
Having step images for your recipes is always great. But always make
sure that the break up of the steps numbering is proper.
Steps should always end with one part of the process completed. Or in
other words it should never end at a comma spot, at least finish your
step with a full stop. Having more number of steps makes the recipe look
longer and hence more complicated.
These points are very easy to accommodate and can add great value to
your recipes in terms of better readability, getting more traffic and
getting more followers.
If you have any doubts or suggestions on recipe images you can write to
us at info-in@cookpad.com.
Till then keep sharing recipes, keep cooking. Enjoy Cookpad!!