Making a note of your recipes is a great idea for multiple reasons, but
doing it the right way is important. Your recipe should be accurate,
complete and easily reproducible. It may seem easy to write a good
recipe, but it isn't so always. It takes practice and adherence to a
few rules.

If your recipe is well written it will lead to more views, likes &
shares which in turn will get you increased appreciation & recognition.

This article will be talking about how to write the near perfect recipe
[nothing is 100% perfect in this world :)] on the Cookpad platform or
in fact any other web platform, with examples and illustrations. If you
look up the dictionary for the definition of 'recipe' , this is what
you get:

Recipe (n): a set of instructions for preparing a particular dish,
including a list of the ingredients required.

A recipe has 3 parts: Title, Ingredients & Steps. We'll take you through
some basic guidelines for writing all the parts with ease.

1 . Title :

The title of the recipe plays a very important role. You should keep
certain points in mind while naming your recipe.

Do's

  • The title should clearly state what the recipe is about.
  • It should be short and precise.
  • If possible, it should include a keyword. For e.g. Beetroot chutney.
  • Make sure that the grammar and spellings are correct.

Here are some of the examples of well titled recipes:

Dont's

  • Do not include unnecessary punctuations ("......" , "!!!!" , "-",
    "/") in the title.
  • Do not use emojis.
  • Do not use hashtags because it dilutes the meaning of the recipe
    itself. For e.g. Don't add contest & theme keywords (#bandhan,
    #festive etc.) in the title. Instead add them to the
    story/description.

2. Ingredients:

The 'ingredient' section is the most crucial and important part of
the recipe. It is essential to list the ingredients with full accuracy
and completeness.

Do's

  • Include the ingredients in order of their usage while preparing.
  • Mention the exact quantities (though it is ok to use terms like "to
    taste" or "as required" for ingredients like salt, pepper,
    water etc.)
  • Use standard measurement units (tablespoon, gm, cup etc.)
  • Focus on correct spellings.

Here are some of the examples of recipes with a proper ingredient
listing.

Dont's

  • Do not skip any ingredient
  • Do not use approximate measurements (few, handful etc.)

3. Steps or Method:

A well explained method is always easy to follow.

Do's

  • The steps should be clear, precise and to the point.
  • Always separate out important procedures/steps in separate lines
  • Recipes with 'step' images are preferred.
  • Use correct and appropriate punctuation.
  • Use a grammar check and/or spell check to avoid mistakes.

Here are some examples of recipes with complete steps.

Dont's

  • Do not use short forms or acronyms. Some users will not understand
    the exact meaning.
  • Do not write your recipe directions in one long step (paragraph).
  • Do not use mix languages in your sentences(use either english
    or hindi).

In addition to the above points you should always include a clear and
attractive picture of the prepared dish as a cover images. Avoid
creating a collage and large watermarks on cover images.

Also include finer details like preparation time, serving size, course,
cuisine etc. Adding these details will complete your recipe and make it
easy to follow.

Writing a recipe is not a rocket science, but bad writing, average
pictures and presentation can ruin the overall value of your content, so
try and make your recipes complete before you finally publish it.

In case you have any queries you can write to us on
info-in@cookpad.com. Till then keep cooking & keep sharing recipes.
Enjoy Cookpad!

Happy Cooking!!

Cheers :)