Cookpad is about sharing the fun of cooking.For it to be fun, we want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to benefit and join in. Every single recipe that you cook and share on Cookpad, helps others find a dish that they and their family could make and enjoy! So, making sure that your recipe is written in a way that’s clear and easy-to-follow, is really important.
But what does a clear and easy to follow recipe look like? Here's a step-by-step guide to success.
Important elements needed:
- Main image for the final dish
- An accurate, descriptive and enticing title
- Recipe story or description: what makes this recipe special? Why are you sharing it?
- Portions, how many people does this recipe feed
- Cooking time and preparation
- Complete list of ingredients with quantities
- Clear and understandable steps
- Step photos for extra clarity
Let’s start creating:
Step one: At the top of your recipe, be sure to add a main photo that shows the finished product. This is the photo that shows up on the feed and in the search results so adding this can do a lot to get your recipe spotted.
This will give cooks confidence in knowing what the final dish will look like, knowing they're on the right track as the recipe comes together.
Don’t worry too much about the “perfect” picture. We’re a community of home cooks and we love to see the real food that we’re eating.
Step two: In order for people to discover your recipe when searching, your title needs to be both relevant and free of spelling mistakes.
Step three: Every recipe has a story, and it will be great to hear yours. It can be as simple as telling people how you discovered the recipe, or you can tell the world what makes this recipe special to you.
Step four: People want to make sure that there is enough of your food for everyone, so it’s important that the serving quantity is filled in and roughly correct so that they can adjust the quantities accordingly.
Step five: Time is money and specifying how long it takes to cook your recipe can play an important role in helping people to decide if they can cook your recipe now, or if they will save it for later.
Step six: The key ingredient is the ingredients. The ingredients list are what people check to decide if this is the recipe for them or not based on what they have in the kitchen and their dietary requirements. Be sure to list everything you use in the ingredients list as well as the quantity, so that cooks can know how much to buy and how much to use to get the best results.
Step seven: The best part about sharing your recipes with the world is that you get to teach others how to cook your creations. While some of the most basic steps in your recipe might be obvious to you, you might need to take extra care when guiding others. Add complete and understandable steps to help people follow and cook your dish from start to finish.
Step eight: A photo can sometimes speak louder than words. While it’s still very important to write out your steps with plenty of details, adding a few photos along the way can really help others to fully understand what they need to do. A few videos here and there can also be a big help!
Just remember, there is no perfect recipe but every single creation that comes out of your kitchen can be an inspiration to others. As long as you are sharing that creation, and doing your best to make it easy for others to find, you’ll be helping others answer that daunting question of “What shall I cook tonight?”.