Tips on How to Write and Input a Recipe
General
Submit your favorite recipes and enhance your visibility on Foodom and follow these guidelines:
- Tasty and simple everyday meals
- Simple ingredients that can be found in local stores
- Quick Preparation – 10 mins – 45 mins, split the total time into prep time, marinade/chill time, hands-on cook time and hands-off cook time as needed
- Default 10 servings – Scale the recipe to 10 servings Recipes for various preferences, cuisines, diets, main dishes, sides, soups, desserts
- Pictures – please ensure that the picture you upload is your own and that you hold the rights to it. This helps maintain copyright compliance and avoids any potential legal issues.
Ingredients Tips
- Recipes should be written for 10 servings, unless it’s family-style recipes and limited by the size of the wok, baking pan, etc. In a family-style case, update the max # of servings and choose family-style category.
- Ingredients should be listed according to use, as described in the instructions, in a similar order.
- Use generic names instead of brand names. If there is a strong preference for one brand over another, then list in the notes and/or let the customer choose. For example: Nestle chocolate chips should be listed as chocolate chips and Nestle in the notes if there is a preference.
- List ingredients in singular form even though more than one is called for. Example: 2 apple instead of 2 apples. This simplifies calculations when changing servings.
- Spell out teaspoon, tablespoon, ounce, pound etc.
- If a recipe has multiple elements such as a sauce or dressing, break up the ingredients with headings. For a dessert it may be “Filling” and/or “Crust”.
- For canned items list the total ounces. For example: 28 ounce canned black beans, instead of (2) 14 ounce canned black beans.
- If a recipe calls for spiralized vegetables, do not list “zoodles” or “voodles” in the ingredient list. List the amount of vegetables needed and the instructions for spiralizing. Don’t forget to add the amount of time this takes to the recipe.
- Recipes calling for cooked rice – please include instructions for cooking the rice and add the time of cooking. In the ingredients use raw rice and the needed amount of water for that quantity.
- Separate out ingredients according to use. For example, do not list “2 tablespoons olive oil, divided”, instead list according to use, so that when the amount of servings change, so will the ingredient amounts. Note that in the instructions if you write “add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan” this amount will not change. It can only change in the ingredient list as the servings change.
- List the size and cut of the vegetable(s) in the notes. For example: 1 onion, large, diced”. This makes it easier when prepping, say if multiple recipes call for diced onions, you can cut all the onions for all the recipes at once. Feel free to add additional descriptors such as “finely” diced, or “small” dice.
- Add amounts for salt and pepper. Do not simply state “salt and pepper to taste.” Be conservative in the amounts and feel free to add in the notes section “or to taste.” Use a separate line for each.
- If the preparation of an ingredient is simple, add it to the ingredient list in the notes. This makes it easier than searching in the instructions. Examples: 1 egg, beaten OR 1 stick butter, softened OR 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
- Ground pepper will refer to black pepper, unless otherwise stated in the notes.
- Call out the color of a bell pepper – green, red or orange.
- Onion will refer to yellow onion, unless otherwise stated such as white or red.
Instruction Tips
- Indicate the size of bowls and cookware. For example, “In a large mixing bowl….”
- Complete sentences are not necessary, just try to be as short and concise as possible.
- With instructions for the stove-top, indicate level of heat. For example, “Simmer over low heat.”
- State exact or approximate cooking times, with descriptive words for doneness. For example, “Fry 3 minutes on each side,” or “Bake 18-22 minutes, or until crust is deep golden brown.” or call out the temperature when the dish is ready.
And finally make sure to test your recipes for taste and accuracy. Measure serving size by weight and include in the recipe. Don’t assume all cooks will know all cooking terms, so for those terms that may be questionable, be sure to provide step by step instructions.
