| Will Write For Food | Pithy snippets about food writing |
While the public seems obsessed with cooking right now, their understanding of the craft has not improved. Here’s an example from cookbook author David Leite: He told me a reader questioned his use of the term “separate the eggs.” She asked if he meant to move the eggs further apart.
Editors say people know less about cooking than ever before, so recipe writers have to explain more or use terms that everyone understands, (more…)
Knopf Senior Editor Judith Jones in her well-appointed kitchen. She's still cooking.
Last week I was on a phone call with book editor Judith Jones about recipes. Her comments reminded me of an essay of hers I use as a handout, some of which is quoted below.
Here are the top three things she can’t stand to see in recipes:
1. In a bowl, combine… No one talks like that, so why write like that? She doesn’t like (more…)
Just read 5 Second Rule’s excellent post about whether recipes are boring, and it generated some thoughts about recipe length. (Isn’t it fantastic when an blog post idea arrives on a platter? Thank you, Cheryl.)
Now, some writers like to go long. They like to hold the reader’s hand and explain. Sometimes I’m surprised about how much handholding, though.
I edited a recipe recently that said: “If necessary, (more…)
