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Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers

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Recipe Writing

For Nik Sharma, Developing Recipes is All About Science

May 14, 2019 by diannejacob 2 Comments

Opening image for post on developing recipes.While a student at the University of Mumbai, studying biochemistry and microbiology, cookbook author and food writer Nik Sharma learned a process that he would eventually use for developing recipes. 

“We worked in a lab, doing medical research, ” he explains. “We were taught to make buffers or chemical solutions. The way it’s done is very similar to [Read more…] about For Nik Sharma, Developing Recipes is All About Science

Filed Under: Recipe Writing Tagged With: recipe development, recipe testing, Recipe Writing

Are You Guilty of Recipespeak? Why the Washington Post’s Recipe Editor Hates It

April 23, 2018 by diannejacob 36 Comments

Image for recipespeak postWhile reading a cookbook review for Food52’s Piglet cookbook tournament, I noticed that Bonnie S. Benwick, recipe editor for the Washington Post, mentioned the absence of recipespeak in one of the cookbooks.

“Recipespeak!” I exclaimed to myself. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I had to find out. [Read more…] about Are You Guilty of Recipespeak? Why the Washington Post’s Recipe Editor Hates It

Filed Under: Recipe Writing Tagged With: food writing, good recipe instructions, Recipe Writing

Let’s Take “Perfect” Out of Cooking

September 5, 2017 by diannejacob 37 Comments

Look at these two current covers from Saveur and Fine Cooking. Shame on them. The editors imply that only perfect food is worthwhile, and that anything else you make is — well, sub par.

And who makes food that is less than perfect? Me. Most of us. Like you, I [Read more…] about Let’s Take “Perfect” Out of Cooking

Filed Under: Recipe Writing, Writing Tagged With: Food blogging, food writing, Recipe Writing

Sharing Online Recipes Versus Cookbook Recipes

October 11, 2016 by diannejacob 7 Comments

pizza-shapira

Leah’s most popular photo on Instagram, with a short narrative recipe. She wouldn’t put this in a cookbook.

A guest post by Leah Schapira

A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of a shredded beef pizza on Instagram. Here’s the caption:

Loving tonight’s shortcut dinner (yes, it’s as good as it looks!). Breadsmith’s Pizza Dough + pizza sauce (tomato paste, water, seasoning) + @jacksgourmet shredded beef on top. Place on a baking paper and bake directly on oven rack. Bake at 500F for 8-9 minutes. Drizzle with spicy mayo and Caesar dressing. #recipes #meatpizza #summercooking

It was probably  my most popular [Read more…] about Sharing Online Recipes Versus Cookbook Recipes

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Social Media Tagged With: cookbook writing, Food blogging, food writing, Recipe Writing, recipes on social media

When a Reader Found a Cookbook Error

August 23, 2016 by diannejacob 50 Comments

mac-cheese-pizza-recipe

Ever tried a mac and cheese pizza? It’s fantastic! If you have the correct recipe. Ouch. (Photo by Jeff Kauck)

An email arrived about an error. It was the kind all cookbook authors all dread. Someone was making the Mac and Cheese Pizza recipe in the cookbook I co-wrote, The United States of Pizza. But something was wrong.

Here’s the recipe error the writer pointed out:

“The ingredient list calls for  [Read more…] about When a Reader Found a Cookbook Error

Filed Under: Recipe Writing Tagged With: proofreading cookbooks, Recipe Writing, writing cookbooks

10 Pet Peeves of a Cookbook Copy Editor

May 10, 2016 by diannejacob 51 Comments

Crazed-Cookbook-Editor

No, this isn’t Suzanne. But she’s probably pulling her hair right now, if she’s copy editing a cookbook.

A guest post by Suzanne Fass

Cookbook writers may hate me at first if they think that—once they’ve turned in their manuscript to a publisher—they’re done. I make them do more work. I want every cookbook to be the best it can be, the most useful for anyone cooking—and learning—from it.

As a copy editor, I try to save writers from embarrassment. I correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I fact-check. I query missing ingredients, missing steps, cross-references to recipes, and anything else that looks weird to me.

So if you’d like to see fewer copy editor corrections and queries in your manuscript, consider these ten points: [Read more…] about 10 Pet Peeves of a Cookbook Copy Editor

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Recipe Writing, Writing Tagged With: cookbook editing, cookbook writing, copy editing, Recipe Writing

A Revolutionary Way to Handle Subrecipes

April 5, 2016 by diannejacob 16 Comments

Buffalo chicken pizza_0

How many subrecipes does it take to make this Buffalo Chicken Pizza from The United States of Pizza? Two. You have to make the dough and the sauce, and then put it all together. (Photo by Jeff Kauck.)

When I read this line, I felt a shudder of recognition: “How many times have I begun working through a recipe only to realize halfway through that I needed to have started yesterday? F*ck2 that!”

You’re probably nodding. This writer hates not being warned about steps to take in advance. He probably also dislikes [Read more…] about A Revolutionary Way to Handle Subrecipes

Filed Under: Recipe Writing Tagged With: Food blogging, food writing, Recipe Writing

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Most Popular Posts

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