How to Develop Recipes – Part 3: Writing the Final Recipe and Blog Post
In the last part of this series on how to develop recipes, I’ll talk about the final stage – writing your final recipe. I’ll focus on how to write a good food blog post and what goes into a recipe, as well as things to keep in mind when photographing your final recipe.
Now that you’ve come up with a recipe idea (if you haven’t read this) and you’ve tested your recipe (here), it’s time to focus on the final product. For me, that’s normally the recipe itself and the blog post that goes with it.
In this post I’m not going to focus too much on how to write a good blog post, instead I’m going to focus on how to write a good FOOD blog post. It’s important to remember that your post should help your readers learn about the dish you’re making. You want to give them the tools to make your recipe perfectly the first time! In order to do that, it’s critical to start by thinking about how to write a recipe.
Step 1: How to write a recipe
The first step in this process is to actually write out your final recipe properly. You want to do this before you cook it for the final time and photograph it so that you can make sure all of your instructions make sense when you’re doing your final run through.
Things to keep in mind for the ingredient section:
- List your ingredients in the order you use them
- Provide (if possible) measurements in both volume and weight
- Give detail about the type of ingredient. Should the butter be salted or unsalted? What type of sugar is needed? etc.
Include an equipment section:
You don’t need to list every piece of equipment but make sure to list the important ones and the ones that might be a bit more specialty. That could include a food processor, a blender, or even the type of cake pan you need.
How to write recipe instructions:
Include more details than you think are necessary.
- How long should you mix something for?
- Do you need to sift the flour?
- What should the consistency of the batter be like?
And of course don’t forget the small steps like preheating the oven! This is where it’s helpful to have notes to refer to so that you get all the details.
Personally, I like to have fewer steps with more text in each step, but that’s very much a personal preference. That being said, you want to try to stay consistent. Ideally, you shouldn’t have 1 step that takes 2 minutes, but the next step takes 20 minutes.
Time estimates and serving sizes:
In general, it’s better to overestimate the time it will take people to make your recipe. People will be happy to realize they’ve cooked your dish faster than expected, but they’d be annoyed if it took them twice as long.
Serving sizes can be difficult to estimate, but it’s helpful to include a number if possible. For cupcakes, you could just list the number of cupcakes. For pasta 100 g of pasta serves one person so a recipe with 400 g of pasta is 4 servings. In the end, base it on what you know of the recipe and make an educated estimate!
Step 2 – The final run through
Now that you have your recipe written up it’s time to cook your dish one last time and photograph it. At this point, you want to make sure your instructions match what you’re actually doing. To that end, make sure to read what you’ve written as you work.
Before you actually start cooking, take some time to decide what photos you want to take.
Is there a particularly tricky step that’s easier to show in visual form? If so, make sure you capture those pictures as you’re cooking!
For my recipes, I try to photograph any assembly stages that might be tricky to picture, such as how to fill a tart. Similarly, I like to photograph the shaping process for sourdough as that can often be hard to describe.
Outside of pictures that are helpful, think of what might look visually interesting. Your readers probably know what pouring milk over chocolate looks like, but that action shot can still be fun!
Once you’ve decided on your photographs, then it’s time to start cooking!
If all goes well you should find that your instructions accurately describe the process, and you have the images you need to write a food blog post.
Step 3 – Writing the final post for your food blog
Obviously, if you aren’t a blogger, then ignore this step. But if you are, then here are a few tips! Or if you’d like to become a food blogger, then keep reading for some tips!
Include information about the dish.
Write about its origins, what you’ve adapted about it, and why it’s interesting. This should come from the research you did earlier on in the process!
This is also a great place to include references to your inspiration! If you based your recipe for eggplant carbonara off of a traditional carbonara recipe you found in a cook book or online, then it’s good to include a reference to that recipe!
Tell your readers why you like this particular version.
What have you added that’s made this version special? Why should people make your version? It’s great to explain your process so that you can point out why what you’ve made is great!
Tell them what they’ll need for the recipe and an overview of the process
This is where you can include your photos to give both a visual and written overview of the recipe! Make sure to include information about the ingredients you’ll need and any special equipment. If your recipe uses a special ingredient, it is helpful to explain what it is and where to buy it.
Include a FAQ section
I don’t always do this, but if there are questions I know are common, I include the answers in my posts. For example, if I write a sourdough recipe, chances are there will be questions about how to make a starter. Common questions like that are important to answer in your post.
You can also include references to other resources in this section if that’s helpful!
Include your new recipe!
I use a recipe plug in to include my recipe at the bottom of the post. Recipe plug-ins are great because they keep your recipes organized and allow your readers to print them off!
In the end, this process is flexible and what works for me might not work for you. But, hopefully this helps if you’re trying to start a food blog or learn how to develop recipes!
Don’t forget to include keywords and links
Make sure you’re including keywords in your blog post that will help your readers find your new recipe! It’s also worth linking out to useful resources, related blog posts from other bloggers or products needed for your recipe.
If you are linking to other products, such as the bundt pan you used for the cake recipe you’re sharing, you can always include affiliate links. These are links where you’ll earn a small commission if someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase.
I use Share-a-Sale* for affiliate links, which works pretty well. Amazon also has an affiliate program if that works better for you.
Some more great posts about recipe development
There are tons of great food blogs and posts out there, so take a look around and hopefully something will help! These are some of the posts I turn to when I need a little extra inspiration!
- Molly Yeh’s post (mentioned above). She talks about the behind the scenes of a blog post, and it’s a really great read!
- Tips for food bloggers from Cookie and Kate – not just about developing recipes but more general advice for food bloggers!
- Food 52 article by Ella Quittner – Ella is a professional recipe developer and gives some really great advice on the topic!
- This article from Escoffier (the culinary school!) on recipe development is also really helpful if you’re in a bit of a creative rut.
How to start a food blog (if you’ve been inspired to try it!)
It’s honestly much easier than you’d think to start a food blog! I launched mine with Bluehost* which is cheap and super easy to use.
From there you can choose a theme (I use Kale which is free) and start getting your new blog set up.
I haven’t written any “starting your food blog guides” so instead I’m going to share some of my favorites!
- How to Start a Food Blog from Cookie and Kate
- Pinch of Yum’s Article
- A Pinch of Parsley’s Article
Read the rest of the posts in this series on how to develop recipes!
- Part 1: Coming up with recipe ideas
- Part 2: Writing and testing recipes
- Part 3: Writing the final recipe and blog post
If you still have questions on how to develop recipes, or you have any suggestions, then please let me know! Just drop a note in the comments below.
Questions? Leave them in the comments, and I’ll get back to you!