Which recipe style do you like better?
RECIPE STYLE 1: Conventional The style most magazines and cookbooks go with where all ingredients written in a list before the instructions. Like this delicious looking tagliatelle I will be making soon.
OR
RECIPE STYLE 2: Casual Ingredients are integrated with instruction usingย casual estimates for measurements (โa handful of walnutsโ or โa few glugs of olive oilโ or โa big heaping spoonful of Dijonโ). Like this recipe forย easy shrimp tacos (and like 95% of recipes that appear on DALS.)
Iโm torn. The dinner diarist in me gets comfort from seeing a clear list and exact plan and everything in order. But sometimes, I feel like it can have the opposite effect. A long list of ingredients can scare me off. And I worry that being so exact about measurements makes readers less likely to improvise, i.e. less likely to learn and experiment and, ultimately, feel confident. Thatโs why I usually write in Recipe Style 2. But I could see that this might alienate people would rather be told exactly what to do and how to do it.
Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts โ beginning cooks are especially welcome โ even if itโs just a quick comment below voting for โCasualโ or โConventional.โ ย Thanks!
I adore reading the fun, newsy, casual style. Could you still do it that way and just put the conventional โrecipe cardโ at the bottom?
I like conventional because I findthat I often miss ingredients/steps in a casual formatl. I donโt usually follow recipes (unless I am baking) โ I just use them fot inspiration. The conventional format makes it easier to grab the info I want from the recipe and be on my way to cooking.
I think either style would work for me as long as there was a printable version available. It is helpful to have a list of ingredients up front though, to see if there is anything Iโd need to shop for or donโt like and canโt easily substitute for. I donโt mind the casual style (like, throw in a handful of nuts, or a spoon or two of oil, or whatever), but I lean toward a conventional style. But then, Iโm an uptight Type-A kind of person so I might not be your typical reader ๐ I do think having a printable recipe would help a lot of people though.
Both! I like scanning the list of ingredients in a traditional recipe quickly so I know if I have everything. But while cooking, I prefer your casual style. How about a casual recipe with a shopping list?
Conventional all the way! Iโm surprised by all the votes for casual. Iโm a very linear thinker, though, so conventional is just easier from an organizational standpoint (scan ingredients, easy shopping lists, etc). I can move to a more casual style once I know the recipe better, but by then its often committed to memory.
Iโm cooking for a family. Children are tugging at my leg. Conventional!
On this website, I love your casual-style recipes. Measurements and techniques are helpful, but when I need to whip something up for dinner, I like when the recipe seems casual and approachable.
Mostly conventionalโan occupational hazard, since Iโm a freelance cookbook editor. I find it helpful to see exactly what Iโll need up front. But I do love when the cookโs voice comes through in the recipe.
I like casual, but with a list of ingredients at the beginning so I can check that I have everything. I think casual works well with a blog or mag article, but if I go to a website to search for a recipe, I prefer the traditional style. Keep up the good work!
I am also torn. When you create recipes in your head itโs very hard to write a conventional recipe. Sometimes Iโm afraid that if I approximated and someone uses my recipe exactly as written that someone could be off and theyโll be disappointed. I think for those of us who cook often and are even somewhat good at it, we are fine with casual but people new to cooking and not yet sure how to experiment are going to prefer conventional.
I vote for conventional. Sorry to be boring, but itโs easier to use that way.
PSโWhat is up with the new security question? I WAS TOLD THERE WOULD BE NO MATH.
Iโm throwing my vote in with the people who want a list of ingredients up top and then casual directions to follow.
Also, a side note, I live alone and your quick, thrown together dinners are not just for ppl with kids โ the rest of us cook your dinners too (even if just the grown up version)
Conventional, because I almost always miss something key with the more casual format.
Well, as a new cook, I like style 1, combining both would also be nice. Since I have engineering background, I like precise, at least the first time I make the dish. Then I make notes to add a little more of this or that for my tastes. Plus, since Iโm learning about seasonings and tastes, I would rather see โteaspoonโ rather than โbunchโ or โsomeโ since I have way over seasoned some receipes. BTW, thanks for all the family and marriage anecdotesโฆyou guys are hoots!
Thank you to everyone who weighed in. This information is extremely helpful โ not just for the blog, but also for the book. Iโll let you know what I decide, but I think hybrid seems to be the way to go, or to judge each recipe on a case by case basis โ some might be better suited to casual and some to conventional. Anyway, thank you!
Iโm sort of for a mixed approach. If I donโt have the items all listed out at the beginning, I inherently leave something out. On the other hand, I really donโt NEED an exact measurement of everything. I generally follow a new recipe โexactโ the first time, and do โaboutโsโ after that anyway. All my momโs best cooking was done without exact measurements, and thatโs how I learned to do it, too.
Iโm excited for your book either way! But, if this is helpful, I like the way the Everyday Food Magazine does it โ there isnโt a separate list of ingredients, but the ingredients are in bold so I can easily scan the list, and the measurements are exact. I agree with TopCat that, as a new cook, I find โglubโ or โhandfulโ somewhat frustrating. Something to aspire to thoughโฆ
Conventional. I tend to be a little haphazard in the kitchen, careening from one thing to the next (no mise en place in my world), and I get interrupted by my kids, the realization that the compost has to go out or that I have to go pick some oreganoโso I need the recipe to be written in a way thatโs nice and organized. Not that I necessarily follow it as written!
I prefer conventional for other peopleโs recipes. If itโs my own, I think of it in the casual style, but the first time I make someone elseโs recipe, I want to get it the way they meant it to be. Then I start to fudge with it myself, so I do think of my own recipes and variations in the casual way, but getting it from someone else, I want the traditional version so I can understand your intention *and* make sure I have all the ingredients, even if I theoretically have them in my pantryโฆ
Conventional. Big surprise there since I professionally bake :), inflexible, rigid bakers. Pooo!
I like the casual approach for readibility, but would love a shopping list with every recipe. It makes life much easier than scanning through a recipe.
I think it depends on the type of recipe: something that I am more likely to make for a weeknight dinner, then I prefer a casual recipe. But if it is something fancier (dinner party) or any kind of baking, then definitely a more traditional recipe.
I can follow both types, but I prefer conventional recipes. Although for conventional style, I donโt need exact measurements listed out since Iโm usually eye-balling things anyway.
Split decisionโฆ Simpler recipe (5-6 ingredients that you have on hand, no fancy cooking required) I vote casualโฆ more complex ingredients or technique I vote conventionalโฆ
I prefer conventional, esp. if itโs a recipe that Iโll print out or refer to later. It stinks to have to flip back and forth to figure out what you need. But casual measurements are fineโฆI usually adjust things to taste anyway.