When cooking on the stove, always indicate the heat level (e.g. high, medium-low, low). When the heat changes, it’s helpful to say “increase heat to high” or “decrease heat to medium-low,” which gives the reader a useful point of reference. Cooking Time It doesn’t matter if you’re gifting a custom cookbook or a DIY cookbook using the self-publishing route; your book needs a message. Once you have the perfect gift in hand, you might wonder what sort of personal information you should write inside the cookbook. This part is simple. Your thoughtful gift should include the following: Name Never assume that your reader will be able to imply or extrapolate meaning. Give as much information as you think your readers will need without going overboard. Or: “I know how much you love Maida Heatter’s cookbooks. Here’s a book I know you don’t have. Congrats on the new home!” A headnote is a short paragraph that precedes the recipe and acts as a sort of introduction. Think of the headnote as an opportunity to let your personality shine, both as a cook and as a person.

Does the person or couple want an ice cream maker? Include an ice cream cookbook. I’d recommend The Perfect Scoop, Revised and Updated: 200 Recipes for Ice Creams, Sorbets, Gelatos, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments (2018) by David Lebovitz and bundle it with the small appliance. Add ice cream bowls from their gift registry and include an assortment of sprinkles, jimmies, and ice cream toppings. If your cookbook choice includes foreign cuisine, end your message with a simple “Bon appétit” in a French recipe book or a “Buon Cibo” for a book of modern recipes in Italian. Try “buen provecho” for a Spanish cookbook, “Smacznego” for Polish, and “guten Appetit” for a German cookbook. Are you tired of pinning, printing and bookmarking a recipe only to have a hard time finding it later when you need it? Pen in the event’s name. Is this a birthday gift for your son or your go-to wedding present for the special couples in your life? Is it for Father’s or Mother’s Day, Christmas Eve, or a pretend holiday like Sweetest Day? It’s easy to close your inscription with a “Happy Birthday! With love, X.” I’ve shared this image before of a handful of cookbooks I own with a message inside. I love discovering a gift message.

Customer reviews

Yes, you could write the person’s name, your name, date, and the name of the event (like here with Christmas Eve 1981), but why not pen a more enjoyable read? When writing a recipe, clarity is key. If your reader gets tripped up on your language, they won’t attempt the recipe at all—or worse, they’ll try it and get bad results. When writing a cookbook, consistency is key. The best way to ensure this is to write yourself a style guide, which should include info on how to call for certain ingredients, whether your recipe steps should include articles (e.g. a or the), appropriate abbreviations, etc. Short of an actual style guide, it’s difficult to capture all of the recipe step–writing rules in one place, since recipes can vary so much. Don’t underestimate the importance of a good title: It’s the first impression your readers will have of the recipe, and it’s likely what will determine whether or not they continue reading.

It is a great size (7.5 x 9.25 in) – not too big and in the same time with enough writing space to jot down everything needed. You could also write that you love Chrissy Teigen or Samin Nosrat books. “Turn your kitchen into a test kitchen with a new way to cook from your favorite chef (or food writer) x. If you need help with recipe testing, I’m here for it.”

2. Headnote

Serving suggestions are good headnote fodder, too: If that beef stew is great with bread or egg noodles, say so. Putting this information in the headnote keeps your ingredient list and recipe steps clean and concise. 3. Ingredient List Those stories are what make your recipe different from anyone else’s—and what will draw your readers in. If cooking is an art form, then so is writing a recipe. Recipes need to be precise, and they also need to use language that’s easy to understand. They need to include each and every step while not providing too much information. Dishes are made up of specific amounts, so they can turn out wrong just by a small incorrect measurement. Cooking is a version of storytelling. Recipes, as well as other food writing, have been passed down for centuries—throughout generations and households, to friends of friends, to strangers in cookbooks learning to broaden their knowledge on different types of food around the world and open their minds (and taste buds). Tell your own story. Preface your recipe with a short intro that shows readers your personal relationship to this dish. For example, write why it’s important and what occasion it could be cooked/baked on. This is also a good section to state how many the recipe serves, the prep time, and the overall cook time. Don’t worry—clarity doesn’t preclude creativity. There are plenty of ways to showcase your style and personality in your recipes, as long as, at the end of the day, the language is clear and concise.