The Recipe Writer's Handbook [Hardcover]

Barbara Gibbs Ostmann (Author), Jane Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0471172944 | ISBN-13: 978-0471172949 | Edition: 1

Every recipe you write has the power to make or break a meal—and a cook's reputation! That's why it is up to you to combine accuracy, consistency, and your personal style in recipes that are easy to understand and use. Measurements must add up, vocabulary must be clear, and the whole process must be broken down into simple steps with straightforward instructions and error-free presentation.

A tall order? Not with The Recipe Writer's Handbook by your side. Whether you're working in the kitchen or at the computer, this comprehensive handbook provides definitive guidance on how to write concise and complete recipes without sacrificing your creativity or your personal touch.

The Handbook teaches you how to "think" your way through a recipe to make important decisions and troubleshoot potential problems concerning format and syntax, spelling, cooking terminology, weights and measurements, recipe testing, presentation of the final recipe, and many other areas.

In the foreword, Antonia Allegra, president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, ponders the soul of a well-written recipe. Other leading food authorities, such as Madeleine Kamman, director of the School for American Chefs at Beringer Vineyards; Carolyn O'Neil, of CNN's "On The Menu"; and Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma cookware stores, offer valuable insights into what makes a good recipe.

Filled with detailed information, plus extensive resource listings of food promotion organizations, books, and much more, this one-stop reference is an indispensable tool-of-the-trade for anyone who develops, tests, edits, or writes recipes.

THE WELL-WRITTEN RECIPE

Use The Recipe Writer's Handbook to combine:

• format and syntax
• spelling
• cooking terminology
• weights and measurements
• recipe testing details
• presentation
• pan and package sizes
• nutrition information

Work with these ingredients to develop a personal style sheet for any given project. Consult the Handbook to apply them with accuracy, consistency, and style to any food-writing context —print, radio, or television.

Follow the Handbook's advice from leading food authorities on what makes a good recipe.

Return to the Handbook again and again for its preferred spelling list, purchasing information, generic terms list, extensive resource listings, recipe testing tips, metric conversion tables, and more.

Keep the Handbook within easy reach to refer to every time you develop, test, write, or edit a recipe.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This guidebook is one of few aimed at its select audience (professional food writers), but you don't have to be a pro to appreciate it. It's also a great resource for all of those self-publishing cookbook authors out there. Authors Barbara Gibbs Ostmann and Jane L. Baker, both experienced newspaper foodies, culled information from a fistful of sources (Williams Sonoma and Food & Wine among them) to create their guide. The results should be a relief both to food writers and to the cooks who rely on their recipes. The Recipe Writer's Handbook addresses recipe-writing style, spellings of common (and not so common) ingredients, definitions of cooking terminology, and nutritional analysis. It stresses, above all else, accuracy, consistency, and clarity; it admonishes the recipe developer to assume nothing about what the readers know (apparently, one editor was asked by a reader how far to drop drop cookies; another got a call from a woman who wanted to know whether her new oven was preheated). Most interesting is the final section, in which food professionals wax philosophical on what makes a good recipe good.

From the Inside Flap

The Recipe Writer’s Handbook Every recipe you write has the power to make or break a meal—and a cook’s reputation! That’s why it is up to you to combine accuracy, consistency, and your personal style in recipes that are easy to understand and use. Measurements must add up, vocabulary must be clear, and the whole process must be broken down into simple steps with straightforward instructions and error-free presentation. A tall order? Not with The Recipe Writer’s Handbook by your side. Whether you’re working in the kitchen or at the computer, this comprehensive handbook provides definitive guidance on how to write concise and complete recipes without sacrificing your creativity or your personal touch. The Haudbook teaches you how to "think" your way through a recipe to make important decisions and troubleshoot potential problems concerning format and syntax, spelling, cooking terminology, weights and measurements, recipe testing, presentation of the final recipe, and many other areas. In the foreword, Antonia Allegra, president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, ponders the soul of a well-written recipe. Other leading food authorities, such as Madeleine Kamman, director of the School for American Chefs at Beringer Vineyards; Carolyn O’Neil, of CNN’s "On The Menu"; and Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma cook-ware stores, offer valuable insights into what makes a good recipe. Filled with detailed information, plus extensive resource listings of food promotion organizations, books, and much more, this one-stop reference is an indispensable toot-of-the-trade for anyone who develops, tests, edits, or writes recipes.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (June 24, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471172944
• ISBN-13: 978-0471172949
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,249,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I would be lost without this excellent resource, April 5, 2000

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Recipe Writer's Handbook (Hardcover)

Barbara Gibbs Ostmann is the expert on cookbook writing. I recommend reading this book before you start writing your recipes. I already had everything typed in one file on my computer when I first found her book.

I simply used my search tools in Word to locate all the items she discussed and believe me I had made quite a few common mistakes. The book itself was extremely useful...I was however more impressed that when I wrote to Barbara - she actually wrote back and gave me some of the best advice I have ever recieved. After using almost every principle taught in this book, I can truly say that I have produced a cookbook I am proud of and will enjoy using for a lifetime.

So, whether you grew up overseas like I did and didn't realize powdered sugar was actually called confectioners' sugar, or you are writng recipes that contain foreign words, this is also the book for you. The chapter which gave information on leading food authorities gave me a greater insight into what I needed to give my readership.

If this is the perfect guide - I hope I have produced the perfect cookbook. Thank you Barbara for taking the time to help cookbook writers everywhere. Now I am taking the next step - finding a publisher and creating a website.

~The Rebecca Review

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Cookbook Author for Dummies Book!, July 25, 2007

By 

Rhonda Peters "cooking healthy" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Recipe Writer's Handbook, Revised and Updated (Paperback)

I loved this book! This book addressed EVERY area that I was doing wrong. I started writing my book without a guide and something in me told me to get a guide just in case. So after browsing on amazon, I found this book and immediately ordered. I stopped writing and immediately began to read and study the tips in this book. I was thrilled to see a couple of pages on how to select the right nutritional software, because I was struggling about how to select the right vendor! I did exactly as recommended and found a great source. If you are writing a cookbook, stop writing and purchase this book before you go any further!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable, September 5, 2001

By 

carole kotkin (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Recipe Writer's Handbook, Revised and Updated (Paperback)

This book now has a permanent place on my desk as an important reference book. Too bad it wasn't around when I wrote MMMMiami--Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere. The book ranges from sophisticated information for the professional writer to general information for the novice. The book is arranged by categories such as recipe writing style and basic metrics. The authors take your hand and guide you through the difficult task of writing clear, interesting, and consistent recipes.