How to write a recipe that anyone can repeat

Your guide to writing a recipe from scratch.

Writing a recipe requires testing it before you finalise it. Source: Pxhere

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I was a teenager before I first attempted to cook chicken adobo. Brimming with high school Food Tech enthusiasm and an overwhelming desire to replicate my Tita Merry's beloved adobo, I returned home from Woolies with soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns…and a bottle of apple cider vinegar. Mum and I crushed garlic, simmered the meat and steamed rice. I took the first bite, and my nose scrunched up in disappointment. It was disgusting. It wasn't until years later that I realised my mistake was not sourcing the correct cane vinegar or Filipino soy sauce to make the simple braise. 

With almost a decade of professional recipe testing under my belt, I've developed some rules to live by for writing and testing effective recipes to help you avoid any adobo mishaps.

Writing effective recipes is a special way of preserving your and your family's culinary history that could be in danger of being lost over time if not properly recorded.

Centre your audience

Remove ego from the equation and focus on who will be most likely to read and cook your recipes. What tools, skills, kitchen, and ingredient accessibility is your audience most likely to have? Busy parents are less likely to prepare olive dust crostinis topped with white anchovies and smoked butter for the kids after a long day at work. Conversely, professional chefs may be less likely to make a ham and pineapple pizza for themselves. When recipes feel relatable, people are more likely to cook them.

Ingredients list

For clear and concise recipes, stick with a familiar ingredient list. Ingredient brands and origins can affect the final flavour, so choose wisely. Be clear and precise about ingredient quantities when possible.

It sounds obvious, but unclear quantities can seriously impact the flavour, cook times, serve size and presentation of the final result. When cooking, using proper standardised measuring spoons rather than cutlery spoons ensures that you'll get the correct, consistent amount of marinades, spice blends and flavour balance needed for your dish to work in harmony.

This iceberg salad goes with a citrusy, herbaceous dressing. Source: Kitti Gould

Simplify where possible

We have all experienced recipes that have challenging and complex method instructions, or an ingredient list as long as a wizard's scroll. Writing complex, expensive recipes with long ingredient lists can be tempting, but it can significantly reduce the number of cooks who will attempt them. As a recipe writer, I ask myself if each ingredient and direction is truly necessary.

Instruct readers to chop vegetables before meat to save washing the chopping board. Source: Supplied

For example:

• Prepare vegetables before meat, to avoid washing a chopping board.
• Toss vegetables or chips in oil on a roasting tray rather than in a separate large bowl.
• Mix dressings directly in the salad bowl before adding your leaves and then toss, rather than a separate dish to pour over at the end.

Be creative. Simplifying recipes with accessible tools and simple techniques can lead to a higher success rate for cooks and makes dishes more approachable for any skill level.

Testing and editing

Last, but most certainly not least, taking your recipe through a final test in the kitchen ensures the best results. Pay special attention to the ingredient quantities, method steps, heat, pan types, cook times and seasoning.

Take notes: did the sauce need an extra ¼ tsp of sugar to balance the acidity? Were the cumin seeds toasted in a dry pan before crushing to bring out their flavour? Edit the recipe and look over your recipe with fresh eyes, checking the general flow, ensuring the ingredients are in sequential order as they appear in the method, and the method makes sense before giving it the final sign-off.

Measure all the ingredients accurately. Source: SBS Food

Writing effective recipes is a special way of preserving your and your family's culinary history that could be in danger of being lost over time if not properly recorded. By focusing on the user experience of your recipes, you can significantly impact the chance of success for your audience. With these tips in mind, go forth and write recipes that inspire and delight.