Cookbooks are a blessing for every foodie, and people who love to get their hands dirty in the kitchen. While writing a cookbook, it involves both cooking and writing the recipes, so you have to know your way around the kitchen. Once you have a stable identity in cooking, you can start building on it.
Recipe Groups
How do you want to break down your recipe groups?
- Meal order – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack
- Non – vegetarian, vegetarian, vegan
- Dietary requirements – vegan, gluten free, keto
Keep It Simple
Think of your potential readers and write. Will they have easy access to these ingredients? Will they have the required equipment? Ability and time to cook it? Every country has its system of measurement. A cup is 250ml in Australia, 240ml in the USA and 284ml in Britain, and a teaspoon varies in these countries.
To Write, You Must Read
Just like how an author must read many novels to write one, the same goes with cookbooks! This helps in discovering your writing style and perfecting it. It will also help you determine your target audience. It’s essential to develop a unique style of writing because publishers sell the book and the author along with it.
Know What You Want
A book with a good outline is an added advantage. Create an outline before you start developing recipes, and begin shooting photos. Know the theme, want to chapter you want, etc. This helps you be organised and will also help to identify what to focus on.
Master Your Recipes
It might seem obvious, I mean, you are going to write a book on them. As the author, you know when and how much to add a particular ingredient. Let’s try it differently now. Write in detail about how to cook the recipe, including the minute details such as adding salt or pepper, or turning the food midway through cooking. Measure only the ingredients that you have written, and double check to see if you have missed a particular ingredient or wrote tsp instead of tbspn. The key is to cook exactly what you have written.
Keep Testing
Test your recipes at least twice. Standardise the way you write your measurements, and stick to it. Make sure to use proper scales, spoon measures, and an oven thermometer. It is your duty to make sure that the recipe works before you write it.
This Or That?
Is it 1tbspn, one tbspn, one tbspn, or one tablespoon? When you pick one format to write, make sure not to change it anywhere else. Maintaining consistency is important.
Maintain The Same Recipe Structure
All recipes must have the same components. Following the same order for every recipe is essential. You can consider these:
- Title
- Introduction or special instructions
- Equipment list
- Ingredients and measurements
- Pre-heating or preparation instructions
- Step-by-step method, written in a logical order
- Time estimate
- Serving suggestions
- A footer that repeats the recipe title
Pick The Right Trim Size
This is the most critical element for your book. The size depends primarily on the content of your cookbook. For example, a small collection of muffin recipes might not need a full-sized portrait book. Make sure to pick a right trim size that will leave plenty of room for white space around your content.