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 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.

BARBARA GIBBS OSTMANN is a food and travel writer for The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group with more than 20 years of experience in newspaper, magazine, and cookbook writing and editing. A past president of the Association of Food Journalists and former food editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, she was coordinator of the Agricultural Journalism program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has compiled, edited, and contributed to many cookbooks, including a series of eleven titles coedited with Jane L. Baker.

JANE L. BAKER is director of domestic marketing for the Cherry Marketing Institute. A home economist with more than 25 years of experience in food writing, editing, and recipe development, she is a former food editor of the Phoenix Gazette and past author of a syndicated column on children's cooking. In addition to a series of eleven cookbooks coedited with Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, she has contributed to several books.

BARBARA GIBBS OSTMANN is a food and travel writer for The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group with more than 20 years of experience in newspaper, magazine, and cookbook writing and editing. A past president of the Association of Food Journalists and former food editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, she was coordinator of the Agricultural Journalism program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has compiled, edited, and contributed to many cookbooks, including a series of eleven titles coedited with Jane L. Baker.

JANE L. BAKER is director of domestic marketing for the Cherry Marketing Institute. A home economist with more than 25 years of experience in food writing, editing, and recipe development, she is a former food editor of the Phoenix Gazette and past author of a syndicated column on children's cooking. In addition to a series of eleven cookbooks coedited with Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, she has contributed to several books.