How to Write a Cookbook When You're Not a Recipe Developer
Photo by Elevae Visuals
“I’m not a recipe developer.”
As a cookbook coach, I’ve heard this phrase more than once. Often, it’s someone who’s food adjacent—a writer who focuses more on restaurant and chef features, or a sommelier who loves a pairing, but doesn’t know where to start with recipe creation. I get it.
Once at Time Inc., I was given a Harry Potter recipe series to produce for TIME, and I went into a full panic attack. Three recipes that needed to be developed, tested, and then replicated for video. In one day. I had no idea where to start, but thankfully, I knew people who did. A quick scream had a food editor and test kitchen director swooping in to help adapt the given recipes from what was on the internet, so it could be our own. Thank goodness for them, or I don’t know what I would have done.
No one starts as a recipe developer. It’s a skill that’s learned, and yes, some people seem to be naturals at it. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us are screwed. It just means that you have to work within your current skill set, while expanding it.
Most non-recipe developer clients have a set of dishes they want to include in their cookbook. These are often family recipes or meals they make often. Even though you make something regularly, it doesn’t mean someone else will be able to or that the recipe couldn’t use some adjusting. Worst case? You end up not changing a recipe. Best case? You improve a recipe you already have.
Here are a few ways to get started:
Write down your recipe vision: You likely have a vision for what you want your cookbook to be. So, before you put limitations on it, just dream. Some questions to ask yourself:
What cookbooks or magazines do you love?
How do you want people to feel when they’re cooking your recipes?
Are ingredients hard to find, or things that are easily accessible?
Is there a limit to your ingredient list? Like most of your recipes will have 10 ingredients or less?
Do you have an aspirational recipe or chapter that scares you a little bit? What is it?
What do you not want your recipes to look like?
Attribute inspiration: Whether it’s your grandma or a recipe you found on the internet, just say it. Some clients will get skittish about adapting dishes they found on Pinterest, but I tell them to own it. And then, change it.
Embrace sentence recipes: Don’t overcomplicate what’s so easy. If you’re less concerned with measurements and want recipes that readers can riff off of, the sentence recipe is your best friend. Magazines will often use these for simpler recipes or to fill a little bit of space on the page. Food writers like Elizabeth David leaned into the technique when it made sense, and The New York Times Cooking No-Recipe Recipes (A Cookbook) is a perfect example of how to create a cookbook with this method.
Example sentence recipe: In a warm skillet, sauté chopped onion, garlic, and bell pepper in olive oil until soft, stir in canned crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and a pinch of chili flakes, simmer until thickened, then crack in a few eggs, cover, and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, finishing with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and serving with warm crusty bread.
Buy The Complete Recipe Writing Guide by Raeann Sarazen: This book is one I recommend to every single client who is nervous about developing recipes. It has everything you need for developing, writing, and testing (including questions to send to your recipe testers!). It also covers specialty diets, allergies, and modifications, so no matter what topic you’re writing about, you should be covered.
Pro Tip: Invite friends and family into your developing and testing phases. Have them watch you cook a few recipes and write down everything you do. You are probably cooking on autopilot and will forget tiny details. Send them off with your written recipes and the testing sheet included in the book to get their feedback on what worked or didn’t work.
Experiment with The Flavor Bible: If you’ve taken my advice and gotten the above book, this is your next stop. From the why of your recipe creation to flavor pairings and advice from professional chefs, this will inspire your recipe development. And it takes time. Creating recipes people want to cook isn’t an overnight task. So, dedicate time to it and be open to what your recipes could look and taste like. Likely, you have a handful of things you’d like to include in your book. Start there and see where you could adapt some of them. It could turn the lightbulb on for a completely different dish.
Find a recipe developer: If you want to elevate your recipes beyond what you’ve done on your own or would like to collaborate with someone who can create something just for you, hiring a recipe developer may be your next move. These are kitchen experts who are meticulous about their craft, especially about making it easy for home cooks. Have a cookbook you love? Look in the acknowledgements for developer mentions.
BONUS: You can learn from an experienced cookbook writer, recipe developer, and co-host of the Everything Cookbooks podcast, Kristin Donnelly, in her pre-recorded workshop, “Write Better Recipes”.
The most pivotal piece of this process is that you experiment, give yourself a lot of time to make mistakes, and keep moving. Your recipes will fail. Some of them will turn out awful. That’s okay. Some of my favorite cookbooks aren’t the ones with wildly complicated recipes. They’re the ones who invite me in like an old friend and leave me better than they found me.
Also, your recipes are only one piece of your cookbook. Your story matters more. If you’re ready for the next step in your book writing, apply to work with me here. You don’t have to figure it out alone. Let’s get started now.
