Product Description: The Recipe Writer’s Handbook Revised and Updated Barbara Gibbs Ostmann and Jane L. Baker
The definitive reference for recipe writing Offering comprehensive guidance on the intimate elements of the recipe writing art, The Recipe Writer’s Handbook is an indispensable companion for anyone who develops, tests, writes, or edits recipes—for publication, for broadcast, or simply to share with family and friends. The Handbook shows how to achieve accuracy and consistency—the hallmarks of the well-written recipe and provides complete and proven guidelines for recipe testing and writing, with coverage of format and syntax, spelling, terminology, weights and measurements, presentation, and other key areas. There is an added focus on writing recipes for an international audience, plus advice from radio, television, and Internet experts on developing recipes for each of those media.
Barbara Gibbs Ostmann (Union, MD) is a food and travel writer for the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group, with over twenty years of experience in newspaper, magazine, and cookbook writing and editing. Jane L. Baker (East Lansing, MI), a home economist with more than twenty-five years of experience in food writing, editing, and recipe development, is Director of Domestic Marketing for the Cherry Marketing Institute.
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.
Great book! The book arrived quickly, and in great condition! I wouldn't hesitate to shop this retailer again! As for the book, it would have been nice to have seen a bit more of the inside before buying--but I remedied that by doing what I usually do--get it from the library so I can see if it is worth buying.
Perfect Cookbook Author for Dummies Book! 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!
Wow! Wow! That's all I can really say. You think you know everything; you know your conversions, you're totally informed about your ingredients, you've made the recipe a dozen times.... BUT... just because you can follow the recipe doesn't mean other people can. This book will help you make your recipes standardized, readable, and useful for everyone from your daughter who can't cook to save her soul to your sister, the professional chef.
You don't have to be a food service pro to appreciate this book. If you've ever considered cataloguing your family recipes, making a church or community group cookbook, or submitting your famous chicken-artichoke lasagna recipe to Better Homes and Gardens, start here. It's an easy read and an invaluable reference. Wonderful!
Book of the decade Great Book, I can't put it down. Great job, this book has everything needed to write recipes, what they couldn't put in they gave resources to find. I have used some of those suggested resource books, and am pretty amazed so far.
The Best Source For My Cookbook I purchased this book while writing a book proposal for my children's food cookbook "The Petit Appetit Cookbook". This book saved me many potentially embarassing food writing faux pas with my editor. The pages are bent and highlighted, but I still rely on it when writing articles and recipes for publication.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
