Write and Test Recipes with Confidence!

The proliferation of recipes today is dizzying. They appear everywhere, from digital magazines, blogs, and e-newsletters to Instagram and TikTok. At first glance a recipe may look good – until you start to make it. Recipe writing and testing, to ensure a recipe works, is a skill. Unfortunately, many recipes are poorly written and simply don’t work. RDNs/NDTRs producing recipe content need to hone these skills, because our professional credibility is at stake.

In this session, we share the recipe writing red flags that food editors use in evaluating recipes for publication. We then take a deep dive into recipe testing, the important but often overlooked step to ensuring the recipes you write are accurate and reproducible. Learn step-by-step guidelines that professional testers use to make sure home cooks can replicate a recipe with consistent results every time, and discover how to successfully enlist your friends and family as home cook recipe testers.

CPE Level: Level 2 (intermediate knowledge/experience)
CPEU: 1.5

Performance Indicators

• 8.5.2 Develops or modifies recipes, menus, and meals using sensory perception and other food components.
• 9.3.1 Critically reviews and selects materials from credible sources to support the development of diet and nutrition education resources.
• 13.2.3 Incorporates principles of food science and production in recipe development.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the recipe writing workflow process and the unique skills required from a culinary professional for each stage.
• Identify the key components of a well-written recipe and one that is poorly written.
• Define the step-by-guidelines professional recipe testers use when testing recipes.

Moderator

• Sylvia E. Klinger

Speakers

• Lynn Blanchard
• Raeanne Sarazen