Authors write recipes for the purpose of teaching their audience how to make a particular food. It might be a food the author finds particularly tasty, or a meal that is very fast and easy to make. Whatever the case may be, the reason for writing recipes depends on the audience.   A cookbook about fast, easy meals for college students is not going to contain recipes for fancy steak or lobster, because these recipes don’t match the target audience. Authors of recipes use rhetoric that their audience will understand so that they can successfully cook the intended meal.

Although recipes can be written in many different ways and styles, there are some main similarities that many recipes share across the genre.   The first similarity is in the layout of the recipe, specifically the order of the content. The main format that most recipes seem to follow is that which Fuschia Dunlop uses in her book “Land of Plenty.” Dunlop introduces her audience to Kung Pao chicken, gives them some historical background, then lists out the ingredients and finally gives detailed, numbered instructions that lead her audience step-by-step through cooking the meal.  This format seems very common for recipes, as it makes the most logical sense.

The introductions of recipes vary greatly, but they are very important to a recipe because they are the first exposure the reader has to the recipe. The content of the introduction depends greatly on the audience. Many recipe authors use introductions as a way of explaining the cultural or historical importance of a dish. For example, in her book “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking,” Marcella Hazan uses the introduction to her pesto recipe as a way to explain the origins of pesto in Genoa. Introductions like these give the reader a broader perspective on a food they might not know much about. Introductions like this also lend the author more credibility as a trusted cook. If an author gives a full-page detail about the origins of pesto and its original intended uses hundreds of years ago, it becomes obvious to the reader that this author is very knowledgeable about the subject matter at hand. The reader is then more likely to trust that the author has provided them with an appetizing, time worthy recipe.

Other recipes, like many found online, are written with introductions that focus less on the cultural or historical significance of the dish, and more on the author’s personal experiences with making that dish. For example, on this recipe for Dutch chocolate pancakes found on Smitten Kitchen, the author fills the introductory paragraphs with personal anecdotes and stories from her life. In this case, the author has established some sort of relationship with her audience and shared her story of making this recipe with them. This format wouldn’t work as well in a traditional cookbook, but since it is part of an online food community, it is very effective. Any advice that an author gives just serves as extra pieces of helpful information; there is no such thing as ‘too much’ cooking advice.