STEP THREE OF FOUR
Writing ingredients and method
Write it the way you would on paper: one line each.
Ingredients, method and notes are plain text boxes. A few simple habits give your readers group headings, a US / Metric switch and a servings scaler that works.
STEP ONE
One ingredient per line
Type each ingredient on its own line in Ingredients (US), amount first: 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt. There is no need for bullets or numbers, because the card adds its own. If you paste a list that already has them, they are tidied away.
STEP TWO
Group with a #
Start a line with # to make a group heading, such as # For the cream. It works the same way in the ingredients and in the method.
STEP THREE
Add a metric list
Ingredients (Metric) is optional. Fill it with the same list in grams and millilitres, in the same order, and readers get a US / Metric switch beside the Ingredients heading. Their choice is remembered on every recipe on your site.
STEP FOUR
Write the method and notes
In Method and Notes, put one step per line. The card numbers the steps, carrying the count on across groups. Notes takes tips, swaps and storage, one per line, and shows in a box at the foot of the card.
STEP FIVE
Let readers scale it
When Serves is a whole number, readers get minus and plus buttons beside it, from 1 to 99. Every ingredient amount rescales and the changed amounts turn the accent colour. Grams and millilitres stay as tidy numbers; cups, spoons and ounces become kitchen fractions to the nearest eighth.
The method is not rescaled, so write for the cream in your steps rather than 500 g of cream.
WRITING AMOUNTS
So they scale well
The scaler changes the amount at the start of each line, and any amount written as (about …). Everything else is left exactly as you wrote it.
PUT THE AMOUNT FIRST
2 cups flour, not flour, 2 cups. Write one ingredient per line, too: not 1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery sticks.
ONE AMOUNT PER LINE
18 oz, not 1 lb 2 oz; 1 2/3 cups, not 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp.
TOTALS AND PACK SIZES
Write (about …) for a total that should scale: 18 oz mascarpone (about 2 1/4 cups). Plain brackets are left alone, so a pack size stays put: 1 can (14 oz) tomatoes.
BOLD, ITALIC AND LINKS
Any line can use <strong>, <em> and links, for example to link an ingredient to where you buy it.
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