Writing down a recipe is really very simple and if you’ve ever used a recipe you probably know all there is about how to do it.  However, Notebooking exists to make everything better.  Here’s a few ways to make your recipes or even cooking better through Notebooking.

Even with the standard model of recipe (ingredients in list form first then method) there are a few ways Notebooking could improve the form.  I suppose it depends on whether you’re copying the recipe from a book or magazine to use later or not.  If you are, then just copy it.  Simple enough.  If, however, you’re writing a recipe from watching someone cook then draw a line ¹across the center of the page and begin by writing the method under the line.  Adding the ingredients at the top in list form as they come up.

Another way Notebooking can help your recipes is with the oldest of writing tricks: stealing.  Let’s say you went to a burger joint that had a burger with only caramelized onions and peanut butter on it.  It was fantastic, wasn’t it?  Write it down!  No need for long-form recipes here.  Just write it down and try making it later.

Notebooking a cooking method is probably best shown in an example, so here’s one from a notebook of mine a few years ago (and, yes, I do tend to Notebook with parenthetical notation):

Making a post steak pan sauce.

1. After cooking, set steak aside and add some liquid to the pan to deglaze.  (Nearly any water-based liquid will work but heavy cream is fastest².)
2. Scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond.
3. Flavor with whatever you want (dried herbs should be added early)
4. Reduce until texture is where you want it. (usually by half)
5. Season (salt AND acidity) and serve poured over or on the side in a ramekin.

When Notebooking a cooking method, the specific ingredients and amounts often matter less than the method.

Finally, there is the “Speculative Recipe.”  I came up with this system a few years ago when I realized that the majority of recipes I come up with follow a certain pattern.  Notebooking, specifically “Now & Later Notebooking” really shines here.  Here goes:

1. Hero ingredient This is the most important flavor or ingredient of the recipe.  This can alter the finished food considerably.  For instance, when making a Grilled Cheese sandwich the hero could be the cheese e.g. using a melty cheese or a nice blend of cheeses.  In this example, the butter could be the Hero by using a milder cheese but browning the butter.  Then end result would be 2 VERY different sandwiches.
2. Accentuating flavor notes  Ingredients that balance saltiness, sweetness, acidity, bitterness, and umami³ To go back to the Grilled Cheese example, maybe caramelized onions⁴.
3. Wild card  This is the contrasting flavor or texture that helps the “Hero” be a hero.  To go back to the Grilled Cheese example, something like thin slices of Granny Smith apples.

There you have it.  Speculative recipe Notebooking.  I could probably say more about it but I’m going to go make a Grilled Sandwich with brown butter, caramelized onions and Granny Smith apples!

1. It could be imaginary depending on your imaginative capacity.
2. I’ve used Dr. Pepper, wine and even water since Notebooking this method.
3. Umami, I believe, can be defined as a flavor that makes someone say, “Ooh Mommy!” when tasting.
4. Incidentally, I love caramelized onions if you couldn’t already tell.  There aren’t many ingredients that through mere patience transform from simple and common to complex and decadent.  They also freeze well.