Agree with the first two, not the last - I don’t care for pictures. Would rather they use that space to elaborate more on the first two points.
Perfectly written recipes can be found here on this blog, combining technique, history, personal anecdotes, shopping tips, regional differences using the same ingredients, alternatives and what more:
My preferences in recipe writing are pretty much the opposite of yours which illustrates the challenges faced by recipe writers.
When I’m following a recipe, I follow the recipe. I bake pretty much daily (I have challah dough proofing as I type.) and baking recipes don’t tolerate as much deviation as non-baking recipes. Also, I follow recipes to taste other peoples’ cuisine. I found Genevieve Ko’s column on the subject to be a delightful read.
The most important feature in recipes for me is the inclusion of metric weights. I especially appreciate recipes that include metric weights for liquids. I really, really appreciate recipes that include the metric weights for the vegetables once they’ve been trimmed and chopped/sliced. Ottolenghi does this.
I don’t care about photographs.
I like precise recipes for baking. I achieve great results and learn about science from Stella Parks’ recipes for this reason. She is so detailed that she includes what temperature your dough/batter should be.
I also appreciate that Parks discusses the problems with ingredient substitutions. For example, she has stated that substituting European style butter for American style butter isn’t an improvement to the recipe; it’s a fundamental change.
I also appreciate when recipe writers include the brand of Kosher salt (Diamond for the win.). Unfortunately, others disagree. I read a complaint that Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz specifies Diamond Kosher salt. The person complaining believed that this was too precise. I think it’s great because I’ve had disastrous results using Morton’s Kosher salt in a recipe that didn’t specify Diamond.
I don’t mind sub-recipes. I recently made Tin Roof ice cream from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop. It had two sub-recipes, chocolate covered peanuts and chocolate ripple. These sub-recipes are used for other flavors of ice cream. It would be onerous to put the sub-recipe in each recipe that uses it.
I find it redundant when recipes warn you at the top that there is a time consuming step. I completely read the recipe before I decide to make it.
For me, a good recipe has metric gravimetric units, not volumes. The only way to cook consistently is by weight. I use the metric system because it is much easier to divide by 10 in your head than by 16.
Tim, I think you covered all of my pet peeves and my likes, except a couple.
This one (quote below) I am decidedly not undecided on. I strongly prefer ingredient groupings by use. A long string of ingredients alphabetized makes it really hard for me to get a good idea of what’s going on and how things go together, especially if there are more than X number of ingredients. X is 12 or more before wine, 8 after wine.
The other thing for online foodblogs (and most of them are getting better about this) is they need to have a “jump to recipe” button, and one that actually works.
Sometimes I’ll scroll through techniques and photos in the discussion section and appreciate the effort that goes into such production.
But most often for something new or something infrequently made, I’m pulling up 5 or 7 recipes and making a mish-mash of their ingredients and process, so I just want to zip down to the recipe without wearing out my scrolly button on my mouse.
Here is a recipe writing style guide that I copied from What’s Cooking America a decade ago. It is not perfect but it is good start.
Never assume anything. Assume your reader is a beginner cook and don’t expect the reader to have to figure out what to do. Write everything out.
Consistency in recipes:
• Always specify and ingredient or spell out a cooking term. No abbreviations.
• Always place the ingredients and method (directions) sequentially – never randomly.
• Make each recipe as and easy-to-follow as possible.
• Single space all recipes.
Recipe Format:
• Always, always give credit to where the recipe is from. Also, if you have adapted a recipe from someone else, state this.
• List the ingredients in the order in what they are used in the directions. Don’t place the main ingredient at the top of the ingredient list unless it is the first ingredient used in the directions.
• Always have a photo of the finished dish. People have difficulty visualizing a recipe, so a photo helps.
• Multiple measures for ingredients. Giving more than one way to measure an ingredient (such as 1 small apple, about ½ cup chopped) decrease guesswork and provides clarification.
• Avoid abbreviating measurements. Spell out units of measurements such as: tablespoons, teaspoons, pound, ounces, and so on
• If the oven needs to be used in the recipe, state: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. at top of recipe directions. If dish is to be refrigerated or frozen first, state the preheat temperature just before baking instructions.
• Specify the size of a dish or pan to be used. Example: In a medium-size saucepan, In a small bowl.
• At the bottom of the recipe, state the number of servings. Example: Makes 4 to 5 servings.
• When listing the number and size of packages, cans, or bottles, list either as follows: 1 (6-ounce) can tuna or 1 can (6-ounces) tuna
• When an ingredient listing begins with a word rather than a number, capitalize the first work. Example: Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Do not put a period at the end of the ingredients in the ingredient list.
• If the ingredient has to be thawed, soaked, softened, or otherwise prepared ahead of time, indicate that in the ingredient list so the cook can plan accordingly. Example: 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained, 2 tablespoon butter, melted
• Described the preparation in the proper place Example: ½ cup chopped celery NOT ½ cup celery, chopped – the cook must chop the celery in order to measure it.
• If an ingredient calls for a simple cooking preparation, such as toasting nuts, include the directions in a note at the end of recipe ingredient list. Example: 1 cup shredded coconut, toasted
NOTE: To toast coconut, spread coconut in an ungreased pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F. oven for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown.
• Be specific regarding ingredient amounts – give size, weight, volume, and/or number of units. It is helpful to provide two (2) difference measurements, when possible. Example: 6 medium potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and quartered, 1 green bell pepper (about ½ cup), chopped,
2 small chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), skinned and boned
• Divided Ingredients – When an ingredient is used at different times in a recipe, list the total amount in one place in the ingredient list, then add the term “divided.” Example: Ingredient List: ¾ cup all-purpose flour, divided. First Usage: Add ½ cup of the flour . . .Second Usage: Stir in the remaining ¼ cup flour.
• When a secondary recipe is listed with the ingredients, it can be listed first with a cross reference. Example: 1 cup Herb Sauce (see recipe below). The first paragraph of the directions can state – Prepare the herb sauce. At the bottom of the main recipe, write out the secondary recipe.
• Do not number the procedural directions in the recipe. This is not the way I personally do my recipes on the web site.
• Variations: At the bottom of the recipe, just before the serving number, list any variations for the recipe. Example: Variation: One (1) pound of ground turkey can be substituted for the ground beef.
Other guidelines:
Flour - state what type of flour – such as all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour
Brown Sugar – always say firmly-packed brown sugar
Butter – Never state “sticks” or “cubes” of butter. Use exact measurements.
Meat Temperature – If a meat or cooking thermometer needs to be used to determine the doneness, add it to the directions.
Cheese – As a general rule, soft cheeses are shredded and hard cheeses are grated. Blue cheese and feta cheese are crumbled.
Herbs – state if using fresh or dry herbs. If listing both fresh and dried herbs, put fresh first. Example: 1 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Sugar – Powdered (confectioners’) sugar
Cream – Type of cream, such as heavy cream, whipping cream, etc.
Dash – Do not use.
Defrost – Do not use “defrost” when you mean “thaw,”
Doneness – Testing for doneness. Spell out how to test for doneness in your recipe directions.
Eggs – Eggs are presumed to be large unless indicated otherwise.
This is terrific.
Thank you. I would have posted a link but I am not yet a trusted member.
Well I trust you.
I’m a visual person, so prefer pictures. While I don’t need to see what browned looks like, translucent onions or even how beautiful the sear on your protein came out, there are some steps that can be poorly written or described and just seeing what they mean is 100% easier. This is particularly true for steps in baking when writers are describing specific folds or shapes. Or maybe I’m just dense.
Agree with most of what’s been posted. My big pet peeve though is that if the recipe calls for something that needs to be prepped ahead of time, please make that abundantly clear. So annoying when you’re ready to start and realizeyou needed a sauce or component that needs at least 2 his in the fridge, cooked and cooled to room temp, or even best done the night before. 
I find that drawings can be very instructive, but photos are sort of hit and miss. However, I agree with you on pictures. I also note that Kindle versions are not good for pictures. My favorite general instruction book, La Varenne Pratique, is a total dud on Kindle, but in a real book it is brilliant.
Kindle is fiddly for any illustrations, but the good side is that the texts are electronically searchable, which I find very useful. In print, some index editors are better than others … I do like pictures, or drawings, that show me what some step in a recipe is supposed to look like.
I agree with most if not all of the above, and while this does not make a recipe bad, I avoid recipes that demand I “serve immediately!”, and love recipes that say " even better when prepared ahead".
Me neither. I know they’re going to be there, but I zip past the intro. babble and move right to the recipe. I like step-by-step mornay. But, I expect most know how to julienne, dice, chiffonade, brunoise, etc. Basic knife skills. I also ask for highlighting an essential ingredient. Variations are nice, too. Aside from the hokey intros. I , like you, Tim, despise the refer to page 36 for the brunoise tutorial.
I grew up using my mother’s 1960s era JOC, and when I was in college, was given the 1975 edition as a gift. Ingredients have always been in bold type (see image below from one of the infamous old editions with recipes for critters of various types). Most pages have multiple recipes over their two columns. I fully get not liking the format, though, and I can’t remember the last time I actually used it; it’s been years.
That’s exactly how granddaddy did squirrels 
. Yeah, I’ve had fried squirrel for breakfast.
I had your same edition of the Joy of Cooking in college. It’s still on my bookshelf. Worked for me - then I went on to the NYT Cookbook.
A’ight, I’ve skinned a lot of these. I have never heard of tularemia infection. My mom still has this JOC book and I guess I never read the directions closely, as I skin differently. I have never dressed out an animal with gloves on; nor have I suffered the hell that is tularemia. Sounds like a bad bacteria.
One practice that I wish cookbook publishers would adopt is to have two page recipes on two pages where you can see both when the book is in a cookbook holder.
I dislike having to flip the page with my wet hands.
I think it’s 2 weeks clean posting history and you are moved to “member” status and can post links etc.
There are levels above “member” but I don’t think this iteration of Discourse does anything special with them in terms of added benefits.
One Discourse community I frequent simply used the product as given, which permitted the next level folks (3 and above) to change other people’s thread titles and the jokesterism kind of got out of hand, so they shut it off.
Good point. That would be a goof format for cookbooks. Like your thinking. I have the same issue with muy phone. Get cooking, then need to scroll down; but I have something all over my paws.
Oh, such a great topic to be discussed and analyzed.
I’ll list some of the points from my own perspective that makes a recipe flawless:
