What order do ingredients go in a recipe?
Part of our Ultimate Guide to Recipe Writing. Click to see more answers to your questions.
Recipes can be presented in many different styles, but one requirement of an ingredients list is that you should list ingredients in the order they are used. After that, amounts should be given largest to smallest.
In the list of ingredients, present the ingredients in the order in which they are used. To do otherwise is sloppy – and, from a professional standpoint, unacceptable. Listing ingredients in the order used allows the busy cook to follow the recipe in a progression from top to bottom. It’s efficient and makes perfect sense. Some writers of recipes have the urge to put the centerpiece of the recipe – the beef tenderloin, the whole goose – at the top of the list of ingredients. There’s a nice way to address this, which is simply to use that item first. “Season the beef with salt and pepper…” “Rinse the goose and remove any excess fat…”
If it doesn’t matter in which order ingredients are added (for example, if they will be combined in one bowl at the same time), group them by type of ingredient (in the example below: dairy, sugars and spices) and then by amount, largest to smallest:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup crème fraiche
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Our instructions would read: In a large bowl, combine the cream, crème fraiche, confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg…What if we wanted to add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the list above? In that case, it might be best to mix the cream and vanilla together in the bowl before adding the remaining ingredients.
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup crème fraiche
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
And the instructions would change accordingly: In a large bowl, mix together the cream and vanilla. Add the crème fraiche, confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg…
