I’m a foodie. So it should come as no surprise that I used to work for a food publisher (I love test kitchens!) and that I still edit cookbooks. While I don’t work on as many as I used to, I still have enough projects to exercise my food editing muscles.
But I’m gonna level with you. Food editing isn’t for the fainthearted. It’s fiddly and time-consuming, and it helps if you have some cooking knowledge (actually, a LOT of cooking knowledge) and an understanding of recipe writing conventions.
In this article, I’ll explain what happens during a cookbook edit and what editors do to ensure your recipes are clear, accurate and easy to follow for the home cook. And while many of these observations are derived from working with a traditional publisher, they can also be applied to self-publishing authors.
Typically, a cookbook goes through three stages of editing. Here's a detailed overview of each stage:
Stage 1: The developmental edit
This is the first pass after a manuscript has been finished (and rigorously self-edited by the author). It addresses big-picture stuff, like ensuring the book has a sound structure, reordering or omitting recipes, filling recipe gaps, writing recipe intros or refining other written content.
If the author has a contract with a book publisher, this task is undertaken in-house. The publisher will provide notes and recommendations and ask the author to amend the manuscript. If the author is self-publishing, they can hire a cookbook developmental editor to do this for them.
The developmental editing stage can take weeks, depending on the length of the cookbook, the availability of the author and the amount of work required.
If the publisher specialises in food titles, they may also commission a recipe tester to check the recipes and a food photographer to take photos of the dishes and other lifestyle shots to complement the book.
Stage 2: The copyedit
Once the publisher is happy with the structure and content of the manuscript, it's handed over to the copyeditor. They also receive an editor’s brief, which provides an outline of the job, including the scope of work, deadlines, style preferences and any issues that need to be addressed.
At this stage, you’d think that the cookbook editor just fixes typos and misspellings. Sadly, no. Even if the author and a recipe tester have checked and refined the recipes, errors always slip through. So here are some recipe-specific issues I look for when I'm copyediting a cookbook:
Are the ingredients in the order they appear in the recipe? Typically, ingredients should be listed in the order they are used in the recipe. This means rearranging ingredient lists to follow this hierarchy. You’d be surprised how often a cook or chef gets this wrong. When I’m checking the ingredient order, I often tackle the method first and cross-check the ingredient list as I go through, moving items around as needed.
If the ingredients are added all at once, are they listed correctly? Some recipes have sections where multiple ingredients are added at once, like when you blitz a smoothie in a blender. So how do you order the ingredients in these cases? Typically, they’re placed in order of the largest quantity to the smallest. So, for a simple mango smoothie, I’d start with 1 cup frozen mango, followed by 1/2 cup natural yoghurt and finish with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. If a food publisher has specific preferences (and they often do!), I follow their recommendations.
Are any cooking instructions missing? It’s easy to miss a step in the recipe, like preheating the oven or adding stock to a stew. I usually pick these up when I’m cross-checking the method against the ingredients. If there’s an ingredient that’s not accounted for, I ask the author when it’s supposed to be added. Or if I feel that the reader needs instructions on how to fill sausage skins with meat, I’ll request this too.
Are the ingredient quantities vague? Some cookbook authors list tins and jars in the ingredient list, but they often forget to specify the quantity. For example, if they include a ‘tin’ of tuna, do they mean a 90 g tin or a 425 g tin? Some countries also have different weights and volumes for cans, bottles and jars. In these cases, I make sure the weight/volume is included. For example, ‘1 x 400 g can lentils’.
Are any ingredients hard to find? If so, is there a substitute? Supermarkets these days stock a range of ingredients, from gyoza wrappers to sriracha sauce. However, certain countries or regional areas may not be as well-stocked, so I often ask the author to include a substitute so home cooks don’t miss out (or break the bank ordering it online). For example, the author may decide that paneer can be replaced with ricotta, or that Tropea onions can substituted with red onions!
Are the ingredients written in a consistent style? Consistency across recipes helps avoid confusion or ambiguity. For example, should it be ‘1 x 400 g tin crushed tomatoes’ or ‘1 x 400 g can crushed tomatoes’? A publisher's style guide often stipulates preferences, but if an author has a distinctive style that goes against the publisher’s guide, it's often retained and included in the style sheet. If the book is being self-published, I create a style sheet based on their preferences and/or cookbook conventions.
Have culinary terms been used correctly? Chefs are often well-versed in culinary terms, but amateur cooks might not be. If an amateur cook has written a cookbook, I make sure all culinary terms have been used correctly. For example, should the onion be fried or sautéed? There are also other terms that may need to be explained to the uninitiated, like ‘bottarga’ (salted and dried tuna roe) or a preparation method like ‘dauphinoise’ (potato slices cooked in a creamy sauce). For more on culinary terms, see Gourmet Traveller’s The A–Z of cooking terms or Simply Recipes’ The A–Z Guide of Cooking Terms and Definitions.
If conversions are included, are they correct? To cater to different countries, kitchen equipment, requirements and preferences, recipes often require quantity or temperature conversions. For example, when you have a cup measurement, you’ll see the following: 1 cup/250 ml white wine. Authors usually include the equivalent, but not always. If they have, I’ll check it against my conversion tables. (Food publishers are often kind enough to provide these.) If they haven't, I'll insert them. If you want to add conversions before you submit your manuscript, check out these Australian conversion tables.
Is there too much repetition? Because recipes require you to keep adding ingredients to a dish, authors often fall into the trap of using the same words in the method, such as ‘place’ and ‘add’. This can make the text repetitive and dull. I often weed out too many repeated words and replace them with alternatives. For example, ‘add the crushed tomato to the pan’ may become ‘stir the crushed tomato into the pan’ or similar.
Do the prep and cooking times sound right? After editing the recipe, I review the prep and cooking times to make sure they look realistic. This is where cooking experience comes in handy! If I’ve made shortbread before, I’ll have a rough idea of how long it takes to prep the dough and bake the biscuits in the oven. Also, if the dish involves a lot of chopping, julienning or slicing, home cooks make take longer than a professional chef, so this needs to be factored in.
Do the servings look right? Knowing whether serving sizes look right comes down to instinct, experience and, sometimes, common sense. For example, will one whole chicken be enough to serve 6? In some cases, there are obvious errors, like listing two burger buns and having ‘serves 4’ at the top of the recipe. The author may have halved the recipe but forgotten to amend the serving size, so never take serving sizes for granted!
Does the recipe adhere to the publisher’s style guide? Most food publishers have a cookbook style guide that needs to be followed. I’ll ensure that this is applied consistently – and note any exceptions in my style sheet. If there isn’t a food style guide, I’ll note the writer’s preferences and make sure they’re consistent. I’ll also create a detailed style sheet to guide the proofreader or designer.
Stage 3: The proofread
Proofreading is the last stage of the editorial process. It happens after the book has been designed and typeset by the designer. When I’m proofreading a cookbook, I check all the points listed above and ensure that recipes are correctly cross-referenced. I also review the style sheet to ensure all spelling and style preferences have been applied consistently.
From a design point of view, I look for strange line breaks, missing content or alignment issues. I also check that the recipe photography matches the recipe and that it doesn’t include ingredients that weren’t listed in the recipe. (I once saw a dish garnished with peanuts when they should’ve been cashews.)
Typically, publishers don't use the same editor to copyedit and proofread. That's because the copyeditor (like the author) is too close to the text to spot outstanding errors. However, they may commission the copyeditor to take in author and proofreader corrections into InDesign files.
Final thoughts: Cookbook editing
As you can see, cookbook editing requires time, patience, judgement and skill, so it can’t be pawned off to a generalist editor. Not only do we perform a standard copyedit (like correcting spelling, grammar and clarity), but we also check the ingredient lists, conversions, quantities, serving sizes and other details to ensure home cooks get the best results in their home kitchen.
Are you a book publisher or self-publishing author looking for an experienced cookbook editor? I specialise in cookbook copyediting and proofreading (and I can help with some light developmental work too). Get in touch to discuss your next project or request a sample edit to get a feel for my style.
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