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Recipe Standards

Every permanent recipe should answer these questions:

  • Why does this recipe belong in the family cookbook?
  • When do we actually cook it?
  • What makes the Kester version different from a generic version?
  • What parts can be prepped ahead?
  • How does it become leftovers, lunches, or 2:00 AM work meals?
  • If it has a planned transformation, what second meal is it designed to become?
  • Does it cook clearly from the format used in the kitchen, especially AnyList?
  • What should not be changed because it matters?

Preferred Recipe Structure

  1. Title
  2. Metadata
  3. Why This Recipe Belongs
  4. Status and Testing Notes
  5. Servings
  6. Time
  7. Ingredients
  8. Method
  9. Make-Ahead Notes
  10. Leftovers / Work Box Notes
  11. Planned Transformation, when applicable
  12. Cooking Feedback
  13. Variations
  14. What Matters
  15. Revision Notes

Approval Checklist

Before a recipe becomes approved, it should meet these standards:

  • It has been cooked or meaningfully tested by the family.
  • The instructions match how the family actually cooks it.
  • The ingredients are specific enough to shop from.
  • The recipe has a clear role in dinners, work boxes, sides, sauces, breakfasts, or staples.
  • Leftover and work-box usefulness is documented.
  • If the recipe claims a planned transformation, both the dinner and the transformation have been tested.
  • The recipe includes only realistic variations.
  • The recipe is better than keeping a generic outside version.
  • The recipe has been cooked successfully from the version the family will actually use in the kitchen, preferably AnyList.

Transformation Readiness

A transformation is not a leftover note. It is an intentional next meal.

Before marking a recipe as transformation-ready, it should identify:

  • The name of the second meal.
  • Which dinner components are intentionally saved.
  • Any additional ingredients needed for the transformation.
  • What should be packed or stored separately.
  • What should be done before leaving for work.
  • What should happen at work or at 2:00 AM.

AnyList Readiness

A recipe does not need to be approved before it enters AnyList. In many cases, AnyList is part of testing.

Before importing into AnyList, the recipe should have:

  • Clean ingredients.
  • Clear step order.
  • Reasonable timing.
  • Minimal editorial clutter.
  • A working published URL if importing from the site.

Editorial Rule

A recipe should not become permanent just because it was cooked once. It should become permanent because it earned a place in the family rotation and works in the tools the family actually uses.

Quality Bias

Favor improving existing recipes over adding new ones. The cookbook should become a smaller collection of trusted family recipes rather than a large archive of untested ideas.