As someone who reads a cookbook as though it’s a novel, I love the headnotes and can’t understand this trend towards shorter/fewer/no headnotes on recipes. Where else would I learn about the cook’s inspiration, or methodology? Or even alternate cooking suggestions if, say, I live in a different country than the author and cook with gas and not electric or what have you? The best books have the best headnotes that tell me about the cook’s inspiration behind the recipe—which tells me more about the recipe than a list of ingredients could ever do alone. Just my opinion, but I’d be less inclined to pick up a book that was thin on the notes. I love the personality and backstory that comes through, and yes, the attribution!
You just have to watch something like British Bake Off to see there’s very little true innovation in recipes. The chemistry of a recipe works with certain ratios and functional ingredients, so you’re really quite limited. Innovation may be a lot to do with presentation.
I’m an IP professional. Not so much copyright, but that does seem to be the only protection for a recipe, although patents are full of recipes of one kind or another, not necessarily food.
If I was to publish a cookbook, the least I could do was say where I saw it or ate it, even if I made alterations to it. You have to give some attribution. Must give…
I agree about the chemistry point but, having said that, I'm testing lots of different basque cheesecake recipes at the moment and they can be very different from writer to writer! My feeling, which I try to get across using Grigson/Hopkinson, is that it's probably up to the writer to attribute out of a kind of moral obligation as opposed to legal, if that makes sense.
This was so interesting to read. I'm a librarian, and while cookbooks are not my specialty area (I work in an elementary school, ha), my book friends and I talk about AI stealing content all the time. It's appalling how it was just able to "learn" (such a nice, innocent word) from thousand's of writers' works with absolutely no permission, and then use that with zero attribution.
I've wondered before the legality behind sharing viral recipes on blogs, socials, etc., so thank you for these insights! I'm always intrigued when I watch the Bake Off about how similar recipes can be while also creating something totally fresh--or sometimes one recipe works and another just flops in the moment. TBH, cooking and baking often aren't given enough respect, especially on the recipe development side. It's so interesting.
Just my thoughts, but this makes sense to me. If a writer knows they have clear inspiration from another written source that hes helped make their recipe possible, it feels right to me they’d mention it. Thanks for reading, Kristin.
And thank you, Avi, for reading and the comment. I have read the accusations you're referring to but my imaginary lawyer advised I not bring up that in my article.
Thank you Will for this thought provoking take! It's a thorny issue and I can see both sides of it.
I love that have you given me permission to write more about the other writers and chefs who have inspired, and well, taught me how to bake and cook. I always do my best to attribute but worry it will be boring for the reader. They will just want to jump to the recipe, etc. That it's not a simple 'memeable' narrative. That they don't want to hear about the seven books I read and practiced from. Or advice I've been given while learning from or working with other pastry chefs. But you are absolutely right here, it is a resource for the reader! It doesn't make me any less of a baker. Even the most prominent pastry chefs in the world learnt from someone - and that journey can be one of interest.
Also, your cheesecake recipe sounds very exciting. Looking forward to it.
Home cooks want a method and a list of ingredients with measures that will get them the result that looks like the "picture." People sell cookbooks based on the size and appeal of their online persona and the way their food looks on social media, not because they have invented the best way to make pate-a-choux or somehow made a Wellington simple and quick to complete.
Apparently your cookbook can be successful with unattributed recipes and ingredients lists because your social media following wants to support you--even if you stole the relatively mundane content. Sorry cookbook authors, but what recipes and methods you publish are really original and don't warrant a footnote about inspiration?
We've just endured a local controversy over a caramel slice recipe. Both women have high online followers and lucrative publishing deals. They're both making a lot of money, in other words. I'm confident that neither of them invented the caramel slice.
Indeed. It's been a Woman's Weekly staple for eons and is so similar to Millionaire's shortbread, that even the Woman's Weekly most likely borrowed it.
I think we might be talking about the same people. I think the argument in this case was that one author made a “new caramel slice recipe” using slightly different ingredients (different from the standard maybe? I cant remember) and then she saw that same slightly unique recipe printed by the second author. So, not so much about who invented the caramel slice but the particular way of doing it. Seems very difficult to make rules about this I think. It isn’t a writers job to spend hours looking for an existing recipe that just might be similar to theirs.
Not especially different. The accused had been making and selling her slice for four years prior to the accuser publishing a recipe. Both had the same ingredients and method. Another recipe was also allegedly copied. Then someone accused the first accuser of copying a recipe.
I appreciate you're being pedantic about my flippant comment about invention. You're being literal. My point was the petty nastiness of it, the hubris. I'll leave it at that.
Dont mean to be pedantic. Just find it interesting that this case isn't even about the "dish" itself but the intricate detail of ingredients. Seems very difficult to claim ownership over.
Most of the absurd amount of media coverage emphasised the identical method. I won't add any jokes, they'd be misinterpreted, although Australians are usually better than this level of nonsense. As happens these days, the accused was inundated with hate. No one was doing due diligence. It was a grubby incident.
As someone who reads a cookbook as though it’s a novel, I love the headnotes and can’t understand this trend towards shorter/fewer/no headnotes on recipes. Where else would I learn about the cook’s inspiration, or methodology? Or even alternate cooking suggestions if, say, I live in a different country than the author and cook with gas and not electric or what have you? The best books have the best headnotes that tell me about the cook’s inspiration behind the recipe—which tells me more about the recipe than a list of ingredients could ever do alone. Just my opinion, but I’d be less inclined to pick up a book that was thin on the notes. I love the personality and backstory that comes through, and yes, the attribution!
No surprise that I agree with you totally. Thanks!
You just have to watch something like British Bake Off to see there’s very little true innovation in recipes. The chemistry of a recipe works with certain ratios and functional ingredients, so you’re really quite limited. Innovation may be a lot to do with presentation.
I’m an IP professional. Not so much copyright, but that does seem to be the only protection for a recipe, although patents are full of recipes of one kind or another, not necessarily food.
If I was to publish a cookbook, the least I could do was say where I saw it or ate it, even if I made alterations to it. You have to give some attribution. Must give…
I agree about the chemistry point but, having said that, I'm testing lots of different basque cheesecake recipes at the moment and they can be very different from writer to writer! My feeling, which I try to get across using Grigson/Hopkinson, is that it's probably up to the writer to attribute out of a kind of moral obligation as opposed to legal, if that makes sense.
This was so interesting to read. I'm a librarian, and while cookbooks are not my specialty area (I work in an elementary school, ha), my book friends and I talk about AI stealing content all the time. It's appalling how it was just able to "learn" (such a nice, innocent word) from thousand's of writers' works with absolutely no permission, and then use that with zero attribution.
I've wondered before the legality behind sharing viral recipes on blogs, socials, etc., so thank you for these insights! I'm always intrigued when I watch the Bake Off about how similar recipes can be while also creating something totally fresh--or sometimes one recipe works and another just flops in the moment. TBH, cooking and baking often aren't given enough respect, especially on the recipe development side. It's so interesting.
Just my thoughts, but this makes sense to me. If a writer knows they have clear inspiration from another written source that hes helped make their recipe possible, it feels right to me they’d mention it. Thanks for reading, Kristin.
Great post, and really truly great to have voices in the food world that aren't Weissman's and that call him out for his recipe-stealing nonsense.
Thanks Wil!
And thank you, Avi, for reading and the comment. I have read the accusations you're referring to but my imaginary lawyer advised I not bring up that in my article.
Thank you Will for this thought provoking take! It's a thorny issue and I can see both sides of it.
I love that have you given me permission to write more about the other writers and chefs who have inspired, and well, taught me how to bake and cook. I always do my best to attribute but worry it will be boring for the reader. They will just want to jump to the recipe, etc. That it's not a simple 'memeable' narrative. That they don't want to hear about the seven books I read and practiced from. Or advice I've been given while learning from or working with other pastry chefs. But you are absolutely right here, it is a resource for the reader! It doesn't make me any less of a baker. Even the most prominent pastry chefs in the world learnt from someone - and that journey can be one of interest.
Also, your cheesecake recipe sounds very exciting. Looking forward to it.
Thank you so much. I just this minute read this brilliant essay which makes our point really well also. https://www.ft.com/content/8fc43dcb-c61c-4099-99ce-d01fee409d57
Another good post from the insufferable Wil!
Home cooks want a method and a list of ingredients with measures that will get them the result that looks like the "picture." People sell cookbooks based on the size and appeal of their online persona and the way their food looks on social media, not because they have invented the best way to make pate-a-choux or somehow made a Wellington simple and quick to complete.
Apparently your cookbook can be successful with unattributed recipes and ingredients lists because your social media following wants to support you--even if you stole the relatively mundane content. Sorry cookbook authors, but what recipes and methods you publish are really original and don't warrant a footnote about inspiration?
Haha, yeah im not here to make friends (he says wishing everyone would love him)
Whatever you do, don't write a cookbook. [disclaimer, I can count my cookbooks on my fingers, LOL] Keep up the insufferable work, Wil. I love it.
Ah, thanks John. Much appreciated
We've just endured a local controversy over a caramel slice recipe. Both women have high online followers and lucrative publishing deals. They're both making a lot of money, in other words. I'm confident that neither of them invented the caramel slice.
Indeed. It's been a Woman's Weekly staple for eons and is so similar to Millionaire's shortbread, that even the Woman's Weekly most likely borrowed it.
I think we might be talking about the same people. I think the argument in this case was that one author made a “new caramel slice recipe” using slightly different ingredients (different from the standard maybe? I cant remember) and then she saw that same slightly unique recipe printed by the second author. So, not so much about who invented the caramel slice but the particular way of doing it. Seems very difficult to make rules about this I think. It isn’t a writers job to spend hours looking for an existing recipe that just might be similar to theirs.
Not especially different. The accused had been making and selling her slice for four years prior to the accuser publishing a recipe. Both had the same ingredients and method. Another recipe was also allegedly copied. Then someone accused the first accuser of copying a recipe.
I appreciate you're being pedantic about my flippant comment about invention. You're being literal. My point was the petty nastiness of it, the hubris. I'll leave it at that.
Dont mean to be pedantic. Just find it interesting that this case isn't even about the "dish" itself but the intricate detail of ingredients. Seems very difficult to claim ownership over.
Most of the absurd amount of media coverage emphasised the identical method. I won't add any jokes, they'd be misinterpreted, although Australians are usually better than this level of nonsense. As happens these days, the accused was inundated with hate. No one was doing due diligence. It was a grubby incident.