How to use the RecipeWriter the right way.
Now that your brand new blog is ready, let’s get right on to how to use the RecipeWriter on Cucumbertown.
In case you are wondering what Cucumbertown is and why you should even consider using it for your food blog, read the post below:
Now that we have that cleared out, let’s move on to writing your very first blog post!
The Route to the RecipeWriter:
This is your Dashboard. Here is where all your metrics will appear as and when you start publishing content.
To write a new post you can either go to the pink button that says ‘New Post’ or use the dropdown from your blog name to get to it.
Introducing the RecipeWriter!
By default, the ‘New Post’ leads to the RecipeWriter, where you write your recipe. There are slots provided for the ingredients and the steps of preparation and in case you are preparing a recipe you found on Cucumbertown, you can also credit the recipe.
The Dish and the Post
As you can see, there are two options that appear on the header.
The Dish and Post, Dish is where you write the posts with the recipes. In case you want to write about anything other than a recipe, you can write it under Post (This is for the amazing stories that bloggers tell or the several lists that we all make).
Keep the images and the recipe handy for you to put them down. (You could either upload the images as you go or upload them later depending on your method of writing.)
The Cover Image
To upload the cover image, click on the icon above ‘Name the dish’.
This is where your cover image will appear.
In case you want to change your cover image, hover over the image and click on ‘Change cover’, upload the image of your choice.
Select the cover image and voilà, the cover image gets updated.
If you have a story to tell, you could just type it down before proceeding to the ‘Add Preparation Details’ section. To add images in between the post go to a new line and click on the ‘+’ that appears on the left-hand side and click on the image icon to select the image you want to post.
The Recipe
Start writing the recipe by clicking on ‘ Add preparation details’ and watch the RecipeWriter expand into:
Add your ingredients, their portions. You will see the RecipeWriter adapt to the way you type, no matter the order you type it.
Add the cooking instructions under Steps. The instructions are numbered automatically. For adding images of each step of preparation, you can add them under each step by clicking on the image icon that appears next to each step.
When you are done with all the steps and adding the images you may fill in the ‘Summary’
In case you are trying out a recipe on Cucumbertown and writing about it, you may just click on ‘Add a Credit’. When crediting another recipe, preparation details you have entered will be removed. If you wish to add specifics (eg. alternate ingredients or steps), you will have to enter them as part of the description.
The Meta-Description:
After you are done reviewing the recipe hit publish.
You will have the option to change the Meta-Description.
This is the 160 character description of the contents of the page. This is the text that will be picked up by Google during search and it’s also the text that appears while sharing on social media platforms such as Facebook. Read more here.
Add the different categories that your recipe belongs to and click on publish! You may now start sharing your recipe on all the Social Media sites. Yay!
Wait! What about long pins for Pinterest? How do I add long pins to my post and hid it? Read about it here:
More on the How-to series coming soon!
