On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 16:47:30 -0500, Janet wrote:

> blake murphy wrote:
>
>> i have some sympathy for what you are saying, and when you give a
>> recipe verbally, you know who you're talking to and what to omit.
>>
>> but when writing something down, the extra effort to make things
>> explicit isn't that great, and the audience to whom it will be useful
>> is probably greater. i think we've all read complaints about
>> grandma's recipes where the amounts or procedures are vague because
>> *she* didn't need to be reminded of them.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> It is also true that while it is a duh to assume that apples are peeled for
> pie, it is not so obvious for, say applesauce, where the skin is often left
> on to color it.
>
> And sometimes people make preserved/candied fruits from canned
> fruit--candied pineapple being a notable example.
>
> I don't think it matters in this case, since the precise quantities probably
> aren't important for success, but sometimes people write recipes that make
> it unclear whether they mean the measure by weight or volume to be taken
> before or after some step such as peeling and coring or chopping the item,
> as in:
>
> 2 cups of shelled walnuts, chopped
>
> vs
>
> 2 cups of walnuts, shelled and chopped
>
> vs
>
> 2 cups of shelled and chopped walnuts.
>
> Maybe it's the former technical writer in me. <G>

writing instructions of any kind is hard. you really have to be careful to
make sure what you wrote is what you meant.

your pal,
blake