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.

Really? I've never heard of it in my soon-to-be 63 years on this
planet. And I don't think I'd care for it. However, I still say
that would be the exception, rather than the rule. So any applesauce
recipes where they want the peels left on should state that.

> 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>

Well, I would say "2 c. of chopped walnuts" (actually I would say
2 c. of chopped almonds since I hate walnuts) since it goes
without saying that the nuts have been shelled. For one thing
there is no way you could chop a walnut while it was still in
the shell. ;-)

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?