Recently, we came across a YouTube video by the author, entrepreneur and coffee lover; James Hoffmann who is on a mission to find YouTube’s Best Tiramisu. Not only did the video ignite a craving for tiramisu, but we also found it interesting to hear James’ opinion on how the different recipes either did or did not help him getting to the final product and what we can learn to improve the quality of our how-tos.
Recipe Titles That Create Expectations (The right ones)
The title is what first catches the user’s attention and serves an indicator of the content to expect. As a tiramisu recipe part of Basic with Babish series, the user would naturally assume that Binging With Babish’s tiramisu recipe is simple and straightforward. However, the recipe turned out to be quite the opposite. James uses terms like “complex”, “chaotic” and “strange” to describe the process.
Lack Of Clarity (Instructions that create clarity, not confusion)
Binging With Babish’s recipe suggested using either “very strong coffee” or “espresso”, which James pointed out as different things (very different things). This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and inconsistent results for those attempting to recreate the recipe, that will end in a bad experience.
Ambiguous Measures (Measurements that can be measured)
These recipe creators have all fallen into the trap of assumed knowledge, meaning that they assume what they are saying is going to be understood in the same way by others. For instance, Le Beccherie’s tiramisu recipe suggests adding “coffee to taste”, which literally means as much as you like. While some experienced cooks may feel comfortable relying on their intuition, the less experienced may struggle with the right amount of coffee, to achieve the right flavour balance. Providing more precise measurements or suggested range (eg. 1 espresso for standard, 2 for very strong) will improve the likelihood of successful results.
Brian Lagerstrom’s recipe suggested to use 650 grams of espresso, but James felt that was more than needed, especially compared to the other recipes using a much smaller quantity. Likewise, while Le Beccherie advised arranging 30 biscuits in a row, James ended up using only seven.
Excessive Work (The Organization of the How-to affects the experience)
James liked the organization of Claire Saffitz’s recipe, as it allowed him to follow the steps without needing to wash things up along the way. This was in contrast to Binging With Babish’s recipe, which either required multiple bowls or washing one bowl several times during the process.
Cultural Expectations (My biscuit is not your biscuit)
Recipes are often identified with a specific region, they change when people make them in different parts of the world due to cultural influences and ingredient availability. James talks a lot about the ladyfingers (spongecake) and highlights the variations existing in the different recipes. He mentions that Joshua Weissman’s ladyfingers are “wetter” and “less dry” compared to proper ladyfingers. For example, the traditional Italian savoiardi biscuits differ from the British version of ladyfingers. Even within Italy, the biscuits can vary. In Sardinia, they are slightly larger, flatter and harder, while the Sicilian version has a more rustic look. Similarly, when it comes to coffee, it will differ in taste, intensity and volume depending on the person being asked.
How-toers International
Back in the pre-internet, when an American cook-book was sold in the UK, it would be localized, and not just because of the differences in languages and measurements, but to make sure that terms coincided with the local use. A cup of coffee is a cup of coffee for anybody you ask, but how that is made, how much liquid it has and how it is served is very different from person to person even, but especially from country to country.
Now we have the internet and anybody from anywhere can follow your recipe or how-to, and while it’s fine that as a how-toer you are focussing on your market, being a bit more precise will guarantee a much better experience for everybody and make you more successful.
