Techniques for Faster Submissions of Contest Recipes

I am not at all PC proficient, and for a year or so, I struggled every time I painstakingly entered a Recipe into 52. But I have developed some techniques for this that makes the whole process much faster, and that might be helpful to some 52ers. Plse add yours too!

Here's what I do:
- Write my recipe into a Word Document, give it a file title
that begins with "RECIPE" and Save the recipe after it is entered.
-- Print a copy of my recipe
-- Click the 52 Current Contest page and click 'Enter New Recipe'.
-- Click the recipe format you choose out of the three options
-- Cut and paste the entire recipe- Title, Author's Notes, Ingredients and Instructions, into the top Instructions box
--Cut and paste the entire recipe- Title, Author's Notes, Ingredients and Instructions, into the second Instructions box (this is your back-up copy, for checking and fixing mistakes)
--Cut and Paste (or Highlight,Drag and Release) both the Title and the Author's Notes- from the top Instructions box into their own boxes at the top of the Recipe.
-- Cut and Paste or Highlight, Drag and Release- each ingredient line into the one long box for each ingredient. Ex: "8 cups white flour" (no need to enter "8" and "cups" into their own separate boxes)
--If you have been using Cut and Paste, you now delete all the ingredients from the top Instructions box where you originally transferred them. If you have been using the Highlight and Drag, those items will no longer be in the top Instructions box.
-- Delete the recipe that was originally transferred into the second Instructions box for back up..
--Separate and move the various instructions parts into their appropriate Instructions boxes.

-- Fill out the rest of the form.
-- Double check and fix all parts of the entered recipe against your printed copy.

Plse add any techniques or short cuts that you have!

LeBec Fin
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8 Comments

Panfusine February 11, 2014
I concur with Le Bec Fin's technique, especially if the recipe was already written up and posted for my blog. The converse works great as well. Hit Print on your recipe on the F52 page, Copy the entire text that pops up after getting rid of the printer window. and then use where ever you need to. The quality of the format in the F52 recipe writing page is awesome.
 
AntoniaJames February 11, 2014
I do what June does, using control/command key shortcuts whenever possible. It's a bit tedious, but it's a small price to pay for the site's not being loaded up with junky "recipes". (The system was actually designed to reduce if not prevent entirely such wholesale clutter.) ;o)
 
ChefJune February 11, 2014
Yes, I go back and forth between 2 screens.
 
LeBec F. February 11, 2014
june and aj, you don't think it would be easier for you to not have to cut and paste between 2 screens? that's what i was shortcutting by having everything on 1 page- both the source of the cut and paste , and the final destination of the cut and paste.
 
AntoniaJames February 11, 2014
LBF, I've done it your way but find the side to side to be much more reliable. It's not easier because it's easier for me to confirm immediately that I've gotten it right the first time. By way of explanation however I might add that I draft and edit for a living as a lawyer who negotiates contracts and provides/redlines/edits all associated documentation. I constantly work with documents sitting side by side. I'm also extremely adept at using command keys as time savers for projects involving text on screens. As with so many other things, there is no single "right" or even "best" way to do this, other than what the individual is most comfortable doing efficiently. ;o)
 
Author Comment
I agree. So many steps are unnecessary. Putting a recipe into word doc is a good idea anyway, just in case there are technical difficulties experienced when a cook attempts to enter a recipe using the food52 recipe submission form, and the submission does not go through. That seldom happens, but it can be frustrating when it does occur.
 
ChefJune February 11, 2014
That sounds complicated, Mindy. All my recipes are already in Word format. I just copy and paste into the appropriate boxes. Only takes a long time if it's a long recipe.
 
LeBec F. February 11, 2014
june, are you switching screens to do that?
 
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