Recipe Research

Recipe Content

Title: Sticky Rice Cake

Description: Traditionally made as a dessert for Chinese new year, sticky rice cakes (年糕) are a soft and chewy dessert that come with a variety of sweet fillings like red bean, black sesame, or lotus root paste. This recipe is a favorite among me, my sister, and my parents (and other people I guess). It's easy to make and tastes amazing (arguably)!

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 0.75 cups oil
• 1 lb glutinous rice flour
• 1.25 tsp baking powder
• Filling of choice (black sesame, red bean, lotus seed paste, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix wet ingredients (milk, eggs, oil) together in a large bowl.
3. Gradually add sticky rice flour into wet ingredients, a little at a time, mixing between each addition.
4. Mix in baking powder and set aside. The batter should be thick but not doughy.
5. Line a oven-safe baking dish with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. The exact dimensions/shape/material don't really matter (square, rectangle, round, cake pan, glass dish, etc.), as long as it's >5cm deep.
6. Pour half of batter mixture into pan, ensuring it is flat.
7. Spread a layer of filling on top of batter, then pour remaining batter on top, ensuring all filling is covered.
8. Bake for 20-40 minutes (depending on pan size) or until the top/edges start turning golden brown (or until it looks done using your best judgement).
9. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting/serving. Can be refrigerated or stored at room temperature (microwave/reheat before consuming for best results).

Source: Personal experience and https://bbs.wenxuecity.com/cooking/578224.html

Sample Imagery

Recipe Websites

1. Sally's Baking Addiction's recipe for muffins is a cozy, welcoming website. However, I would rather not scroll halfway down the page to reach the actual instructions, which is buried among random information like pictures of ingredients (I hope people know what eggs look like) or a cookbook advertisement. When I search for a recipe online, I'm not looking for a personal backstory; maybe this website would appeal to other people more.
2. I like how the NYT Cooking's recipe for chicken is very straightforward. Unlike many other sites, it doesn't bombard you with (arguably) useless information. It gets straight to the point and lists ingredients/instructions at the top of the page in a minimalist yet effective layout, and it includes user reviews further down the page. The typography and color palette might be too bland for some people.
3. This AllRecipes recipe for rice falls somewhere in the middle of the previous two sites. While it does include ingredient introductions that are arguably irrelevant (I hope people know what butter is), there is also a "Jump to Recipe" button that skips directly to the instructions. Also, I like how there are pictures and videos for each step along the way; it eliminates potential confusion and provudes a point of reference.

Non-Recipe Websites

1. WashU's BSME page communicates a lot of information very concisely. While the website is quite text heavy, it's clear that some thought was put into the font, colors, and overall spacing. I like how there is a sidebar with expandable panels; it allows for even more information to be included without adding too much clutter. I might want less important information to be hidden by default but visible after some type of user interaction.
2. Google Keep is an intuitive website for making quick notes and lists. I think it's cool how each "note" has a custom border and size depending on its content; it makes the site "feel" like a literal bulletin board with sticky notes attached to it. You're able to see a preview of each note's information from the home screen, and clicking into a single note shows more of its content. I'll probably take inspiration from the minimalist style choices.
3. I like that the Chrome Web Store's Help Page is very structured. The headings and subheadings have font sizes according to their importance, and the help instructions are presented throughly in a numbered list. Quotations, font weight, font color, and icons are all used in a logical way that enhance intuitiveness. There is also a list of links to several related sites; I could see a sidebar feature like this being useful for a recipe website.