# Share Like a Pro: How to Post Recipes, Photos and Crowd-Pleasing Dishes That Actually Get Made — Chef Mac

Sharing food online should feel like passing a plate to a friend — warm, helpful, and just a little bit exciting. Over the years in restaurants and at home, I learned that a great recipe is only halfway there. The other half is how you give it to people: clear, usable, and encouraging. Here’s the how and the why behind the small habits that make food posts get cooked, not just liked.

## Why paste the recipe as plain text

Links are convenient for traffic, but they don’t replace the recipe itself. People cook from phones, screenshots, and memory. Paste the full recipe (ingredients + steps) into your post so readers can use it immediately.

– Plain text is searchable and copyable. People want to hit ctrl-c and go.
– It survives link rot — ten years from now your dish still lives.
– Forums and moderators often require a full recipe to keep things usable and fair.

But there’s another reason: reproducibility. A recipe that’s easy to read and follow gives the cook confidence. Confidence leads to success. Success leads to repeat cooks and enthusiastic shares. That’s how a dish becomes part of someone’s weeknight rotation.

## When you post: title, tags, and clarity

Make the title tell the story. Specific beats vague every time. “Weeknight Beef Bourguignon” tells someone what it is and when it fits; “Dinner!” tells them nothing.

Tags should flag dietary needs and the occasion: vegetarian, gluten-free, make-ahead, freezer-friendly. If you’re posting in a community, check the rules for image sizes, whether video is welcome, and if the group wants the recipe pasted.

Include prep time, cook time, servings, and a short note for reheating or kid-friendly swaps. These small details are the usability layer that turns inspiration into action.

## Make your food photos work for you

Great food photos don’t require a pro camera — just a little consideration.

– Good lighting: natural window light is the easiest and most forgiving option. Shoot near a big window and avoid harsh overhead bulbs.
– Angle: a 45-degree or overhead shot works for most dishes. Soups and layered bowls often like overhead; plated mains look good at 45 degrees.
– Simple plating: one dish centered, minimal clutter, and a clean edge on the plate. Wipe drips.
– Texture and steam: if it’s hot, capture a cloud of steam or a glossy finish to suggest warmth. Props should help tell the story, not steal it.

Step shots are useful but keep them clear and sequential. One hero image plus 1–2 process images covers most needs.

## The cooking techniques behind shareable recipes

Knowing the why makes the how easier to remember and adapt.

– Browning in batches: when you brown meat or aromatics, crowding the pan lowers the surface temperature and you end up steaming, not searing. Searing builds flavor through the Maillard reaction—those brown bits are concentrated taste.

– Season as you go: salt early and in stages. It compounds. Taste at the end and adjust, but don’t make the mistake of waiting until plating to season.

– Resting and carrying: if you’re photographing a roast or a plated dish, let it rest. Juices redistribute, textures settle, and the final photo represents how it will be eaten.

– Mise en place for scaling: write ingredient amounts in both volume and weight when possible. Home cooks have different tools; grams and cups both help reproducibility.

– Make-ahead mind-set: many great dishes improve after a rest. Stews, lasagnas, and many baked goods only benefit from a night in the fridge. Tell readers that’s an option.

## Cultural context: sharing as hospitality

Recipe-sharing online is the modern equivalent of handing someone a plate and the story behind it. Credit sources, note cultural origins, and be generous with substitutions for ingredients that might be regional or seasonal. Clear labeling for allergens is not only polite, it helps people include others at the table.

There’s also a democratizing trend: more people are cooking from what they see on phones and social platforms. That shifts the responsibility to us as sharers to make recipes usable, honest, and respectful of traditions.

## Practical tips you can use right away

– Paste the recipe as plain text in the post body. Don’t rely on a link.
– Lead with the most useful details: title, servings, times, diet flags.
– Explain unfamiliar steps briefly (what is “deglaze”? Pour a little liquid into a hot pan and scrape the brown bits—they’re flavor).
– Include reheating and storage notes.
– Offer one swap for common needs (alcohol-free, vegan, gluten-free).

## Three easy recipes you can paste (plain text)

Below are ready-to-copy recipes: short, honest, and family-friendly. Paste these into a post or message — no link required.

### Weeknight Beef Bourguignon (simplified)
Serves 4 • Active prep 20 min • Cook 2–2.5 hours
Ingredients:
– 2 lb beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
– Salt & pepper
– 2 tbsp oil
– 4 slices bacon, chopped
– 1 onion, chopped
– 2 carrots, chopped
– 2 tbsp tomato paste
– 2 cups red wine (or beef broth if avoiding alcohol)
– 2 cups beef stock
– 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp thyme
– 8 oz mushrooms, halved
– 12 pearl onions or 1 small white onion, quartered
– Mashed potatoes, for serving

Steps:
1. Season beef and brown in batches in oil; set aside.
2. Cook bacon, then add onion and carrot until softened. Stir in tomato paste.
3. Return beef to pot. Add wine and stock, herbs. Bring to a simmer, cover, and bake at 325°F (or simmer on low) for 2 hours until tender.
4. Sauté mushrooms and pearl onions separately, add to stew, cook 20–30 min more. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Quick notes: Make extra — it freezes well.

### Arancini — Crispy Risotto Balls (make-ahead snack)
Makes ~12 • Prep 30 min + cooling • Fry 6–8 min per batch
Ingredients:
– 3 cups leftover risotto (cooled) or cooked rice + 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
– 1 egg
– 8–12 mozzarella cubes
– 1 cup flour, 2 eggs beaten, 1.5 cups breadcrumbs
– Oil for frying

Steps:
1. Mix cooled risotto with egg and Parmesan. Shape a tablespoon into a ball, press a mozzarella cube inside and seal.
2. Dredge in flour, dip in beaten egg, roll in breadcrumbs.
3. Fry in hot oil until golden (3–4 min each side). Drain on paper towel.

Make-ahead tip: Freeze before frying and cook from frozen for parties.

### Vegetarian Office Birthday Menu (easy crowd-pleasers)
Ideas that travel, feed a crowd, and don’t require deep frying or last-minute assembly:
– Baked vegetarian lasagna (make in a disposable tray)
– Roasted vegetable platter with hummus and flatbreads
– Mixed green salad with lemon-tahini dressing on the side
– A platter of mini arancini (see above, use mushroom filling)
– Simple sheet-pan desserts: baked apples with cinnamon, or brownie squares

Keep labels for dietary restrictions and pack reheating instructions. Make sure items are easy to eat at a desk with minimal cutlery.

## Polish your post — and your dish

When you’re done cooking and ready to share: paste the recipe into your post, add a clear title, one polished photo, and a few serving tips. If you link to a blog or video, include it but don’t rely on it alone. Give readers the quick, usable version right there.

Treat recipe-sharing like hospitality: give people everything they need to enjoy the dish — clear title, plain-text recipe, helpful photo, and a quick tip or two. Do that, and your posts will be reader-friendly, save moderators time, and get made (and loved) again and again.

Which recipe will you paste as plain text the next time you share, and what little change would make it even easier for someone else to cook?