How to read a recipe table
Ingredients run down the left column. Reading left to right, each box is one step that takes everything to its left and turns it into one thing. The rightmost box is the finished dish.
A box that spans several rows means those rows get combined in that step. Steps stacked in the same column happen independently, so you can do them in any order (or at the same time, if you have the hands for it).
Times inside a box are for that step only. Detail under a verb is the how: heat level, size, texture to look for.
Example: Buttermilk Pancakes
| 2 cups all-purpose flour | whisk in large bowl | fold in large bowl just until no dry streaks, lumps are fine | rest in large bowl 5 min | cook in skillet 1/3 cup each, flip when bubbles pop 4 min |
| 2 tbsp sugar | ||||
| 2 tsp baking powder | ||||
| 1/2 tsp baking soda | ||||
| 1/2 tsp salt | ||||
| 2 cups buttermilk | whisk in bowl | |||
| 2 eggs | ||||
| 3 tbsp butter, melted, slightly cooled | ||||
| 1 tbsp butter, for the pan | heat in skillet medium, until butter foams | |||
Why tables
Prose recipes hide the structure. Which things get mixed together? What can be done ahead? How many bowls is this? A table answers all three at a glance, and it fits on a phone screen without scrolling past a story about someone's grandmother.
The format was popularised by Michael Chu at Cooking For Engineers. This site applies it to recipes from across the web and links every one back to its source.