Money In Your Recipe Box? Check It Out

Old Family Recipe? (Pixabay)

Maybe you can cash in on inherited “family secret” recipes? Or could be you are creative in the kitchen and have invented some wonderful dish? How do you make money with an original recipe?

   I can’t promise you a ride on a guaranteed cash cow but I have researched some possibilities that may prove profitable.

 
There are publications and manufacturers willing to pay significant sums for original recipes. The thing is, their requirements usually go beyond a simple ingredient list with instructions and may be difficult for the beginner to deal with. They want details suited to a science project. We’ll get back to that, but first let’s consider some less demanding markets.

                      Gold in Them Contests

   How about taking a closer look at the many contests you could enter? There are prizes ranging from modest to substantial.

   For a gateway to contests sponsored by manufacturers and others, I was very impressed by the ContestCook website. When I clicked into the “Deadline” recipes section I got an informative display of current contests with links to the appropriate sites.  

   Cooking Contest Central is a similar site. The site boasts: “Millions of dollars in cash and prizes are up for grabs through recipe contests every year, and Cooking Contest Central is the key to winning.” They don’t offer something for nothing: It will cost you $25 for a one year membership.

   There are many other sites offering contest details or other useful information; check them out by searching “recipe contests” in your favorite search engine.

                      Pillsbury’s Millions

   One of the biggest contests is the Pillsbury Bake-Off. The company has paid out millions of dollars in prizes. A good idea of what constitutes a prize-winning recipe may be obtained at thePillsbury site.

   And here are some tips on how to win, from the lady who did just that with her unique pumpkin ravioli recipe. “I read food magazines, the newspaper food section, cookbooks and blogs.  When I go out to eat I study the menu.  I have been watching cooking shows since I was a teenager.” 

   The Internet seems a vast ocean of recipes; it is hard to imagine that there might be sites that would actually pay for them. But, in a small way, maybe so. I thought Recipay looked interesting. Your recipe (with photo) is submitted to a panel of judges. It appears that you have to sign up for their newsletter in order to learn what sort of recipes they want. Rewards are $10 or $15.

   Another avenue to pursue for possible paying markets would be your local library. There you will find magazines that offer prizes for “Recipe of the Month” or similar promotions. And your library should have a guidebook like “Writer’s Market” available to cruise for further ideas.

                      “Recipe Development”

   Earlier I mentioned the possibly difficult requirements of many publications and manufacturers that pay for recipes. The hassle is that you need a good understanding of recipe development to sell outright. For example, that means you have to be very thorough in describing how a dish is made, down to the size and shape of any cut pieces.

   Your recipe will likely be tested, so you need to add any notes that will help the test kitchen. Check out this site for tips from “Will Write For Food” author Dianne Jacob. 

By the way, there’s a great chapter on recipe development in Jacob’s book. She also recommends “The Recipe Writer’s Handbook” by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann and Jane L. Baker.

   Recipe development is a serious vocation as shown by fulltime opportunities listed on sites like SimplyHired. 

   There are other sites posting job offers available using a search engine and terms like “on line recipe writing jobs.”

                      The Really Big Bucks

   Maybe your recipe is so grand, it is beyond the realm of contests for prizes. It may be you have the greatest recipe to come down the pike since Kentucky Fried Chicken. It has happened. In that case you will want to be very cautious about proceeding.

   My personal experience is that many years ago I wrote to Nabisco with a suggested name for a line of crackers; a reply came from a lawyer saying Nabisco did not accept ideas from the general public. Within a very short time they were on the market with my idea. 

   Unfortunately the business world is shark-infested waters. So, to get some ideas on the steps involved in marketing your special recipe, check out the Chron site. 

   What kind of money are we talking about in the big leagues? Al Copeland developed the recipes featured by Popeyes restaurant chain. Until now, the chain paid annual royalties of $3.1 million to use the recipes. Most recently the firm bought the recipes outright from Copeland’s estate for an estimated $43 million dollars.