About — The Craft Table

Our Story

Why We Started

The Craft Table was founded in 2019 by three food writers who were tired of recipes that didn't actually work — recipes that had been styled for a photograph rather than calibrated for a real kitchen.

We believed — and still believe — that the majority of cooking content online is written for the person in the photo, not the person at the stove. Ingredients listed without weights. Timing that assumed professional equipment. Steps that skipped the hard parts because they're easier to describe once than to test until they're reliable.

So we started over. Every recipe in our collection has been made in a standard home kitchen, using a consumer-grade oven, by a real person without a culinary degree. We test until it works. Then we test it again at altitude, in a fan oven, and with the ingredient swap that someone will definitely make.

That's the whole thing. We just think a recipe should work.

Editorial Standards

What We Stand For

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Rigorous Testing

Every recipe is tested a minimum of three times. Major recipes — anything with long cook times or complex technique — are tested five or more times across different cooks and kitchen setups.

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Weights, Not Just Volumes

We provide gram measurements for all baking recipes and strongly recommend weight over volume for savoury cooking too. A cup of flour is not a unit of measurement. It's a gesture.

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No Omissions

We write the step where things usually go wrong. If a custard tends to curdle at 85°C, we say that — and tell you what to do if it starts to. Recipes without failure points aren't recipes. They're idealisations.

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No Native Advertising

We do not accept paid recipe placements or sponsored content disguised as editorial. Brands may advertise in clearly labelled ad units only. Our editorial team has no commercial relationship with any brand we cover.

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Ingredient Honesty

We don't call for "good olive oil" without telling you what that means. We source seasonally and regionally where possible, and we explain substitutions rather than ignoring them.

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Teach, Don't Just Tell

Every recipe is an opportunity to explain why the method works. A cook who understands the principle doesn't need to follow the recipe exactly — they can adapt it.

The People

Our Editorial Team

Maya Reyes

Senior Editor, Reporting

Food policy, agricultural supply chains, and restaurant economics. Formerly NYT Food and Bon Appétit.

James Park

Head of Recipe Development

15 years in professional kitchens before moving to food media. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America.

Sofia Chen

Technology & Nutrition Editor

Registered dietitian and food scientist. Covers the intersection of nutrition science, food technology, and everyday cooking.

Daniel Marsh

Sustainability Editor

Covers regenerative agriculture, food systems, and environmental policy. Former correspondent for Civil Eats.

How Recipes Get Here

The Testing Process

1

Development

A recipe concept is proposed, sourced, and drafted by a recipe developer. Initial testing targets the correct flavour profile and method.

2

Iterative Testing

The recipe is tested minimum three times, with each round targeting a specific variable: timing, seasoning, technique, or equipment difference.

3

Cross-Testing

A second cook, unfamiliar with the development history, follows the recipe exactly as written and reports what was confusing or imprecise.

4

Editorial Review

Headnotes are written with failure points, substitution notes, and the technical context a cook needs to understand what they're making.

About The Craft Table