# Guidance for Generating Source‑Anchored Cooking Lessons

This guide explains how to generate concise, **source‑anchored** mini‑lessons for each can‑do statement in the cooking roadmap, so another LLM can reproduce consistent results.

---

## 1) Objective

Produce a JSON object **per step** with this **minimal structure**, anchored to quotes from an uploaded Reddit thread (with comment IDs):

OUTPUT FORMAT:
```json
{{
  "lesson": {{
    "title": "Concise imperative title",
    "intro": "1–2 sentences: why you should follow this",
    "body": "Discuss what the reddit sources say about this Step, in the larger context of the Path. Use basic markdown format.",
    "definitions": [
      {{ "term": "Optional term", "description": "Definition", "example": "Optional example" }}
    ],
    "references: [
      "/r/AskReddit/comments/1nhmqtl/comment/nee3h8e/",
      "/r/AskReddit/comments/1nhmqtl/comment/nee3cnt/",
    ],
    "illustrations": [
      "Optional simple description of a diagram or figure"
    ]
  }},
  "generation_summary": "Brief rationale: how sources were chosen and how lesson was shaped"
}}
```

**Only include `definitions` or `illustrations` if they add value.** Keep lessons short and non‑overlapping across sections (no repetition).

---

## 2) Inputs
- **Roadmap:** {roadmap_title}
- **Step Context:**
{step_context}

### Retrieved Excerpts
{resource_context}

---

## 3) Reference & Quote Rules
- Use **short quotes** when they clarify the method or provide a memorable phrase. Otherwise paraphrase and append the chunk citation.
- Prefer **2–4 supporting references** per topic:
  - 1–2 direct quotes for the core technique.
  - 1–2 additional references for benefits, caveats, or variations.
- If multiple chunks repeat the same point, **quote one** and reference others briefly by chunk citation.
- Link to any references in the 'references' section of the output. Use the comment 'permalink' that was related to any influences/quotations/references. Use the exact ID, if found, otherwise leave empty. List each reference only once per lesson (no duplicates).

---

## 4) Title & Intro

- **Title (imperative)**: Convert the step “I …” to a short command,
  e.g.  “I save pasta water to enrich sauces.” → **“Save Pasta Water for Sauces”**
- **Intro (1–2 sentences)**: Explain **why this matters** (benefit, outcome, or risk avoided). Avoid restating the title.

---

## 5) Body Structure (Informational + Source‑Anchored)

See the examples given, as an example of supervised learning (these show sample topics and the corresponding expected output).
Use basic markdown format.

- Don't reference sources in the text body itself.
Instead of: "High heat scrambles eggs too quickly, making them tough. One commenter explains, 'low and slow gives you velvety eggs every time'. Another advises stirring gently and pull"
use: "High heat scrambles eggs too quickly, making them tough. Low and slow gives you velvety eggs every time. It is advised to stir gently and pull ...".
---

## 6) Writing the Lesson

**Style & tone:**
- Crisp, practical, and confident. Avoid fluff.
- Use **present tense** and **active voice**.
- Use bullets and numbers sparingly for clarity.

**Length targets:**
- Title: ≤ 6 words.
- Intro: 1–2 sentences.
- Body: ~120–220 words including quotes; 2–4 references is typical.

**Quoting:**
- Quote short, informative spans; avoid long blocks.
- Paraphrase surrounding context.

**Definitions/Illustrations (optional):**
- Add only if they clarify a core concept (e.g., “Emulsification”, “Enzymatic browning”).
- Illustration = a simple description (e.g., “Diagram showing pasta water added to sauce”).

**Structure:**
- Do not change any keys in the JSON output.

---

## 8) Generation Summary
How the lesson content was decided.

---

## 9) Quality Checks
- **No repetition** between intro/body/definitions.
- **Quotes** are accurate and short; paraphrases are faithful.
- **Actionability**: “How to apply” includes clear steps.
- **Tone** stays neutral, instructional, and concise.

---

## 10) Examples

Three examples are given. Use these examples to guide the format and tone of results.
Don't use actual example content, these are just style examples.
Aim to get a similar result for each of the topics.

Title: "Use a pizza cutter for small or delicate cuts."
Expected Body:
```
The pizza cutter can be used for tasks beyond just slicing pizza, and is a versatile and efficient tool in the kitchen. It is effectiveness for making precise, uniform cuts in soft doughs.

A pizza cutter can be used for creating lattice-crust pie crusts. Instead of a knife, it can be used to "cut long, straight, thin or thick, lattices" when the dough is rolled out and strips are needed.
```


Title: "Save pasta water and use it to enrich sauces."

Expected Body:
```
Saving pasta water for sauces is a highly effective hack for flavour enhancement in pasta dishes. This practice is highlighted for its ability to improve both the taste and texture of the final meal.

It can help with:
1. Emulsification and Texture: The primary benefit is that the starch in the pasta water helps emulsify the sauce. This means it helps oil and water mix together, creating a "silky texture" and making the sauce "smoother". This improved texture gives a more enjoyable eating experience and allows the sauce to coat the pasta more effectively. This is because the "yummy glutens" in the water, which would otherwise be discarded, contribute to this silkiness.

2. Flavour Addition: Beyond just texture, the pasta water also "adds flavor" to the sauce. This is partly due to the dissolved starches and potentially residual salt from the pasta cooking. There is also the "cold start" for pasta, where less water is used, resulting in "starchier and saltier" cooking water, which then directly contributes to the sauce's seasoning and depth of flavour.

3. Sauce Adherence: By improving the sauce's consistency, pasta water helps it "stick to the noodles instead of sliding off", and makes "everything stick together". This ensures that each bite of pasta carries more sauce and, consequently, more flavour.

4. Practical Application: Advice generally involves saving "at least a 1/2 cup of pasta water". This saved water is then added to the sauce during its preparation. Some tips even suggest not straining the pasta completely, but rather using tongs to transfer pasta directly into the sauce, incorporating the starchy water as you go.
```

Title: "I bloom or toast spices in fat to release flavor."

Expected Body:
```
The technique of blooming or toasting spices in fat is a critical hack for Flavour Enhancement in cooking, achieving a deeper and richer taste profile compared to simply adding dry spices later in the process.

You should incorporate spices into the cooking fat (oil or butter) early in the process:
• When to Add Spices: Bloom them in your cooking fat, which involves adding the spices to the oil, along with other aromatics like onions and garlic, and allowing them to toast.
• Enhancing Flavour: The benefit is immediate and significant: if you add spices (like chili powder or cumin) to liquids such as broth, the dish "is not going to taste as good as if you had added it to your onions, garlic, and oil and allowed it to toast". This toasting process draws out and intensifies the spices' fat-soluble flavour compounds, maximizing their contribution to the dish.

Related tips:
• Layered Seasoning: It isn't recommended to dump all seasoning in at the end, which leads to a flat taste. Instead, "season the dish in layers", adding and tasting as you go. Toasting spices in fat is one of the initial and most impactful layers, ensuring the spice flavour penetrates deeply into the foundation of the dish.
• Oil and Heat Management: This technique relies on proper management of heat and fat, which are crucial flavour components overall. For instance, ensuring the pan is hot enough but not too hot is vital for achieving caramelisation ("no color, no flavor") without burning the spices, which would turn them bitter. Using cooking fat like oil or butter is generally considered essential for good flavour.
• Complementary Ingredients: The process often starts by adding light olive oil, diced onions, and minced garlic to a hot skillet before adding other ingredients. Adding spices at this early stage helps build a complex foundation upon which the rest of the dish is built. For example, when making tacos, one user advises cooking the seasoning with onions, garlic, and pablanos in a little olive oil before adding the protein.

In summary, blooming spices in fat is an acknowledged "essential cooking hack" that transforms spices from simple powders into potent flavour agents, serving as a fundamental step in building deep and complex tastes, aligned with the principle of flavour layering.
```