Getting the Most
From Your Recipe
How To Follow a Recipe
• Before you start, read the recipe from start to finish so there are no surprises.
• Preheat the oven to the correct temperature so that it is ready when you need it.
• Before actually starting to cook or bake, gather all the necessary ingredients and
equipment. Prepare the ingredients according to the directions in the ingredients
list.
• For determining doneness, always rely first on the recipe’s sensory descriptor, such
as “cook until golden brown”. Consider any times given in a recipe merely as a
guide for when to start checking doneness.
Ingredients
• Unless otherwise noted, assume that . . .
• eggs are large (about 60ml [2oz])
• flour is unbleached, all-purpose (don’t sift unless directed to)
• sugar is white, granulated (table sugar)
• fresh herbs, greens, and lettuces are washed and dried
• garlic, onions, and fresh ginger are peeled
Watch Those Modifiers!
• A recipe ingredient list contains words such as “diced” and “chopped” that
tell you how to prepare each ingredient for the recipe.
• However, what you may not realize is that the placement of these
“preparation modifiers” in the ingredient line is as important as the modifier
itself.
• For example:
• 1 cup rice, cooked
• 1 cup cooked rice
Recipe Components
• Specific Ingredients
• listed in order of use
• includes how to prepare them
(e.g. cheddar cheese, grated)
• Exact Amounts
• includes units (metric,
customary, or both)
• Directions
• step by step instructions
• Temperature and Cooking Time
• you are often instructed to
preheat at the beginning of
directions
Recipe Components
• Yield
• amount that will be produced
by the recipe
• may be in number of servings
• Nutritional Information
• number of calories, fat
content, etc.
• Variations/Suggestions
• ingredient substitutions (ie.,
substitute blueberries for
chocolate chips)
• additional ingredients (ie.,
optional ingredients)
• serving suggestions (ie., serve
with warm bread)
Recipe Formats
• Standard Format
• most common format
• takes up the least space
• ingredient list is a quick reference to
determine if they are on hand
• ingredient list is listed in order of use
• easy to follow – step by step
instructions follow ingredient list
Recipe Formats
• Narrative Format
• written in paragraph form,
giving ingredients along with
method
• works well for short recipes
with few ingredients
Recipe Formats
• Active Format
• step by step method that is easy
to follow
• takes up more space
• checking ingredients is not as
easy as in standard format