About Recipes

A recipe is a formula of ingredients and a list of instructions for creating prepared foods. It is used to control quality, quantity, and food costs in a foodservice operation. A recipe may be simple to complex based on the requirements of the operation and the intended user. For example, an experienced chef may need a recipe with only a few details, while a beginner cook may need more information about ingredients, preparation steps, cooking times and temperatures, visual cues, and equipment requirements.

Recipes are formatted differently depending on the author and the intended use. Professional chefs record recipes in pocket notebooks, binders, or digital devices, using simple to complex details, depending on the type of recipe and the experience level of the chef.  Information might include ingredients, prep steps, kitchen notes, and hand-drawn plate presentations. Recipes for the general consumer must be written with the assumption that the intended user knows very little about food preparation. When writing recipes that others will use in your kitchen, provide as much information as possible so that anyone who is preparing, inexperienced or skilled, can easily understand. Include information on ingredients, prep steps for fabricating or measuring, cooking instructions, recipe yield, and required equipment.

Recipe Limitations

It’s not uncommon for two cooks to end up with different results when preparing the same recipe. There are many variables involved in the cooking process, and no recipe is foolproof. Ingredients, like fresh vegetables, often lack uniformity, and substitutions may be required that produce different results. Tools and equipment vary from one kitchen to another, affecting cooking times and outcomes. For example, an oven that is not calibrated accurately may take longer when baking a cake, or sauté pans made of different metals (aluminum or stainless steel) may not cook as efficiently or produce the right browning effect. Recipes cannot account for inaccurate measuring or misunderstanding of directions. Experience and proper judgment help to produce consistent results over time.

Types of Recipes

Recipes generally fall into a few categories:

Abbreviated Recipes – Some books, including Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire and Hering’s Dictionary of Classical and Modern Cookery, include minimal information on ingredients and directions and assume the reader possesses a certain mastery of culinary skills. Personal recipes kept in a pocketbook by a cook or chef may simply include ingredients with a few preparation steps.

Home Recipes – Based on small yields and quantities often measured by volume. 

Procedural (Prep) Steps – Used in professional kitchens for simple assembly of quantities of ingredients based on portion size; for example, a salad may call for 1 cup of lettuce, 3 wedges of tomatoes, ¼ cup of croutons, and 2 ounces of salad dressing.

Standardized Recipes – Customized house recipes that include ingredients, precise quantities, detailed steps, portion sizes, and recipe yield. Some may include food cost information and required tools. Standardized recipes are often for large quantities of prepared food. Standardized recipes are important to foodservice operations because they provide consistency and uniformity in quality, yield, and food cost. Standardized recipes include information on quantity, yield, portion size, ingredients, portion cost, and menu price.

A standardized recipe is one that has been tested and evaluated to produce consistent quality and yield every time. This requires exact written procedures, equipment, and ingredients. When developing a standardized recipe, remember that weight is a more accurate measurement than volume and should be used whenever possible.  List step-by-step preparations and cooking instructions, including equipment, oven temperature, and cooking time. 

Some operations will include appropriate Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), including critical limits (time and temperature) and final product temperature as a part of the recipe. Yield and portion size should be determined by counting the portions or servings, not by estimating. The recipe should also include a space to adjust the yield, depending on the production needs of the operation or station. Recipe testing and taste testing are done to evaluate the product's appearance, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability, and the recipe is re-adjusted to yield a consistent product.

Recipe Tips

  • Read recipes from beginning to end to understand the steps

  • Note information on ingredient prep, techniques, and other tips

  • If needed, convert the volume of the recipe 

  • Gather ingredients, equipment, and tools

  • Apply common sense when measuring ingredients to be sure you have the correct quantity and ratio

  • Use basic judgment when preparing; for example, do you understand the basic stock preparation steps? If not, read up on the steps and tips to preparing it before you start

  • Observe oven temperatures, cooking times, and specific equipment

  • Take written notes of any changes you made in measurements, cooking times and temperatures, or procedures so that you can reproduce the recipe with similar results