Standardized Recipes
Chapter Outline
- Standardized
recipes explained
- Ingredients
for a standard recipe
- Standardized
recipes have many benefits
- The recipe
yields
- Standard
portions
- Kitchen Measurements
- Conversion
and adjustment of recipes
Learning Objectives:
- Here are
the components of a standardized recipe that is well-written.
- Explain
the value of standard recipes as a management tool
- Explain
the benefits of standardizing recipes
- Please
describe the most common measurements in recipes for food production
- Convert
ingredient and recipe amounts from one yield into another (both smaller
and larger).
Key Terms:
- Standardized
recipe
- Standard
yield
- Standard
portion
- Mise en
place
- Count
- Volume
measurement
- Measurement
of Body Weight
- Conversion
factor
- Conversion
factor method
STANDARDIZED
RECIPES
Not all recipes are created
equal. Some recipes are missing ingredients, have faulty seasonings or
insufficient instructions, which can lead to more work. Others simply cannot be
tested.
A standard recipe is a
set or written instructions that are used to prepare the same quantity and
quality of food in a particular location. A standard recipe
will result in a product that is nearly identical in taste and yield,
regardless of who uses it.
A standard recipe should include:
- Name of
the menu item - The name of the given dish that should match the name on
your menu
- Total
Yield is the number of servings or portions a recipe makes, often the
total weight of the recipe.
- Portion
size is the size or amount of an individual portion
- Ingredient
list/quantity – exact quantities of each ingredient (with an exception for
spices that may be used to enhance the flavor)
- Preparation
Procedures - Instructions for specific operations and types (e.g. blend,
fold, stir, mix, saute).
- Temperatures
and cooking times, along with HACCP critical control points. These are
important to ensure that the dish is properly cooked and safe.
- Special
instructions according to the standard format for an operation
- Mise en
Place - A list of small equipment or individual ingredient preparations
- Instructions
for service, including hot/cold storage
- Plating/garnishing
Standardized recipes can include
additional information, such as the following: nutritional analysis, variation,
presentation tips, work simplification, garnishing and presentation tips and
suggested accompaniments.
Standardizing recipes can simplify work
and include HACCP in procedures. The standard recipes will include the
procedures of batch cooking, which is a common method in large-scale food
preparation facilities. When writing instructions or recipe procedures, it
is important to consider the skill level of your employees. The
terminology used in standard recipes should reflect the skills of the
employees. For example, an employee might be instructed to melt butter and then
whisk with flour, rather than saying "make aroux", which is more
appropriate for that particular operation. The final consideration is the
equipment and time required to cook. are set up for your facility.
One side note about mise :
To efficiently produce menu items from recipes, it is important to have
everything in its place. This might be a cutting board with salt and pepper,
tasting spoons or composting containers. Standardized recipes will help
employees produce menu items more efficiently. They should also include mise en
place for any small equipment required for the recipe such as measuring tools
and preparation tools (knives or peeler), holding pots, cooking utensils, and
so on. Employees will be able to gather all the necessary equipment before
they start recipe preparation. This reduces kitchen congestion, kitchen
congestion, lost focus due to frequent starting and stopping, as well as the
time spent in the kitchen. It can help to clarify and increase the efficiency
of recipe preparation by describing the mise en place of individual ingredients
(e.g., cutting and peeling). Example: 1/2 inch raw white potato,
peeled. dice
Here are some things to keep in mind
when creating a standard recipe
- Start with
a home/internet dish if you're just starting out.
- Employees
can use standardized recipes as a training tool
- A great
recipe is just like a well-crafted recipe - it has been tried and proven
to work every time.
- S.A.M.E. S.A.M.E.
Recipes for a Control Tool
Food service managers and operators can
use standardized recipes to control their operations. Standardized recipes
ensure consistency in quality and quantity as well as a predictable cost
range. It is essential that each recipe and portion cost be calculated in
order to establish a menu selling price. This will allow the operation to make
a profit.
A standardized recipe has many
benefits:
- Consistent
quality and quantity
- standard
portion size/cost
- Assuring
nutrition content and dealing with dietary concerns such as food allergies
or special diets
- Helping to
ensure compliance with the "Truth in Menu” requirements
- Helping
with forecasting and buying
- fewer
errors in food orders
- Cross-training
should incorporate work simplification principles and cross-training aids
- Assisting
in the training of new employees
- incorporating
HACCP principles
- Reduce
waste
- More
easily meeting customer expectations
Arguments against standard recipes
include:
- It takes
too long to use
- Employees
don't require them. They know how to work in an establishment.
- Chefs
don't want to share their secrets
- It takes
too long to write/develop
A good foodservice manager will know
that even though some arguments may be valid, they cannot stop an operation
using standard recipes. This is a crucial practice that affects our
profits. Customers must be able rely on consistent nutritional quality and
allergen contents. However, our customers deserve the SAME product each time
they order a menu item that they enjoy and value.
STANDARD
YIELDS
Yield of
a recipe refers to the amount of food it will produce. Yields can also
refer to the total volume or weight of a recipe. A soup recipe yielding 24
ounces would be an example. You could also use the yield of 6 quarts or 1
1/2 gallons to indicate how many portions you are making. An example of a
weight recipe would be one that yields 20 oz. You can make taco meat
portions or 5 pounds.
The standard yields of main
ingredients, which are often more expensive, such as meat, can also be taken
into account portion cost. This is done by calculating the price per cooked
portion.
An 11-pound roast could be bought for
$17 per pound. As part of a roast beef meal, the cooked roast should be
served in eight-ounce portions. The roast will not be 11 pounds after
trimming and cooking. However, it will yield less than 22 portions (11 lbs
multiplied with 2 - so a pound (16oz) would yield two 8 oz portions. A
yield test can determine the yield percentage and cost per portion, as well as
the yield percentage and standard yield. This book will discuss yield
testing.
STANDARD
POINTIONS
The portion sizes of a standard recipe
include the amount of each ingredient. Two benefits of portion control in
food management are:
- Until
ingredient or labor costs change the cost of the item, all costs will
remain constant.
- Customers
receive the same quantity each time they order a particular plate or
drink.
A standard portion means that each
plate of a dish will have the same weight, count, and volume when it leaves the
kitchen. It is only by controlling the portions that it is possible to
control food prices. It is impossible to calculate the true cost of a menu
item if one order of bacon-and-eggs comes out with six strips and the other
with three strips.
To keep food costs down, it is
important to adhere to standard portions. There is no consistency without
portion control. This could not only have a negative impact on your food
costs (since there are no constant costs), but also on the customer
experience. Consistency is important to customers. Customers expect
consistency in the way you prepare food. They want it to taste great, to be
well presented, and to be exactly the same size each time they
order. Think about how the customer would react if the portion sizes
varied according to the mood of the cook. If the cook is in a bad mood, it
might result in a smaller portion. However, if the cook is happy because of the
end of the workweek, the portion may be larger.
Although it may seem difficult to
understand the importance of consistency in one portion, consider what would
happen if fast food outlets didn't have portion control. Their profit margin
would suffer from their inaccurate ordering and inventory systems.
In addition to keeping costs under
control, strict portion control also has many other benefits. Customers
are happier when the portion of their dish is similar to what they see in the
area. Servers are happy because they know that the portion sizes of dishes
they receive from the kitchen will be the same as those on the plates of other
servers.
You can control your portion by using
simple methods such as weighing the meat before you serve it, serving the same
size of juice glasses each time, counting shrimp and portioning out scoops and
ladles that have a predetermined volume. Convenience products are another
option. These convenience products arrive frozen and can be prepared to
cook. The portions are uniform in size and appearance and can be easily
priced on a per-unit basis. This is helpful in determining the cost of
standard portions.
Note Using
convenience products can be more expensive than making the dish
yourself. Some chefs and managers believe that pre-made convenience
products are more cost-effective than training and hiring qualified
staff. However, if the convenience product is inferior to the in-house produced
product, it could affect the restaurant's reputation.
If the food establishment provides
standard portions, it is possible to guarantee them. Many food operations
have a management portion control system for their menu items. This
control record is displayed in the kitchen to ensure that cooks and
dish-platers know the standard portions. To remind workers of the final
product, some operations have photos of every item in the kitchen.
MEASUREMENTS
TYPES USED IN THE KITCH
Three types of measurement are used to
measure ingredients or to serve portions in the restaurant business.
Measurement can be done by volume,
weight or count
All three types of measurement can be
used in recipes. A recipe might call for 3 eggs (measurement according to
count), 8 ounces (measurement according to volume) and 1 pound (measurement
according to weight).
There are both formal and informal
guidelines that govern the type of measurement to be used. Specific
procedures are in place to ensure accurate and consistent measurement.
Number or Count
When precise measurement is not
required and the items being measured are close in size, number measurement can
only be used.
Three eggs is one common measurement
used in recipes. This is not only because it is easy to count, but also because
eggs can be sorted to certain sizes. Except where stated otherwise, most
recipes call for large eggs.
If the final product can be counted,
numbers are used. If the final product will be 24 tart shells filled with
fillings, then 24 premade tart shells are required.
Volume
Because these items are difficult to
weigh, volume measurement is often used with liquids and fluids. It can
also be used to measure dry ingredients in home cooking. However, it is less
frequently used in industry for dry measurement.
Volume is often used to determine the
size of finished products. Portion scoops can be used to portion out
vegetables, potato salad, or sandwich fillings in order to maintain consistent
serving sizes. To portion soups and sauces, ladles are of a precise size. Scoops
and ladles are often sized according to number. This number is used to
indicate the number of scoops required to fill one quart of
volume. Spoodles and ladles are measured in ounces.
Weight
The best way to measure portions or
ingredients is by using weight. It is important to give weights when
determining the proportions of ingredients. This is especially true for
baking, where all ingredients are listed by weight. Eggs, which, as we
mentioned, can be used in nearly all other applications by counting. It
doesn't matter if you are measuring liquids or solids, weight measurement is
more reliable.
Although it takes a little more time
and requires scales, the accuracy of your weighing is worth it. Most
commonly used in industry, digital portion scales can measure weights up 11
lbs. While this is sufficient for most recipes, larger operations might
require a scale with a greater capacity.
Weight is more accurate than volume
because it considers factors like density, moisture and temperature which can affect
the volume of ingredients. One cup of brown sugar, measured by volume, can
change dramatically depending on how it is packed. However, 10 oz brown
sugar will always be 10oz. Even flour, although it may seem very
consistent, can vary from one location to another. This will result in an
adjustment of the liquid required to achieve the same consistency with a given
volume.
Interchanging volume and weight is
another common error. Water is the only ingredient that will always have
the same volume/weight: 1 cup of water = 8 ounces.
Because of gravity and density, there
is no other ingredient that can easily be measured interchangeably. Each
ingredient has a unique density and a different gravitational mass, which can
also vary depending on where it is located. This is known as specific
gravity. Water has a specific gravity of 1.0. Liquids lighter than
water, such as oils that float on the water, have a specific gravity less than
1.0. Specific gravity is greater than 1.0 for liquids that are heavier
than water but will sink like molasses. If you are not measuring water,
don't use a volume measurement to measure weight.
CONVERTING
AND ADJUSTING FORMULAS
Many recipes need to be modified to
suit different circumstances. Most recipes can be modified to increase or decrease
the amount of portions. A standard recipe may be designed to make 25
portions. The recipe should be adjusted to accommodate 60 portions.
You can also adjust recipes for
different reasons. This could include changing the portion size (which might mean
changing the batch sizes of the recipe), and better using available equipment
(e.g., you may need to split a recipe into two batches to use less oven space.
Conversion Factor Method
Conversion factor is the most popular
way to adjust recipes. It only takes two steps.
- Find a
conversion factor
- Multiply
the ingredients in the original recipe by this factor.
Conversion Factors
These steps will help you determine the
correct conversion factor for adjusting a recipe.
- The yield
of the recipe to be modified is noted. The quantity of each portion
is typically listed at the beginning of the recipe or
formulation. This information is what you MUST have.
- Determine
the yield you require. This is the information that you need.
- The
required yield (from Step 2) is divided by the old yield from Step 1. This
will give you the conversion factor. This is how you get the
conversion factor: (required yield/(recipe yield)). Conversion factor =
What you NEED/What you HAVE
You will need to use a similar approach
to convert the portions into a factor.
- Multiply
the quantity of portions and the size each portion to determine the
recipe's total yield.
- Calculate
the yield required for the recipe by multiplying both the number of
portions and each portion.
- Divide the
required yield (Step 2) and the recipe yield (Step 1) to find the
conversion factor. This is the conversion factor: (required
yield/(recipe yield).
ADJUSTING
RECIPES USING CONVERSION FACTORS
Once you have the conversion factor, it
is possible to adjust any ingredients in your recipe. This is done by
multiplying the amount of each ingredient from the original recipe with the
conversion factor. The first thing you need to do before you start is:
- When
converting a recipe to HTML, you should always use the original
ingredients in weight.
Dry ingredients require special
attention when converting to weight. Commercial kitchens usually list
ingredients in weight. Home cooks will find most recipes using
volume. Volume measures may be used if some ingredients are too small for
you to weigh, such as seasonings and spices. Because it is easier than to
weigh a quart liquid, volume measures are often used for liquid
ingredients. One exception is liquids that have high sugar content like
honey or syrup. These should be measured in weight and not volume.
It can be difficult to convert volume
to weight. This is why it is important that you use tables that show the
approximate weights of various volume measures for commonly used
ingredients. The Book of Yields is a great resource for converting volume
into weight. After you have calculated the weight of all ingredients, you
can multiply that number by the conversion factor to adjust your
recipe. You may need to reduce the original recipe's quantities into
smaller units. Then multiply the conversion factor by that number and then put
the larger unit back into the one that makes the most sense. You may have
to convert pounds into ounces.
CAUTIONS
WHILE CONVERTING RECIPES
Conversion calculations for recipes do
not account for certain factors.
- Equipment
- Mixing and
cooking times can be affected by equipment used in a different way to
prepare the original recipe.
- Temperatures
for cooking
- Shrinkage
is the loss of food during storage and preparation
- Recipe
errors
Other problems that may arise when converting
recipes are:
- It can be
difficult to increase the yield of small-scale home cook recipes. All
ingredients are given in volume measurement, which can lead to errors.
Increasing the quantities can also cause this problem.
- Seasonings
and spices should be adjusted with care. Increasing the amount of
seasonings to meet a conversion factor by more than twice or three times
can lead to serious consequences. It is better to reduce the
seasonings and adjust them just before you serve.
Experience is the best way to learn how
to convert a recipe. There are no set rules. If you have a few recipes you
are familiar with, you should convert them and test them. Then, keep copies of
the modified recipes for different yields.
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