A good standardized recipe will include:

• Menu item name – the name of the given recipe that should be consistent with the name on the menu

• Total Yield – number of servings, or portions that a recipe produces, and often the total weight or volume of the recipe

• Portion size – amount or size of the individual portion

• Ingredient list/quantity – exact quantities of each ingredient (with the exception of spices that may be added to taste)

• Preparation procedures – Specific directions for the order of operations and types of operations (e.g., blend, fold, mix, sauté)

• Cooking temperatures and times, including HACCP critical control points and limits to ensure the dish is cooked properly and safely

• Special instructions, according to the standard format used in an operation

• Mise en place – a list of small equipment and individual ingredient preparation

• Service instructions, including hot/cold storage

• Plating/garnishing

In addition to the list above, standardized recipes may also include:

• recipe cost

• nutritional analysis

• variations

• garnishing and presentation tips

• work simplification tips

• suggested accompaniments or companion recipes

• photos.

Standardize recipes can help with work simplification and incorporate HACCP into procedures. Many facilities preparing food in large quantities also batch cook, so the standardized recipes will incorporate those procedures into the instructions. The skill level of employees should also be taken into account when writing recipe procedures or directions. Terminology within the standardized recipes should be at the skill level of employees, for example, instruct an employee to melt butter and whisk with flour instead of saying “make a roux”, if more appropriate for a specific operation. Finally, cooking equipment, temperatures, time, etc. are adjusted for the facility.

Some things to remember when writing a standardized recipe:

• If you are starting with a home/internet recipe – make it first!

• Standardized recipes are a training tool for employees

• A good recipe is like a well-crafted formula – it has been tested and works every time

• S.A.M.E. – Standardization Always Meets Expectations

Recipes as a Control Tool

Standardized recipes are an important control tool for food service managers and operations. A standardized recipe assures not only that consistent quality and quantity, but also a reliable cost range. In order for an operation to set a menu selling price that allows the operation to make a profit, it’s vital that the cost of each recipe and portion is calculated and relatively consistent.

Benefits of using a standardized recipe include:

• a consistent quality and quantity

• standard portion size/cost

• assuring nutritional content and addressing dietary concerns, such as special diets or food allergies

• helping ensure compliance with “Truth in Menu” requirements

• aiding in forecasting and purchasing

• fewer errors in food orders

• incorporating work simplification principles and aids in cross-training

• assisting in training new employees

• incorporating HACCP principles

• reducing waste

• more easily meeting customer expectations

Benefits of using a standardized recipe include:

• a consistent quality and quantity

• standard portion size/cost

• assuring nutritional content and addressing dietary concerns, such as special diets or food allergies

• helping ensure compliance with “Truth in Menu” requirements

• aiding in forecasting and purchasing

• fewer errors in food orders

• incorporating work simplification principles and aids in cross-training

• assisting in training new employees

incorporating HACCP principles

• reducing waste

• more easily meeting customer expectations

Standard Yields

The yield of a recipe is the number of portions it will produce. Yields can also be expressed as a total volume or total weight the recipe produces. Standard yields for the main, often higher cost, ingredients such as meat, may also take into consideration portion cost and be determined in part by calculating the cost per cooked portion.

Standard Portion

A standard recipe includes the size of the portions that will make up a serving of the recipe.

Controlling portion size has two advantages in food management:

• portion costs for the item will be consistent until ingredient or labor costs change,

• customers receive consistent quantities each time they order a given plate or drink.

Strict portion control has several side benefits beyond keeping costs under control.

First, customers are more satisfied when they can see that the portion they have is very similar to the portions of the same dish they can see around them.

Second, servers are quite happy because they know that if they pick up a dish from the kitchen, it will contain the same portions as another server’s plate of the same order.

Simple methods to control portion include weighing meat before it is served, using the same size juice glasses when juice is served, counting items such as shrimp, and portioning with scoops and ladles that hold a known volume. Another method is using convenience products. These products are received usually frozen and are ready to cook. Portions are consistent in size and presentation and are easily costed out on a per unit basis. This can be helpful when determining the standard portion costs.

Types of measurements used in the kitchen

1. Number or Count

Number measurement is only used when accurate measurement is not critical and the items to be used are understood to be close in size.

For example, “3 eggs” is a common measurement called for in recipes, not just because 3 is easy to count but also because eggs are graded to specific sizes. Most recipes call for large eggs unless stated otherwise.

Numbers are also used if the final product is countable. For example, 24 pre-made tart shells would be called for if the final product is to be 24 filled tart shells.

2. Volume

Volume measurement is usually used with liquids or fluids because such items are awkward to weigh.

It is also used for dry ingredients in home cooking, but it is less often used for dry measurement in the industry.

Volume is often the measure used when portioning sizes of finished product.

3. Weight

Weight is the most accurate way to measure ingredients or portions. When proportions of ingredients are critical, their measurements are always given in weights.

Weighing is a bit more time consuming and requires the use of scales, but it pays off in accuracy.

Converting and adjusting recipes and formula

Recipes often need to be adjusted to meet the needs of different situations. The most common reason to adjust recipes is to change the number of individual portions that the recipe produces. For example, a standard recipe might be written to prepare 25 portions. If a situation arises where 60 portions of the item are needed, the recipe must be properly adjusted.

Other reasons to adjust recipes include changing portion sizes (which may mean changing the batch size of the recipe) and better utilizing available preparation equipment (for example, you need to divide a recipe to make two half batches due to a lack of oven space).

Conversion Factor Method

The most common way to adjust recipes is to use the conversion factor method. This requires only two steps:

1. Finding a conversion factor

2. Multiplying the ingredients in the original recipe by that factor.

Finding Conversion Factors

To find the appropriate conversion factor to adjust a recipe, follow these steps:

1. Note the yield of the recipe that is to be adjusted. The number of portions is usually included at the top of the recipe (or formulation) or at the bottom of the recipe. This is the information that you HAVE.

2. Decide what yield is required. This is the information you NEED.

3. Obtain the conversion factor by dividing the required yield (from Step 2) by the old yield (from Step 1). That is, conversion factor = (required yield)/(recipe yield), conversion factor = what you NEED ÷ what you HAVE

If the number of portions and the size of each portion change, you will have to find a conversion factor using a similar approach:

1. Determine the total yield of the recipe by multiplying the number of portions and the size of each portion.

2. Determine the required yield of the recipe by multiplying the new number of portions and the new size of each portion.

3. Find the conversion factor by dividing the required yield (Step 2) by the recipe yield (Step 1). That is, conversion factor = (required yield)/(recipe yield)

Adjusting recipes using conversion factors

Now that you have the conversion factor, you can use it to adjust all the ingredients in the recipe. The procedure is to multiply the amount of each ingredient in the original recipe by the conversion factor. Before you begin, there is an important first step:

• Before converting a recipe, express the original ingredients by weight whenever possible.

Caution when converting recipe

When converting recipes, conversion calculations do not take into account certain factors:

• Equipment

• Mixing and cooking times – this can be affected if the equipment used to cook or mix is different from the equipment used in the original recipe

• Cooking temperatures

• Shrinkage – the percentage of food lost during its storage and preparation

• Recipe errors

Some other problems that can occur with recipe conversions are:

• Substantially increasing the yield of small home cook recipes can be problematic as all the ingredients are usually given in volume measure, which can be inaccurate, and increasing the amounts dramatically magnifies this problem.

• Spices and seasonings must be increased with caution as doubling or tripling the amount to satisfy a conversion factor can have negative consequences. If possible, it is best to under-season and then adjust just before serving.

The fine adjustments that have to be made when converting a recipe can only be learned from experience, as there are no hard and fast rules. Generally, if you have recipes that you use often, convert them, test them, and then keep copies of the recipes adjusted for different yields.