1. Getting the Most From Your Recipe

2. 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.

3. Ingredients Unless otherwise noted, assume that . . .
eggs are large (about 60ml [2oz])
flour is unbleached, all-purpose (don’t sift unless directed to do so)
sugar is white, granulated (table sugar)
fresh herbs, greens, and lettuces are washed and dried
garlic, onions, and fresh ginger are peeled

4. 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: measure out a cup of rice, and then cook it
1 cup cooked rice: measure out a cup of already cooked rice

6. Recipe Components Specific Ingredients listed in order of use
includes how to prepare them (eg., cheddar cheese, grated)
Exact Amounts
includes units (metric, Imperial, or both)
Directions
step by step instructions
Temperature and Cooking Time
you are often instructed to preheat at the beginning of directions
use the cooking time as a guideline; check often for doneness

7. 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)

8. 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

9. Recipe Formats Narrative Format
written in paragraph form, giving ingredients along with method
works well for short recipes with few ingredients

10. 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