Chapter 6: Standard Recipes

It is the only recipe used to prepare a particular menu item. The object of writing, maintaining, and using standardized recipes is to guarantee a consistent quality product. Fundamentals of Menu Planning 3 rd edition. (McVety, Ware and Ware) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. © 2009

Recording Recipes Recipes can be written on plain sheets of paper, on index cards, or recorded in computer files. When using standardized recipes, management must: ▫Ensure that there are no errors within the recipe. ▫Test and retest the recipe to achieve excellent food quality. ▫Keep recipes simple to read and to follow. ▫Check that the recipes are grammatically correct. ▫Use them. Fundamentals of Menu Planning 3 rd edition. (McVety, Ware and Ware) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. © 2009

Recording Recipes A recipe card should include the following: ▫Name of the recipe (item to be made) ▫Portion size ▫Yield (total portions and/or number of servings) ▫Index number for identification purposes ▫Ingredients column ▫Weight column ▫Measurement column ▫Directions or method of preparation column ▫Picture of the finished product Fundamentals of Menu Planning 3 rd edition. (McVety, Ware and Ware) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. © 2009

Recipe Creativity Since customer food preferences are always changing, foodservice operations should often change their menus. It is important to experiment to create sales and to add excitement to menus. ▫Take a recipe and prepare the recipe according to the directions. ▫Make it a second time and change a few ingredients or the amounts of ingredients. ▫Give the recipe to other cooks and tell them to prepare it, first as is, then your way, and finally, their own way. ▫Have employees taste the product and evaluate it. ▫Provide a few customers with samples each night and ask for feedback. Do this for about a month. ▫Have employees verbally suggest it to customers but Do not place this product on the menu (verbal sales only)! Wait until the product has become a good seller (by achieving 5 to 20 percent of sales for a night) before it is permanently placed on the menu. Fundamentals of Menu Planning 3 rd edition. (McVety, Ware and Ware) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. © 2009