Believe it or not, reading a recipe from beginning to end is a big deal. Close-Reading a recipe determines whether your meal will turn out delicious or just….not. At all.
FIRST TIME, READ FOR UNDERSTANDING
Read the ingredients list AND all instructions without taking notes. The instructions may have some hidden ingredients (like water), or split the ingredient list in an expected way (like using one egg for a batter and one egg for an egg-wash). You may discover that the recipe is a multi-day process or that something needs to come to room temperature OR stay cold until the last minute. The recipe is a map to where you want to go.
READ IT. Don’t take notes. Don’t let your brain wander. JUST READ IT.
SECOND TIME, READ FOR REQUIREMENTS
Check the timing.Note steps that can be completed simultaneously.
Note things that MUST be done right away by underlining them and drawing a clock in the margin. 🕐
WORK SMART! When a cook is working on a recipe alone, it will usually take much longer than if they are working with others because a group can complete several steps at the same time. It does NOT save time to have three people huddle together and sift a cup of flour.
Check Serving Size. Most home recipes give an idea of the number of servings; most commercial recipes do not. The kinds of recipes we work with measure output in yield: 2 gallons, 10 pounds, 1 quart… whatever. It is up to the chef to determine how much they want to serve each person (the recipe isn’t going to presume to tell the chef how much mashed potatoes to give somebody!).
Consider the yield; decide whether to double a recipe, cut it in half, or make it as is. Note your decision at the top of the recipe under the title.
Check for necessary tools and equipment. Most chefs have tool & equipment lists attached to recipes. In Culinary Arts Schools, making a list of required tools is part of student preparation before cooking. If you are boiling potatoes and didn’t remember to get a colander, your potatoes are going to get overcooked while you run around the kitchen looking for the tool you need.
Write a tool and equipment list on the bottom or back of the recipe.
Check for ingredients. It is possible that you may have to skip an ingredient or substitute one for another. Knowing about possible substitutions allows you to either get what you need or check for possible changes. For example, substituting Italian Seasoning Blend for Dried Oregano; Sour Cream and Milk for Buttermilk; skipping white wine, omitting vanilla paste, using applesauce instead of butter….
Note any and all substitutions on the ingredient list by drawing a line through the substituted item and writing the new ingredient directly beside it WITH measurements.
THIRD TIME, READ FOR INSTRUCTIONS
Respect the Order. Most recipes rely on sequential action, not simultaneous action. That is why ingredient lists are almost always written in the order of use. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each egg until no traces of yolk are visible before adding the next egg means what it says – don’t add the eggs all at once. If you aren’t absolutely sure what the order is directing you to do, ASK DURING THE DEMO.
Put a star everywhere in the recipe where it directs the cook to wait for a result before continuing
Respect the Punctuation and ESPECIALLY Respect the comma. The comma is everything when it comes to measurements. Every cut, chop, or dice instruction after a comma in an ingredient must be done after the ingredient is measured.
For example, 4 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped is not the same as 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate.
In this case, the comma tells us when to do the chopping. 1 cup sifted flour IS NOT THE SAME AS 1 cup flour, sifted. One cup of chopped walnuts IS NOT THE SAME AS one cup of walnuts, chopped.
Make a note in the margin about HOW to measure specific ingredients – don’t rely on your memory
Respect the Terms. Recipes use specialized terms to refer to preparation: cream, pack sugar, sift flour, blanch, simmer, parboil, poach… there are literally HUNDREDS of terms that describe specific techniques and methodologies. There are still more for tools that may be new or unfamiliar like china cap, food mill, sieve, bladed turner, high heat spatula. Learning the language of cooking is a gradual process – give yourself a boost by taking notes on unfamiliar terms.
Underline EVERY term you are not absolutely sure you understand, ask questions, then write your answer on the margin.
Respect the Timing for both PROCESS and DONENESS
Highlight any special procedures or sidebars that might affect your timeline, i.e. bringing butter to room temperature or soaking beans overnight.
TIMING IS GIVEN AS A GUIDE. Bake brownies for 30 to 36 minutes means that sometime between the 30 and 36 minute mark, the brownies will probably be done.
DONENESS INDICATORS ARE GIVEN AS A RULE. If the biscuits should be golden brown or the butter should smell nutty, your eyes and ears can tell you more than a timer every will. Keep in mind this important fact: while it may take 10 minutes to bake cookies in low-humidity, cold New York, it takes longer in humid, hot Florida. The doneness indicators are written into recipes to TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, the timing indicators are a general guide for when the doneness indicators should appear.
Respect your own taste buds. Seasonings are often given in terms of “To Taste.” This means what is says: add salt and pepper or cayenne pepper or whatever to the finished product, add a little bit at a time until it tastes good to you. Don’t ask the chef to taste it for you… your taste buds work perfectly well.
If the recipe says “season to taste,” take about a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper to your station, then add it, a pinch at a time, until it tastes the way you would like.
Until you have mastered a recipe, technique, or process… DON’T MAKE CHANGES TO IT.
Once you have mastered a recipe, DON’T BE A SLAVE TO IT.
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