How to read a recipe – the basics!

HOW TO READ A RECIPE

• Baking and cooking are two very different kitchen skills. Generally speaking, you bake cakes, cookies, breads - anything with flour. And you cook casseroles, meats, soups, and vegetables. When you bake, you must follow the recipe exactly and measure carefully. When you cook, the recipe is more of a guide when you are more experienced.

The parts of a recipe: the name

• Recipe Name• The recipe name tells you what you'll be

making. Some recipes also give a few words of description about the food or drink. For example, it might say, "Tropical Fruit Smoothie — a healthy and refreshing summer drink."

• Some recipes include a picture or drawing, too, to show you what the food or drink will look like when it's done.

Parts of a recipe: Ingredients & Amounts

• Ingredients are listed in the exact amount as needed. The specific form of ingredient is also stated. Ingredients should be listed in the order they are used in the recipe in order to prevent leaving out any ingredients.

• List of ingredients

Getting started

• The very first step in cooking is to read the recipe all the way through, from beginning to end. This way you will know that you have all the ingredients and tools on hand. You will also be able to look up terms you don't understand so cooking proceeds smoothly.

measuring

• Measurements in recipes are important. When a recipe calls for a tablespoon or teaspoon, the author means for you to use actual measuring utensils, not spoons that you use for eating and serving. These are the abbreviations that are fairly standard: tsp = teaspoon, tbs = tablespoon, C = cup, ml = millilitres, L = litre, g = grams, kg = kilogram.

Measuring continued…..

• dry ingredients and liquid ingredients are measured using different sets of utensils. Dry ingredient measures are usually plastic or metal. Liquid ingredient measures are usually glass or plastic, with a pouring spout and marks along the side of the jug. It's important to use the correct measuring utensil when cooking.

Equipment

• After you have read the recipe, gather all the ingredients, pots, pans, bowls, and measuring utensils you will need. Go slowly and double check all the steps and ingredients.

• Its important to have all the equipment that you need on hand before you begin.

The method - Step By Step Directions

• The recipe should have directions for how to prepare it. The steps need to be listed in the order they should be done. Numbered steps are easy to follow & help to prevent steps from being skipped. However, some recipes are written in paragraph form, and should be read & followed VERY carefully.

Processes

• Processes are the actions that you complete while you are following the recipe.

• Words such as slice, stir, blend, bake, boil etc are all words that explain the process that must be carried out.

Temperature & time• Some recipes give you

exact cooking temperatures and times – ie. 180°C for 15 minutes. Others will tell you how to cook the food – ie. Heat liquid until it simmers. Oven temperatures may vary and times are for conventional ovens unless otherwise stated.

Sample recipe – Apple Muffinsmakes 12

Ingredients:2 C plain flour ¼ tsp. nutmeg¾ tsp. salt 1 egg, beaten4 tsp. baking powder 1 c. milk¼ c. sugar 80g melted butter¾ tsp. cinnamon 1 C apples, chopped

Method:1. Preheat oven to 200 ˚C .2. Grease muffin pans.3. In large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar,

cinnamon, & nutmeg. Make a well in the dry ingredients.4. In separate mixing bowl, blend together egg, milk, and shortening, and add to

dry ingredients; stir until ingredients are just moistened.5. Fold apples into batter.6. Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.7. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe Sleuth??? Take a screen shot of the Apple Muffin recipe and find the parts

1. Put brackets ( ) around the ingredients.2. Circle the ingredient amounts.3. Place a star beside the quantity it makes.4. Put a box around the cooking

temperature.5. Underline the cooking time.6. Put an asterisk * * on either side of the

cooking container. 7. Highlight all the PROCESSES in the

recipe.

And finally……