How to read a recipe and avoid common cooking pitfalls (2024)

FAQs

How to read a recipe properly? ›

Not reading through the entire recipe before you plan to make it. One of the biggest mistakes people make when preparing a recipe is not reading through the recipe ahead of time. And, no, this doesn't mean printing it out or pulling it up on your phone or tablet 15 or 20 minutes before you plan on making it.

When you read recipes before cooking, you'll know what ingredients you need to make the dish you're planning to serve. This step also helps you plan your grocery shopping list to ensure that you don't leave any essential items off your list - it saves time and money at checkout.

Read through the recipe at least twice to make sure that you understand the directions. Make sure that you can perform all the techniques. Look at the recipe yield and decide if the number of servings is what you need. If not, consider whether you should cut the ingredient amounts in half or double them.

The ingredients list is one of the most important parts of a recipe, and it should be listed in the order that it will appear in the directions list. Make sure to be specific and list exact amounts needed; and include the state of ingredients (i.e., frozen, softened, melted).

For example, “¼ cup toasted nuts” means the nuts should be toasted before adding them to the recipe, but the toasting step is probably not in the instructions. Hidden ingredients such as water and salt may pop up in the instructions without a mention in the ingredients list.

It is also important because of the importance cooking plays in the bond between father and daughter. Conflict: There are a number of conflicts present in "Simple Recipes", the main conflict being the inner conflict the main character (the daughter) has with herself about her feelings towards her father.

Why should reading of the recipe be one of the first tasks of a cook or chef? ›

The other great reason to read a recipe before you start cooking is to make sure it makes sense. A good recipe should be methodical and approach the dish with steps in order. Most recipes list ingredients in the same order they are used in the instructions.

1. Read the recipe. Of all the important advice out there about cooking, this by far has to be the number 1 rule of cooking: read your recipe completely before getting started. This may seem like a mundane task (especially when you're excited dive in!), but you'll be so thankful you took the time to do it!

First, you take the recipe that you intend to cook and read it thoroughly to familiarize yourself with the timing, techniques, equipment, and ingredients you will need. Second, you pull all of the necessary equipment and arrange it near your cooking station, so that it is at the ready.

Yield in culinary terms refers to how much you will have of a finished or processed product. Professional recipes should always state a yield; for example, a tomato soup recipe may yield 15 L, and a muffin recipe may yield 24 muffins.