Tips for Reading Recipes before Cooking - dummies (2024)

FAQs

Tips for Reading Recipes before Cooking - dummies? ›

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.

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.

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.

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.

Others recommend reading through the entire recipe at least twice. The first time, make sure all of the ingredients listed are included in the instructions and there are no ingredients in the instructions that are not in the ingredient list.

Reading the entire recipe before cooking allows you to familiarize yourself with the dish. That way, you'll feel more confident when making it. If you merely skim the recipe without reading the instructions carefully, you may overlook one or more crucial steps. Take as much time as you need to look over the directions.

Appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, desserts. If your recipes span these familiar categories, grouping them by their place in a full meal could be the right approach. It might sound straightforward, but it's an organizational cookbook tradition that works.

What are hidden instructions in recipes? ›

The instructions may have some hidden ingredients (like water, for example), or split the ingredients within the list in an expected way (like using one egg for batter and one for an egg wash). You want to know the lay of the land before you start throwing things in a bowl.

Always wash your hands before you start cooking and between every task — and take the time to wash your hands properly.

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.

Say “yes” to select recipe. Say “next” to move to next result. Once you have selected a recipe, to navigate through the ingredients and the list of instructions, use the words “next”, “previous”, “repeat”, “Go to start”, “Go to ingredients” and “Go to steps”.

The title page is the first page of your cookbook with text on it. It usually contains the title of the book at a minimum. It can also have the name of the author, the sub head, and sometimes an illustration or photograph.