Experienced chefs may be able to freestyle their way through preparing a dish, but for the rest of us, following a recipe—closely, correctly—is the best way to achieve chef-like success in the kitchen. This step-by-step guide explains how to familiarize yourself with ingredients, equipment, and instructions while avoiding any potential mistakes (what? The beans needed to be soaked overnight?) so any recipe you try turns out like it is supposed to.
Step 1: Skim
Quickly skim the recipe all the way through to get a general idea of what’s involved and taking note of the time, ingredients, equipment and utensils you’ll need. Be on the lookout for important prep times (e.g., does the spinach need to be thawed?), and any special techniques you’re not sure about. (YouTube is a great resource for learning kitchen skills.) If you’ve found the recipe online, you may want to print it out or copy it into another format, such as a note-taking app. That way, you can delete any ads that make the recipe difficult to read, highlight and add comments as you go, and take the recipe with you when you shop.
Step 2: Study
Your final recipe read-through should be a thorough one. Most recipes list ingredients in the order that they’re used in the instructions, from largest amount to smallest, though not all bloggers and online outlets stick to this. (Another good reason for taking this time to read it carefully!) Here are the main things to look for as you get ready to cook:
How are measurements listed?
When an ingredient is listed with the prep step after the item it means the item is measured before it’s prepared. So, for “1 cup chopped nuts,” the nuts are chopped before they’re measured. But “1 cup nuts, chopped”—where the prep step comes after the ingredient—indicates the nuts are measured before they’re chopped.
Are there any “hidden” steps or ingredients?
Hidden steps that appear in the ingredients list are easy to overlook. 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.
Are any ingredients divided?
Sometimes an ingredient is used in two different places in a recipe but listed only once in the ingredients list. A bread recipe might call for “1 cup plus 2 tablespoons plant-based milk, divided” with 1 cup of the milk used in the dough and 2 tablespoons brushed over the top before baking. Accidentally using all the milk in the dough will change its texture and affect how the bread turns out, so be sure to know when to add what.
What sensory indicators are given?
Cooks don’t just use timers, they use their senses (and common sense), too, and recipes often tell you what food should look, smell, or feel like in addition to giving cooking times. When you know whether vegetables should be cooked until crisp-tender for a side dish or soft for a puréed soup, you can avoid over- and under-cooking mistakes that occur when you focus on timing alone.
Step 3: Cook!
Now that you know what you’re doing, it’s time to get cooking! You’ll be reading the recipe one final time as you go, but if you’ve done the read-throughs above, there should be no slip-ups or surprises. Then, all that’s left to do is enjoy!
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FAQs
Read the Recipe, Start to Finish
You'll see how many servings the recipe should make. Next come the ingredients, which should be listed in the same order that you're going to use them in the recipe. The ingredients will be presented a little differently depending whether you should prepare them before they're measured.
What are the 5 suggestions when reading a recipe? ›
Let's go over some tips of how to read a recipe:
- 1) Read through the recipe twice to ensure you understand. ...
- 2) Determine the yield amount of the recipe. ...
- 3) Make a Checklist of all your ingredients needed. ...
- 4) Determine whether you need to preheat the oven. ...
- 5) Take note of the time it is going to make the recipe.
Step 1: Confirm you have the ingredients (or substitutions) AND cooking utensils and pots/pans you will need. Read through and make sure you've got what you need. If not, figure out if there is a work around, whether that is a replacement ingredient or a different tool to use (hint: Google is your friend).
How many times should you at least read a recipe before you begin? ›
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.
Why do people usually read the recipe before cooking? ›
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.
What is a recommended method for reading recipes thoroughly? ›
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.
What is the most important step in a recipe? ›
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).
What are the 5 elements in a standard recipe? ›
- Yield. The yield tells the number and size of servings the recipe will make.
- List of Ingredients & Amounts.
- Step By Step Directions for Mixing & Handling.
- Equipment (Container Size & Type)
- Temperature & Time.
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.
How to approach and understand a new recipe? ›
Understanding the ingredients, tools and time involved, helps navigate how you will approach the entire process. Be aware of the chef's cooking expressions. There are hundreds of descriptive words for different culinary techniques. Make sure you know what the chef is instructing you to do before you start the recipe.
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.
How do you read a recipe for beginners? ›
How to Read & Follow a Recipe
- Read the recipe. Take a good look at the recipe. ...
- Know the assumptions. ...
- Figure out the timing. ...
- Plan ahead. ...
- Bone up on new techniques. ...
- Mise en place is your friend. ...
- Lay out your tools, too. ...
- Make notes or highlight.
One of the most common ways of keeping recipes organized is with recipe binders. Rather than keeping recipe books to flick through for recipe referencing, chefs will have the recipes they need collated in binders. This means that they can quickly and easily find necessary items without other recipes getting in the way.
What are the 3 main parts of a recipe explain what determines a well written recipe? ›
A well-written recipe will have a title that sums up the dish, a list of ingredients and quantities for each ingredient, a set of directions that explains how to make the dish, a number of servings, a cooking temperature and time, nutrition facts, and information on necessary equipment, tools, and containers.
Should you read the recipe all the way through before preparing? ›
Read the recipe first.
Please, read carefully before you do anything — even before you've decided to actually make the thing! Read the recipe all the way to the end. Ideally, you'll read it multiple times. The effort is well spent.
How do you reference a recipe? ›
Works Cited entries for recipes from books must include complete information for the book as a whole, in addition to the recipe author's name and the recipe title. The generic form is: Last_name, First_name. "Title_of_Recipe." Recipe.
When reading a recipe What does the yield tell you? ›
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.
