Food Services Management

Standardization of Recipes, Benefits of recipe standardization, Features of a standardized recipe,Standardization Procedures,How to write standardized recipe in the cook book

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a standardized recipe is one that “has been tried, adapted and retried several times for use by a given foodservice operation and has been found to produce the same good results and yield every time when the exact procedures are used with the same type of equipment and the same quantity and quality of ingredients.” Recipes that are tested for quality, quantity,procedure,time,temperature, equipment and yield are called standardized recipes. The recipes that are standardized always give the similar end product whenever the specified conditions are followed. Standardization of recipes needs very careful assessment, testing and evaluation. If there are variations in the conditions (like equipment or procedure or temperature) then there will be a considerable change in the end product. Therefore, the testing should be carried out in the same conditions that will be used for the actual food preparation. In many food service operations it is the process of management that takes care of this job with the help of supervisors and dietitians.

Benefits of recipe standardization:

The benefits of standardization for food service management programmes are given below:

Customer satisfaction: Recipe standardization ensures that the consumers get the same quality, presentation and portion size that they are accustomed to each time the meal is served.

Increased employee confidence: Prevents cooks from preparing a substandard product. It helps training the employees in good food production and handling procedures.

Portion and yield control: The amount of food that will be produced is the same every time with a standardized recipe. Hence, it will reduce leftover food and shortages.

Quality control: Standardized recipes provide the same high-quality food every time they are used because they have been thoroughly tested and evaluated.

Consistent nutrient content: The standardized recipe ensures the exact nutritional content of the food. This is very useful in hospital food service where the nutrient content of each recipe is to be considered.

Cost control: It is easier to manage buying and storing food when using the same ingredients in the same quantities every time a particular recipe is made.

Reduce record keeping: A record of the standardized recipes helps the food production team to refer the recipe when needed. Hence, even if there is a change of personnel it does not affect the quality or quantity of food.

Features of a standardized recipe:

It should be written in simple, understandable language.

●It should present the name of the recipe.

●It should include ingredients with quantities.

●Details of procedures, yield of recipe, portion size and cost of recipe.

●Equipment needed for the preparation of the recipe should be listed.

Standardization Procedures:

Standardization involves the careful adjustment and readjustment of ingredients and their proportions to produce the most acceptable quality. There is a need for subjective as well as objective evaluation. Tests for achieving the best taste should be done for producing quality products.

Step 1: Preparation of original recipe

●The original recipe- Source of the recipe can be from cook books, magazines, family recipe files and commercial food companies.

●Recipe has to be prepared for a minimum serving of five portions.

●The finished product has to be evaluated based on preparation method, ingredient proportion, availability of ingredients, cost, yield and equipment.

●The preparation should be repeated until the desired quantity and quality is achieved.

Step 2: Enlargement of recipe

The original recipe is enlarged at this stage. When it is multiplied and tested the ratio of the ingredients play a very important role in the yield and taste. For example, in a cake recipe the ratio between the flour, sugar and shortening is very important to be assessed carefully. The two general methods followed while enlarging the recipes are

■Trial and error method

■Factor method

a. Trial and error method

– In this method, the original recipe is multiplied twice and the yield with other characteristics are evaluated. If the quality and quantity are acceptable it is further multiplied. If not, adjustments are made and retested before multiplying. This method is time consuming and tedious, since the adjustments may be difficult.

■ Used in simple recipes where there are limited number of ingredients.

■Special attention should be given in processes such as, cooking temperatures and speed of the mixers.

b. Factor method

In this method, a factor is used to calculate and multiply the ingredients carefully. The conversion factor is derived as follows: Conversion factor 3 Original Recipe (g x factor) = 4 Desired yield from enlarged recipe- Yield from original recipe. For example, a standardized cake recipe which yields a kilo of cake gives 20 cake pieces of 50 grams each. If the desired yield is for 100 cake pieces then the original recipe which is serving only 20 cake pieces needs to be enlarged. The conversion factor would be 100/20=5. The number 5 is the factor that will be used for conversion. First, all the ingredients with their measures are listed from the original recipe. The equivalent measure should be multiplied by the factor. The amount got will be used and tested in the enlarged recipe. It should be noted that when recipes are increased the factor will be greater than 1 and when the recipes are decreased the factor will be less than1

Step 3: Standardized Recipe

A recipe card should be prepared outlining the ingredients, procedures and other important information. Then it can be filed and kept for further use.

How to write a standardized recipe in the cook book:

☆The name of the recipe (Origins/ History of the dish)

☆Yield: The number of savings that the dish provides.

☆List all ingredients in the order of its use. Describe it in step by step instructions.

☆Listing ingredients by the quantity (Write out abbreviations- ‘g’ for grams).

☆Mention the time taken to prepare the dish and cooking time for the dish.

☆Necessary equipment used for the dish.

☆Cooking procedures. Temperature and bake time if necessary.

☆Serving procedures (Served while warm/cold).

☆Review of the dish (Would you recommend this dish to a friend?).

☆Photograph of the dish (Optional).

☆Nutritional Value: Helps for dietary restrictions. Includes number of calories or grams per serving.

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