First, what is a standardized recipe?
A standardized recipe is a recipe that has been tried, tested, evaluated and adapted for use by food service. It produces a consistent quality and quantity every time when the exact procedures, equipment, and ingredients are used.
Standardized recipe controls the quality and quantity of what your kitchen will produce.
While it is the menu that determines what is to be sold and at what price, the standardized recipe controls both the quality and the quantity of what your kitchen will produce. Simply put a standardized recipe consists of the procedure to be used in preparing and serving each of your menu items. The standardized recipe ensures that each time a guest orders an item from your menu, he or she receives exactly what you intended the guest to receive. Critical factors in a standardized recipe are the key to menu items consistency and, ultimately, operational success.
IN general, standardized recopies contain the following information:
- Item name
- Total yield
- Portion size
- Ingredient list
- Preparation/ method section
- Cooking time and temperature
- Special instructions, if necessary
- Recipe cost (optional)
What can’t be achieved without a standardized recipe?
- Same quality and quantity
- Accurate purchasing is impossible
- New employees can’t be trained without a standardized recipe
- Accurate recipe costing and menu pricing is impossible
- Matching food used to cash sales is impossible
- Foodservice operators can’t tell guests about the type and amount of ingredients in their recipe.