Reading comprehension: It’s not just for the SAT! The concept that many of us probably rolled our eyes at in our youth — surprise! — does indeed have practical implications in our real adult lives. Recipes are a prime example.
Sure, recipes are about cooking, but before you get into the kitchen, it’s key to slow down and fully understand what you’re about to undertake.
Ideally, your recipe will have been developed, written and tested by a reliable source. It should be clear and concise. But that’s not always the case. Whatever the state of the recipe you’re perusing, here are a few things to think about when you’re choosing and preparing to make a recipe.
Read the recipe first.Pretty much everything I go into below falls into this overarching advice. 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.
Be sure to read, or at least scan, the head note.Complaints about how people don’t want to read the intro to a recipe are a dime a dozen these days. Skip it at your own risk. Sure, we like to tuck anecdotes in there, but the head note may also provide such information as how you can switch up the ingredients or try different cooking methods. In other words, it may answer questions you might have before you even ask them (or comment on the recipe).
Sketch out a time estimate.A lot of recipes, including ours on Voraciously, provide information about how long a recipe takes to make. While I can tell you we’re studious about accuracy and being realistic, not everyone is. And not everyone includes prep time either. So do the math yourself, accounting for your own speed, your own situation — i.e. how many times is my toddler going to interrupt me? This is also key for recipes in which a rest time, such as letting a tart dough chill or a bread dough rise, are tucked into the instructions. That’s not the surprise you want after you’ve already started cooking.
Survey your ingredients.See what you have on hand, ideally long before you start cooking. It’s a real drag to start on a recipe and only then realize you are missing an ingredient. Even if in your reconnaissance you find you don’t have something, doing the leg work in advance gives you time to think about a smart substitution.
Look for stealth ingredients.Depending on the writer or publication’s style, not everything will be listed in the ingredient list. The most common item is water, but salt and pepper may be buried in the recipe steps. Ditto oil or nonstick cooking spray.
Check for divided ingredients.I will definitely admit to missing this myself at times. Not all recipes will indicate when one ingredient is used at different points in the process. If the recipe does, it will probably use the word “divided” in the ingredient list.
See if there’s a related sub-recipe.This is especially prevalent in cookbooks. You commit to making a dish, maybe even start preparing — only to notice there’s an entirely separate recipe needed to put together the one you chose. Sometimes they’re located elsewhere in the book, making it especially tricky to spot.
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 is the correct way to read a recipe? ›
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 is the main mistake people make when reading a recipe? ›
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.
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.
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.
How do cooks remember recipes? ›
Every restaurant has their own system for teaching recipes to their cooks. Some have recipe books, some have recipe viewers, and some chefs just write the recipes freehand, photocopy them and hand them out at the beginning of the shift.
What is the first thing you do when reading a recipe? ›
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.
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.
What are the three types of reading errors? ›
These are the 4 classic types of word-level errors that beginning and struggling readers make: Guessing or Total Whiffs. Blending Difficulties. Unknown Phonics Information.
What is the most important part of a recipe? ›
Ingredient List - The ingredient list is one of the most critical parts of a recipe. The ingredients should be listed in chronological order, with the ingredient used first at the very top of the list (Palmer, 2020).
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).
How many times should you read a recipe before cooking? ›
Read the recipe all the way to the end. Ideally, you'll read it multiple times.
What are the four steps to reading a recipe? ›
Look at the ingredients list. Check to see if you have all the ingredients. Read each step of the recipe. Make notes as you read.
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.
How do you reference a recipe? ›
Recipes should be arranged in the Works Cited list by the author's name, or by title if the recipe is uncredited, with the in-text citation rules being the same as for other sources. To assist the reader in locating the material, the note, "Recipe." should be included after the recipe's title in the Works Cited list.
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.
