You do not have to have cooking skills to satisfy hunger. You can eat convenience
foods that require little or no preparation. However, you can add unlimited variety and
interest to meals when you know how to prepare foods from scratch.
Before you can begin working in the kitchen, you need to have some basic knowl-
edge and food preparation skills. In this chapter, you will learn how to read a recipe and
measure ingredients. You will also learn how to plan your use of time in the kitchen.
Choosing a Recipe
A recipe is a set of instructions for preparing a specifi c food, 12-1. Cookbooks are
popular sources of recipes. Magazines, newspapers, appliance manuals, and recipe
software can all be good places to fi nd recipes, too. The meal manager can use these
resources to help plan and prepare daily meals.
You can also explore numerous recipe websites on the Internet. Many sites allow
you to search for recipes using factors such as type of dish, cuisine, and prepara-
tion method. You can easily adjust the number of servings and make a printout of any
recipe. Many sites also allow you to prepare food budgets, shopping lists, and nutri-
tional analyses. You can often save favorite recipes in a personal online recipe fi le, too.
Good recipes are written in a clear, concise manner. A recipe should list ingredients
in the order in which you will be combining them. Amounts should be easy to measure.
Directions for mixing and/or handling procedures must be complete. Baking or cooking
times and temperatures and pan sizes need to be accurate. The recipe should state
the yield, which is the average amount or number of servings a recipe makes. Many
recipes also include a nutritional analysis to help you evaluate how the food will fi t into a
healthful diet.
A recipe is your work plan for the food you are going to prepare. Read through the
recipe before you begin to prepare it. This will allow you to be sure you understand the
directions and have all the needed ingredients. If you are out of a needed ingredient,
you may be able to make a substitution. See 12-2.
234
Part 2 The Management of Food
Low-Fat Vegetable Dip
Makes about 3 cups (750 mL)
1 8-ounce package Neufchâtel
cheese, softened
1 cup low-fat Cheddar cheese,
shredded
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives
1 227-g package Neufchâtel
cheese, softened
250 mL low-fat Cheddar cheese,
shredded
250 mL plain nonfat yogurt
15 mL freeze-dried chives
yield
ingredients and
measurements
nutritional
analysis
directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine Neufchâtel, Cheddar cheese, yogurt,
and chives.
2. Mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
4. Serve with a platter of cut, raw vegetables.
Per tablespoon: 19 Cal. (47% from fat), 2 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat,
4 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 37 mg sodium.
12-1 A well-written recipe should include all the information needed to prepare a particular food.