Chapter 12 Recipes and Work Plans
243
Changing Yield
Some recipes will make more or less of a food
product than you want. For instance, a recipe might
make four dozen chocolate chip cookies. When making
them for a large group, you may want twice that many. A
recipe for a chicken and rice casserole might make eight
servings. When preparing dinner for four, you might want
only half that amount. Knowing measuring equivalents
will help you adjust the yield of a recipe. See 12-5.
Conventional units of measure used in recipes are
teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups. Changing the yield
of a conventional recipe can be tricky. You may have
to convert from one unit to another. For instance, 3
teaspoons is the equivalent of 1 tablespoon. Suppose
you are doubling a recipe that calls for 1½ teaspoons
of baking soda. Two times 1½ teaspoons equals 3
teaspoons, or 1 tablespoon. Likewise,
1⁄4
cup equals
4 tablespoons. Suppose you are halving a recipe that
calls for
1⁄4
cup sugar. You can easily fi gure half of 4
tablespoons is 2 tablespoons. Figure the adjusted
amounts of each ingredient before you begin cooking.
Write the adjusted amounts on your recipe so you will
remember them as you work. See 12-6.
The main metric unit of measure used in recipes is
the milliliter. Changing the yield of a metric recipe is easy.
You do not have to convert from one unit to another.
Using a Time-Work Schedule
When serving a meal, you would not want the vegetable to fi nish cooking 20
minutes after you serve the main course. As a meal manager, you are responsible for
making sure all the food is ready at the same time. You can accomplish this goal by
using a time-work schedule. This is a written plan that lists times for doing specifi c
tasks to prepare a meal or food product.
A time-work schedule should be specifi c enough to identify the order and timing of
all the critical preparation steps. On the other hand, it should be fl exible enough to allow
you to make adjustments. If you underestimate your speed or need to substitute an
ingredient, you may need this fl exibility.
Preliminary Planning
Before writing your time-work schedule, you need to think about the tasks involved
in preparing a meal. As you gather recipes for each menu item, think about the cooking
methods required. Choosing two or more items that can be prepared by the same
method can help you save time and energy. For instance, you can use the heat of the
oven to roast chicken and carrots at the same time.
In addition to recipes, you will need paper and a pencil to write your schedule.
(Using a pencil makes it easier to revise the plan, if needed.) You may also want a
calculator to fi gure the total time required to prepare each food.
12-5 Knowing equivalent measures can help
you change recipe yield and convert between
conventional and metric measures.
Common Equivalent Measures
Conventional
Measure
Conventional
Equivalent
Approximate
Metric Equivalent*
¼ teaspoon — 1 milliliter
½ teaspoon — 2 milliliters
1 teaspoon — 5 milliliters
3 teaspoons 1 tablespoon 15 milliliters
2 tablespoons 1⁄8 cup 30 milliliters
4 tablespoons ¼ cup 50 milliliters
5 1⁄3 tablespoons 1⁄3 cup 75 milliliters
8 tablespoons ½ cup 125 milliliters
102⁄3
tablespoons
2⁄3 cup 150 milliliters
12 tablespoons 3⁄4 cup 175 milliliters
16 tablespoons 1 cup, ½ pint 250 milliliters
2 cups 1 pint 500 milliliters
4 cups 1 quart 1 liter
* Based on measures seen on standard metric
equipment.