Writing Recipes Right!Linsey LaPlant, MS, RDN
Sales Manager, Health-e Pro
CSNA’s Annual ConferenceSacramento, CA
What is a standardized recipe?
A Standardized Recipe is like a blueprint to a builder – exact and tested for yield.
• School Food and Nutrition Service Management
By Dorothy Pannel-Martin and Julie Boettger
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Or the easy-to-remember definition:
Can your Principal make this, as expected, without help?
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• Title
• Ingredients
• Ingredient Quantities
• Serving Size or Portion
• Yield
• Directions
• Meal Contribution for Child Nutrition
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)
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What are the parts?
Descriptive Title
Ingredients
Directions
Yield
HACCP
Portion Size
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Dennis the Menace Makes Lunch
• PBJ Triangles
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Susie Standard makes Lunch• Exact & Tested
for Yield
• Title
• Ingredients
• Quantities, Crediting
• Yield
• Directions
• HACCP
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Benefits of Standardization
• Same ingredients
• Consistency
• Participation of Return Customers
• Cost control
• Compliance
• Advance Planning
• Forecasting
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Same Ingredients
• Same ingredients yield the same result
• Same ingredients yield the same quantity of servings
• Same ingredient tastes the same
• Ordering and forecasting is easier
• Nutrient analysis is standardized
• Familiarization with the product
– Preparation
– Cooking
– Result
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Which of these is not like the other?
• Peaches
– Frozen or Canned
– Syrup or Juice
– Drained vs Undrained
– Nutrients
– Pack size for Yield
– Portion Size
– Dice, Slice, Whole, Cut
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Consistency-Repeat Customers
• Students know what the product is
• Students expect it to look the same
• Students expect it to taste the same
• Students expect it to be the same portion
• Students expect it to look like your advertisement
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Chicken Nuggets
• Articles about how the HS kids were so hungry
• Portion size-suddenly smaller = complaints
• Different brands have different portions for requirements
• Crispy coating, Fried coating, No coating
• Formed or filet
• Nugget, Tender, Strip, Tenderloin
• Or was the issue that you changed to LS ketchup?
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Cost
• Menu is about 40% of your budget. Pennies matter.
• Yield determines cost.
• Inconsistent portion means inconsistent ordering and cost
• Cost should not vary depending on who is cooking
• If you are not following recipe, any costing is useless
• Accurate portion and yield information
– Can you trust the scaled amounts or do you add that “extra” to be safe
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Compliance
• Meal Contribution can be calculated
• Portion sizes are consistent and compliant
• Analysis is meaningful and accurate
• Ingredients can be scaled for sufficient production
• Decreased chance of missed requirements
• Food Buying Guide directs the contribution
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Scaled Recipes
• Serving 200 students or 225 students – does the recipe vary? Who calculates it?
• Will they get the same contribution of M/MA each time?
• Will they get the same portion?
• Is the analysis accurate for carbs or calories?
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Food Buying Guide
• Paper version, Calculator or Interactive
• Guidance on the meal contribution for CN
• Provides as served yield guidance
• https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov/Home/Home© 2017 Health-e Pro. All rights reserved.
Human Calculator
What do you need to
calculate for Chili Mac?
Beef
Beans
Cheese
Tomato Paste
Tomato Sauce
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Advance Planning
• Labor constraints
• Multi-stage Process
• Recipes that take prep time can be expected and planned
Thawing, Precooking portions, Cutting
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Forecasting
• Historic usage of products
• Trends in usage
• Leftover costs
• Same pack size as last order
• Price changes
• Does forecast amount match production
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Volume vs Weight
• 8 ounces = 8 ounces right?
– Only with water!
• ½ Cup fruit, vegetable and grains require volume credit
• Weight and Volume are not the same and can have drastic differences in cooking
• How you serve it may not be the best way to determine what to use, order, or use in the recipe
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½ Cup Vegetable
• What is the weight?
• Lettuce
– 2.01 ounces
• Mashed Potatoes
– 4.34 ounces
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Which measurement to use?
Would weight or volume be better to use in a recipe?
• Frozen corn
• Fresh Oranges
• Orange Juice
• Rice
• Oil
• Peanut Butter
• Flour
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Let’s Cook
What could be
improved in this
recipe?
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Success!
Clear Description
Ingredients – raw (meat, pasta)
Tomato – cans
Vegetables – weight
Portion size
Directions
All Meal Components
HACCP
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Thank you for your attention.• Linsey LaPlant, MS, RDN
• Health-e Pro Sales Manager
• 1-800-838-4856 X 5
• 425-363-3901
• © 2017 Health-e Pro. All rights reserved.
• This presentation is proprietary and is for individual use only. Cannot be used forgroup training purposes wihtout written permission.