{"id":115603,"date":"2015-07-24T12:52:42","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T02:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=115603"},"modified":"2015-07-24T12:54:43","modified_gmt":"2015-07-24T02:54:43","slug":"recipe-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/24\/recipe-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Recipe For Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>July 24, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Jason Ford<\/strong>
\nFord on Food<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most important aspects of cooking is the recipe. Following a recipe is critical to culinary success.<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, qualified chefs always follow recipes regardless of their experience. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a chef\u2019s responsibility to provide a consistent product to their guests, irrespective of how they feel or what day of the week it is.<\/p>\n

However, many amateur cooks lack recipe literacy.<\/p>\n

To start with, the most important part of the recipe is not the ingredients: it\u2019s the step-by-step method that matters most.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, sometimes a recipe works out fine, even if one of the ingredients is missing. <\/p>\n

However, if you miss one step in the cooking instructions, it\u2019s a recipe for disaster.<\/p>\n

Another critical factor to a recipe is the yield (number of portions).<\/strong> <\/p>\n

If a recipe doesn\u2019t contain information on how many portions it produces, you\u2019re already doomed. <\/p>\n

Imagine a chef catering for 300 people, and he doesn\u2019t know how much to multiply the recipe by, because he doesn\u2019t know the recipe\u2019s yield. <\/p>\n

In this scenario the chef may end up short of portions, customers will go hungry and are likely to organise a mutiny.<\/p>\n

A good recipe will also have consistent units of measurement.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

If one ingredient is measured in cups and spoons, then the remaining ingredients should as well (although I\u2019m a little guilty of breaking this rule).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s my opinion that all ingredients should be listed in the user-friendly metric system of grams (g) or millilitres (ml). And electronic scales are far more accurate for measuring than spoons and \u2018guess-timation\u2019.<\/p>\n

I also recommend you read a recipe from beginning to end before you start as there may be some vital information overlooked, such as pre-heating an oven or pre-soaking an ingredient in water overnight.<\/p>\n

Also: don\u2019t expect a recipe to look exactly like the picture; there are at least three specialists involved in the process of making a glossy food photograph.<\/p>\n

Never fear, true culinary success is judged by good flavour – not by perfect presentation!<\/p>\n

And now, here’s one of my favourite cold weather recipes …<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Healthy Minestrone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n