What is a recipe? Some will ask? A recipe is a set of instructions used for preparing and producing a certain food, dish, or drink.
The purpose of a recipe is to have a precise record of the ingredients used, the amounts needed, and the way they are combined, and we are here to tell you why it is important to read a recipe before cooking.
Recipes are important because they contain the information necessary to make a dish properly. As with any set of instructions, you rely on them to give you all of the information you need. There isn't always someone nearby who has that knowledge.
Read the recipe all the way through first
This may seem like a silly thing to say but so often people skip this step. It is important to read the whole recipe before you begin cooking. This helps you know how the dish is made.
All recipes start with the name of the dish. Next will come the ingredients needed. With this, you will know how long it is going to take, if something needs to be chilled or if you need to Google something you don’t understand, or if you need to soften your butter. It is also good to do so you know if you have everything you need to make the full recipe.
What does every recipe need?
A recipe really only needs either ingredients or the preparation method to be considered complete. At a minimum, most recipes have a title, ingredients list, and preparation method.
So what you can do here is to check whether you need to use an ingredient, such as butter or oil, at different stages in the recipe so that you don’t make the mistake of using that ingredient all at once.
Once you know how to follow a recipe, you can get cooking. On that note, try to look up recipe terms you don't understand so cooking proceeds smoothly.
Substitutions
When it comes to recipes, you will find out that sometimes you need to substitute an ingredient. Ingredient substitution should only be used when you don't have the necessary ingredients on hand in your kitchen.
If you have a missing ingredient, Google for a substitute of the ingredient that will work for you. Know that substitutions can change the flavour and outcome of the finished baked goods.
But with that said, recipe substitutes will be a big help in getting your meals on the table in no time at all.