Recipe Management, Food Costing, and Cutting Techniques Vocabulary

A comprehensive vocabulary flashcard set reviewing standardized and instructional recipes, quantification formulas, food costing calculations, volume/weight conversions, basic vegetable cuts, and knife maintenance.

Standardized Recipe

A tested and approved formula that provides exact ingredients, measurements, procedures, and yields to ensure consistent quality, taste, and quantity every time it is prepared.

Instructional Recipe

A guide used for teaching or learning cooking skills that includes step-by-step directions, ingredients, and procedures, but may not always be strictly standardized in terms of cost, yield, or precision.

Recipe Quantification

The process of determining and adjusting the quantity of ingredients needed to produce a specific number of servings.

Conversion Factor

A number that tells how many times to increase or decrease a recipe, calculated using the formula $\text{Conversion Factor} = \frac{\text{New Number of Servings}}{\text{Original Number of Servings}}$.

Conversion Factor Method

A two-step procedure for quantifying recipes consisting of finding the conversion factor and multiplying ingredient quantities by that conversion factor.

Food Cost

The total amount of money spent on ingredients used to prepare a recipe or food item.

Total Food Cost Percentage

A percentage metric that indicates if food spending is appropriate relative to revenue, calculated as $\text{Total Food Cost Percentage} = \frac{\text{Total Cost of Goods}}{\text{Total Revenue}} \times 100$.

Food Cost Percentage Per Dish

The percentage of a single dish's selling price spent on ingredients, calculated as $\text{Food Cost Percentage Per Dish} = \frac{\text{Cost of Dish Per Serving}}{\text{Selling Price}} \times 100$.

Cutting Techniques

Essential culinary skills in food preparation that ensure ingredients are cut safely, uniformly, and efficiently.

Chopping

Cutting vegetables into irregular, medium-sized pieces, commonly used for soups, stews, and stir-fries.

Slicing

Cutting vegetables into thin, flat, even pieces that may be round, diagonal, or lengthwise.

Julienne

Cutting vegetables into thin, matchstick-sized strips about 2-3 mm thick and 4-5 cm long, originating from the 18th-century French soup named potage julienne.

Dicing

Cutting vegetables into small, uniform cubes to ensure even cooking and attractive presentation.

Mincing

Finely chopping vegetables into very tiny pieces, commonly used for flavoring dishes.

Batonnet

Cutting vegetables into thick sticks measuring approximately 6 mm x 6 mm x 5-6 cm, which is twice as thick as a standard julienne cut.

Honing with a Steel

A regular knife maintenance technique that realigns the blade's edge to maintain its sharpness.

Sharpening with a Stone

A knife maintenance method that removes metal from a dull blade to create a new sharp edge.

Pinch

A culinary measurement equal to $\frac{1}{8}$ teaspoon.

Tablespoon (T / Tbsp)

A unit of volume measure equal to 3 teaspoons or $\frac{1}{16}$ cup.

Pound (lb)

A unit of weight measurement equal to 16 ounces or 454 grams.