Reading a Recipe


Let’s talk about reading recipes. I know this seems pretty basic, but I really believe that people take reading recipes for granted, and even make mistakes by not reading them correctly.

I was applying for a job once, and during the interview, I was handed a recipe to read over and then asked if there were any mistakes in it, and if so, what they were. I told them what I thought and handed back the recipe. They never did tell me if anything was wrong or not, so I do not know what, if anything, was wrong.

I am going to give you a recipe to read. It is a recipe for pancake batter from a restaurant where I formerly worked. Here is what I’d like everyone to do: Read the recipe and see if you can find any errors in it. Drop me a comment with your answer. If you believe there is something wrong, then you need to say what you think it is. If you think it is correct the way it is, then say, “I see nothing wrong with it.” On the other hand, if you really do not know, then simply say, “I do not know.”

Now, to make this even more fun, let me add this: this is a real recipe that is used at the restaurant even to this day. It is posted on the wall for everyone to follow, so maybe it is correct and maybe not.

Pancake Flour Mix
Single —————— Double
Weekday batch ————– Weekend batch
8 cups flour —————— 16 cups
8 cups cake flour ————– 16 cups
6T. sugar ————– 3/4 cup
4.5 T baking powder————– 9T.
Pinch of Salt ————– 1tsp.
3T. Baking Soda ————– 6T.

Blend all Ingredients until completely mixed.

Pancake Batter
(1 Batch)

18 eggs
2 cartons buttermilk (1/2 gallon size)
16 cups flour
1 lb melted butterMix eggs first…add buttermilk and milk
again…add flour and mix till all wet.

Do Not Overmix…add melted butter.

Please share your thoughts about this.

I will post the answer in about a week; I want to give people time to read and think about it. Till then, read your recipes carefully!



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May 27th, 2008
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Deb Zemek
Posted on:
May 28, 2008 at 1:17 am

The only thing I see that is glaringly wrong is that it says add buttermilk and milk again - I assume that is supposed to be mix again. Seems like a lot of eggs to me too but then I don’t like a lot of eggs in my pancakes - that’s a lot of pancakes!

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Katie Hall
Posted on:
May 28, 2008 at 4:41 pm

In the batter portion, it seems to want you to add more flour. Why would you need more flour if you have already mixed up the dry portion of the ingredients? Also, it doens’t give a quantity for the milk. Why would you need milk if there is already 2 cartons of buttermilk? And shouldn’t the melted butter be added with the rest of the wet ingredients are added, so as NOT to overmix ?

I’m not a baker, by the way, just a curious onlooker.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Rick Beaudin
Posted on:
May 30, 2008 at 8:59 pm

I know this answer will almost seem trivial, but here is my thinking on this subject.

Deb Zemek, was correct about the problem being Buttermilk and then milk. Many friends saw this post and never saw that problem. Everyone who guessed that maybe amounts were incorrect were wrong. We use that recipe even to this day. We mix the dry up in 100 gallon plastic bins, then scoop out the dry and mix it with the wet. Anyone who wants to use oil instead of butter and cut the recipe down to a size you can use will find this recipe works. Honestly they are not the best I have ever had, but then again I do not own the restaurant either.

But here is my thinking on this subject. I figure since this was put out as a test people would look for flaws. But lets say you simply were given this recipe, and used it. If you glanced it over and saw Buttermilk and milk, you might not simply assume it was a type-O, so you might not make it. But lets say you did not notice and you made it, then something Did go wrong and it was not a type-O, then your stuck wasting your time and product.

Every one makes mistakes, even the best pro’s in the world, but yet as a Pro, were paid to not make mistakes and even catch them before they are made. I hope you enjoyed this and I hope I made everyone think. If you have any questions that were not answered as to my line of thinking please ask. Rick b