8 Tips For Recipe Success

“We all experience recipe failure. It happens to even the most experienced home cooks. However, you can limit the chance of recipe failure and dramatically increase the chance of recipe success by following my 8 tips.”

Icing sugar, maple syrup and soft brown sugar all have. very different effect in a cookie or meringue recipe

1 Use the exact ingredients listed in the recipe

It sounds obvious but many home cooks will swap out ingredients for those they already have in the cupboard. This is fine for some recipes. A vegetable and thyme stew, for example, could have it’s ingredients swapped out for other vegetables or other woody herbs. These are the forgiving recipes. But there are many recipes that are not forgiving. Baking is a good example, where the use of different sugars greatly affects the bake. Adhering to recipes can be difficult for creative cooks but recipe failure is a waste of time and ingredients. After experiencing this far too many times I created a rule. The first time I would follow a recipe I followed it to a tee. Once I had made the recipe that one time I learnt from it how it could potentially be adapted.

2 Read through the recipe several times before making it

When I teach my chef students they are required to read the recipe a few times before making the recipe in class. I cannot express how much difference this will make. Getting a full understanding of the recipe first will enable you to get an overview of the process. If you want to take it one step further highlight excerpts that you want to easily refer back to whilst cooking. It is difficult to scan a recipe when cooking, so highlighting will help. 

3 Use proper measuring spoons

When a recipe calls for a teaspoon or tablespoon this means a measuring teaspoon or tablespoon, as opposed to those used for making tea or eating dessert. Cutlery can be a variety of sizes whereas measuring spoons are a specific size. Using the exact amount of an ingredient can be crucial in many recipes. For example, baking powder or bicarbonate of soda in a bake. Or aquafaba in a meringue recipe. Even some spices need to be measured out precisely. Nutmeg, mace, turmeric and allspice are strong spices. Using too much of them can ruin a dish.

Only the middle spoon should be used for measuring ingredients

4 If you are halving or doubling the recipe write out the ingredient quantities and alter baking/cooking time

Adjusting the quantity of a recipe is something every home cook needs to do, whether occasionally or often. The only trouble is, you get half way through the recipe and forget you’re meant to be halving the quantities! This is very common. To ensure this doesn’t happen write out all of the ingredients with the adjusted amounts. If you are increasing or decreasing a baked recipe you will need to also adjust the baking time.

5 If you are not using the same size baking tin, amend the time

Often we do not have the exact same size or shape tin as the one used in the recipe. If you use a different size your bake will need less, or more, time in the oven. If you use a wider tin the batter will be thinner and therefore it will cook quicker. Similarly if you use a mini muffin tin, rather than a regular muffin tin, it will cook quicker. 

6 Gluten free baking recipes are notorious for fails

When you first explore gluten free recipes, recipe fails can be so frustrating but they are very common. This is because gluten free flours can differ greatly between brands and between different countries. Try to find recipes created by people in the country you live in or find recipes that state the brand of flour used.

7 Measure out all ingredients before cooking

When making a new recipe it is better for you to focus on the process and techniques. If you measure out the ingredients first, you will be able to do just that.

My trusty oven thermometer

8 Use an oven thermometer

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but your oven is lying to you. You’re not alone, they ALL lie! Home ovens are either hotter or cooler than they say they are. The only way to tell is to use an oven thermometer. They are very cheap, costing £4-5 and they last a very long time. Place the thermometer in the centre of your oven to determine the precise temperature. A thermometer is crucial if you are making a recipe that is very temperature sensitive, such as meringues, amaretti or baked cheesecake.