About The Recipe

To create means bringing something into existence that wasn’t there before. 

Creating a new dish or recipe from scratch is rare. It is often done by developing, working with, rearranging, trying new combinations, etc.

The more you know about a subject, the easier it is to be creative in that field. When talking about food, that means:

Understanding the Basics

Ingredients - Cooking Techniques - Kitchen Equipment

Reading and Decoding Recipes

Recipe Structure - Recipe Language – Portion Size

The world is an ever-changing place, and often, we must adjust our recipes to fit a new situation, diet, or a change in lifestyle or way of living.

Obviously, some people are more creative than others. People like inventors, artists, writers, and many more are among the most innovative, while others have never had a creative thought in their mind. However, creativity is a powerful ability that can be learned and cultivated.

If you want to infuse more creativity into your cooking, here is a short guide to get you started.

Curiosity

What if? – Why don’t I try this? – What will happen if I do this instead of that? A curious approach to cooking and a quest for continuous learning means staying open-minded, asking questions, and exploring new ideas. Sometimes wonder creates.

Divergent/Convergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is the process of exploring many possible solutions to a problem. Convergent thinking generally involves giving the “right” answer and is essentially the process of choosing the obvious one.

Break routine

For fresh perspectives, break out of your daily routine. New experiences and environments will stimulate your brain.

Development / Collaboration / Inspiration from others

Most new recipes are not created but developed in home, professional, and test kitchens. Using all we have learned, we can rework, adjust, and tinker with the recipes we work with daily. 

After all, the kitchen is a place of transformation. Everything brought into the kitchen is changed in some way. It is unavoidable not to vary a recipe to fit, not only to our style, but also to adjust according to the variability of ingredients, equipment, a new situation, diet, or change in lifestyle or way of living.

Another thing is availability. Using local, farm-to-table items can be challenging but also exciting. Due to seasons and weather conditions, availability can change quickly, requiring a chef to be flexible, creative, and able to make quick decisions.

Professional kitchens rely on teamwork, and creative kitchens will toss ideas around, brainstorm, and try new things. The same applies to test kitchens, where chefs, nutritionists, dietitians, and researchers gather diverse perspectives and insights to develop and create new recipes or cooking methods.

Home cooks can share ideas with family, friends, colleagues, or online groups to receive feedback and inspiration.

Mindfulness / Mind-body Connection / Reflection

Mindfulness is being fully present and aware of where and what we do. When mindful, we can gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind. Creating a new recipe is a balance between science and art and often requires both logic and imagination.

Physical activity can stimulate creative thinking. Take breaks, go for a walk, go to the gym, engage in activities like yoga or Tai Chi.

Ensure you get enough sleep, as it plays a crucial role in cognitive function and creativity. 

Reflect on your thoughts and experiences regularly. What could be improved? What worked well?

Constraints as catalysts - availability

Another way to create is to focus on one or two items. Limits can stimulate problem-solving and make you think outside the box. Nowadays, we can get almost anything year-round, but if you are entuned with the seasons, some items have very short seasons (soft-shell crabs) and are not always available. In some cases, there is a temporary abundance of one item you want to take advantage of. 

Let’s use plums as an example and exclude desserts.

Plums can be sliced, sauteed, grilled, and served with seafood, chicken, or pork. Many oriental recipes include plums. How many savory dishes with plums can you think of?

Or maybe two ingredients. In early fall, you have oysters and corn. How many dishes can you come up with using oysters and corn?

Maybe the limit is not a food item but a piece of equipment, a theme, or a category. Can you think of a grilled but served cold plum appetizer? Clemson University makes its own excellent blue cheese, and while I worked there, I wrote a cookbook, ‘Tastes of Clemson Blue Cheese’ with 162 blue cheese recipes. 

Embrace Failure  

Mistakes happen, ambiguity, paradoxes, uncertainty, and sometimes bad ideas occur. Learn from it and use it as stepping stones to better results. Test through experience and persistence. Learning how not to do something can be valuable and used to refine and keep experimenting.

KEEP A CREATIVE JOURNAL

Take notes. Ideas, observations, and inspirations can come anytime, anywhere, not just in the kitchen; write it all down for later use. 

In the kitchen, note everything you do: combinations, quantities, methods, tastes, etc.

Test, And Test Again

Test and refine. Prepare a recipe multiple times to ensure consistency and make necessary adjustments. Consider seeking feedback from others to get their input and suggestions for improvement. 

Once you have finalized your recipe, document it clearly and organized. (See below) Include a list of ingredients with specific measurements, stepby-step instructions, and any special tips or variations. You may want to take photos along the way to illustrate the process.

Creating recipes is a skill that can be learned and developed over time. Be patient, stay persistent, have fun, and enjoy the journey of culinary creations!

” Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.”

                                                                                                      -Anonymous

PLATING/FOOD PRESENTATION

Plate presentation is the final step that showcases the creations. It should highlight the quality of the food and preparation techniques. Each element should be there for a reason, adding flavor, texture, and color dimensions that are in harmony with the finished plate.  

Effective plating should be simple yet stylish and visually appealing. Before beginning the plating process, visualize how it will appear. 

Usually, our eyes scan a food plate much like a picture, from the lower left to the upper right. Use this to engage the senses and draw in the observer. 

Odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye than even numbers and bring unity and harmony to the plate and pull in the surrounding elements, so three of anything is more appealing than four. 

Food plating starts with the basics of functionality and practicality. Most important is the quality of the food, which must be prepared properly with a fresh, appetizing appearance. All cuts should be clean and uniform. Everything must be prepared to retain its bright colors; sauces must have a proper consistency, and proteins must be cooked to the correct degree of doneness. 

Elements in Creative Food Plating

The plate as a canvas

Treat the plate as a canvas and think about it in terms of composition, balancing visual elements across the dish.

Shapes

Experiment with geometric shapes for individual elements or use moldings to shape ingredients creatively.

Color

Experiment with a variety of colorful ingredients to create visually appealing contrasts on the plate.

Patterns

Arrange food in creative and visually interesting patterns, like spirals, waves, or concentric circles.

Heights

Use different heights to add depth to the presentation. Stack elements or use elevated platforms for certain items.

Garnishes

Incorporate edible flowers, microgreens, or herbs as garnishes to add flavor and a pop of color.

ENHANCE AESTHETICS

Create artistic swirls or drizzles with sauces to enhance the overall aesthetic and add a touch of sophistication.

Textures

Combine crunchy, smooth, and creamy textures to make the dish more engaging to the eyes and palate.

Empty Spaces

Utilize the empty spaces on the plate strategically to draw attention to the main components and maintain a clean look. As a rule, at least 1/3 of the plate should be negative or empty space.

Freshness

Highlight the freshness of your ingredients and embrace seasonality to add vibrancy and relevance to your dish.

Temperatures

Integrate elements at different temperatures to add a dynamic aspect to the dish, such as a warm item on a cold salad.

Plates and Bowls

Choose plates and bowls that complement the textures and colors of the food, enhancing the overall presentation. When plating, plates and bowls should be at the correct temperature: hot food on warm plates and cold food on chilled plates.

Tools

Use unconventional tools like squeeze bottles, tweezers, or even paintbrushes to apply sauces or arrange delicate components.

Personality

Infuse your personality into the plating, making it unique and reflective of your own style and creativity.

Before the plate is presented to the guest, it must be examined and cleaned as needed. It should be presented to the guest with the plate position as intended. This is referred to as the 6 o’clock focal point closest to the guest.

Above all, a plate of food should taste delicious and be enjoyable to eat. Think about how your guests will actually eat the food. For example, everything on the plate, including garnishes, should be edible.

All plating involves artistic decisions, and a successful plate presentation is seldom achieved on the first try. Test, use your imagination, create by trial and error, and brainstorm with others, if possible, to get the results you are looking for.

“I already enjoy cooking. I like different flavors and putting different things together and really like taking normal recipes to a higher level.” - Queen Latifah

WRITING THE RECIPE

A recipe is a list of ingredients with instructions on preparing a dish. There is more than one way to write a recipe, but almost all use the same standard format.

Let’s look at the anatomy of a recipe.

Title.

The name of a dish. Choose a catchy and descriptive title that reflects the main ingredients or type of dish. It should be brief, informative, and straightforward.

Description (head note)

It can be an introduction to a dish that captures the essence of the dish or interesting facts, historical background, or personal anecdotes. It can be placed before or after the title, but it is not always necessary.

Servings/Yield

Every recipe should include the servings or yield, or both. Yield: 1 cup, 4 servings. It is sometimes placed at the bottom of the recipe.

The ingredients list should be clear and concise and state the ingredients used and the amount and form they should be in.

INGREDIENTS

List the ingredients in the order they are used in the directions. If a recipe combines more than one recipe, ingredients should be listed separately under each subheading, such as ‘Crust’ and ‘Filling.’

If an ingredient is used more than once in a recipe, it can be combined and then separated under ‘Directions’ (1 cup flour, divided.) Sift ¾ cup flour… and later sprinkle the remaining ¼ flour on top of…. or it can listed as two separate amounts (¾ + ¼ cup) flour.

Amounts

Be specific and list the exact amounts needed; include the state of ingredients (i.e., frozen, fresh, thawed, canned.) and the size of cans or packages.

Units

Avoid abbreviations when writing units, such as measuring spoons and cups. Be precise and use more than one unit, if possible (1 cup / 8 ounces)

More and more people want more accuracy and, for that reason, use weight and the metric system. 

Be especially careful when using units like cans, bottles, packages, envelopes, sticks, or other similar amounts of units. Cans come in many sizes, and a package of frozen vegetables can be 8 ounces, 12 ounces, or one pound.

Fresh food creates another problem due to size, variety, season, etc. A small apple in one part of the country might be a medium apple somewhere else, and there is a vast difference between a Granny Smith apple and a Fuji apple. Specify the weight and variety if possible.

DIRECTIONS, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTIONS, METHOD.

When writing the directions for a recipe, be as descriptive as possible. Give guidance. Be clear and consistent. A recipe should be planned step by step in the exact order of preparation.

It is always helpful to mention early if an oven or grill should be heated to a specific temperature or a pot of water brought to a boil. Also, does an item need to be soaked or marinated before cooking?

Most items require some preparation before cooking, such as washing, peeling, slicing, thawing, marinating, draining, etc. there are several ways to write that in a recipe. 

1) The ingredient list has the ingredients that need to be prepared listed first: 

1 onion

1 carrot

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon sesame oil

In the directions, it writes: 

Peel and dice onion; set aside. 

Peel and dice the carrot; set aside. 

Finely chop garlic; set aside.

Heat oil over high heat in a wok; add onion, carrot, etc.

2) The ingredient list is written in the order of use: 

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 onion, peeled and diced 

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Directions: Heat oil over high heat in a wok; add onion, carrots, etc.

If there is more than one element to the recipe, such as a pie recipe with crust and filling, separate each element:

‘For the crust’ and give directions. ‘For the filling’ give directions.

For long and complicated recipes, numbering steps can be helpful.

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 
2. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Distribute evenly between three 9×6 loaf pans.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 160°F. 5) Let rest for 5 minutes, slice, and serve.

Assembly

A recipe for a dish might contain more than one recipe, such as a main item with several accompaniments: sauces, dressings, garnishes, or toppings. At the end of such recipes, explain how the dish is put together and give tips on presentation and how the dish is assembled on a plate.

Notes/Variations

It is for additional information about ingredients or directions, such as substitutions or which variety was used in the recipe. It can also be helpful to know if any special equipment or utensils is required.

Categories

Categorize a recipe for easier search, but note that many recipes can be listed under more than one category.

Serving ideas

What complements this recipe? Give serving and menu suggestions. Food and wine pairing is a complex art, but if you find a wine that complements the recipe, make a note about it. Time

List the preparation and cooking time.

Additional Information         

Where did this recipe come from? Who is the author? This kind of information is important if the recipe is being published.

Nutrition

Nutritional value is not always necessary, but it is important to people on special diets. Several software programs are available, and the internet can assist in getting nutritional information on almost anything edible.

Testing

Testing a recipe is essential in the cooking process to ensure its accuracy, taste, and overall success. Recipe testing is the process of repeatedly making a recipe to perfect it and ensure that it is foolproof, especially if it is for publication so that readers can recreate it in their homes. 

Whether you’re trying out a new recipe or adjusting an existing one, when a dish is created, it must be written and tested. 

A simple recipe with only a few ingredients should be tested at least twice. A more complicated recipe with many ingredients should be tested at least four or more times.”

The structure and style of writing recipes can vary. Until now, we have followed the standard form of listing ingredients first, followed by the directions.

Some recipe writers prefer to split the page into two columns, with ingredients and directions side by side.

3 ¾ cups coconut milk Pour the coconut milk and stock into a

¾ cup chicken stock saucepan.

3 tablespoons laksa paste Stir in the laksa paste.

Another popular format is where the ingredients are embedded in bold within the context of the directions.

For 4 servings, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet. Coat 4 (6 ounces) chicken breasts in 1 cup flour and saute …

Since the purpose of writing a recipe is to recreate it with the same result later, it is essential to be detailed and specific. Write the reason for doing something, give a visual description, and relate how an item should feel, taste, and look during certain stages of production. Give as many helpful tips and advice as possible. If feasible, add a quality photo.

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”         -Julia Child.