Questions for Discussion

What role is played by the chef’s favorite dishes when a menu is written?

What are the main differences among breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus?

Which of the following are most likely to have static menus?

The following menus are made up of dishes prepared from recipes in this book. Evaluate each for variety and balance.

What is the best solution to the problem of using up leftovers? What is the next best solution?

What are some reasons written recipes can’t be 100 percent exact and must depend on the cook’s judgment? Select two or three recipes (from this book or any other) and try to determine where they depend on the cook’s judgment.

What is the purpose of a standardized recipe?

What are the three basic ways of measuring ingredients? Which method is used for most solid ingredients, and why?

What is the first step in portion control? List four other techniques of portion control.

Make the following conversions in the U.S. system of measurement:

• 3½ pounds = ______ ounces
• 6 cups = ______ pints
• 8½ quarts = ______ fluid ounces
• ¾ cup = ______ tablespoons
• 46 ounces = ______ pounds
• 2½ gallons = ______ fluid ounces
• 5 pounds 5 ounces x 2 = ______
• 10 teaspoons = ______ fluid ounces

Make the following conversions in the metric system:

• 1.4 kilograms = ______ grams
• 53 deciliters = ______ liters
• 15 centimeters = ______ millimeters
• 2,590 grams = ______ kilograms
• 4.6 liters = ______ deciliters
• 220 centiliters = ______ deciliters

Turn to the recipe for Thai Green Curry of Pork with Vegetables. Convert it to yield 18 portions.

Discuss the main types of problems you may face when converting recipe yields.

What is the difference between AP weight and EP weight? Explain how these terms are related to calculating costs per portion of menu items.

The following problems are calculations with food cost percentages, portion cost, and menu price. For each problem, two of the figures are given. Find the third.