WRITINGMENUS

ANDRECIPES
THE MENU
the menu is the soul of every
food service operation. Its
purposes are to identify for the
consumer the foods and
beverages the operation offers,
to create consumer enthusiasm
and to increase sales.
 Types of Menus
Menus are classified according to the regularity with which the foods are
offered:
 Static or fixed menu—All patrons are offered the same
foods every day. Once a static menu is developed and
established, it rarely changes. Static menus are typically
found in fast-food operations, ethnic restaurants,
steakhouses and the like. Static menus can also be used in
institutional settings. For example, a static menu at an
elementary school could offer students, along with a
vegetable and dessert, the same luncheon choices every
school day: a cheeseburger, fish sticks, chicken tacos,
pizza wedges or a sandwich.
 Types of Menus
Menus are classified according to the regularity with which the foods are
offered:
 Cycle menu—A cycle menu is developed for a set
period; at the end of that period it repeats itself (that
is, on a seven-day cycle, the same menu is used every
Monday). Some cycle menus are written on a seasonal
basis, with a new menu for each season to take
advantage of product availability. Cycle menus are
used commonly in schools, hospitals and other
institutions. Although cycle menus may be repetitious,
the repetition is not necessarily noticeable to diners
because of the length of the cycles.
 Types of Menus
Menus are classified according to the regularity with which the foods
are offered:
 Market menu—A market menu is based on
product availability during a specific period; it is
written to use foods when they are in peak season
or readily available. Market menus are becoming
increasingly popular with chefs (and consumers)
because they challenge the chef’s ingenuity in
using fresh, seasonal products.
 Types of Menus
Menus are classified according to the regularity with which the foods
are offered:

Hybrid menu—A hybrid menu combines

a static menu with a cycle menu or a
market menu of specials.
 Components of Menu
 À la carte—Every food and beverage item is priced and ordered
separately.
 Semi à la carte—With this popular menu style, some food items
(particularly appetizers and desserts) are priced and ordered
separately, while the entrée is accompanied by and priced to
include other items, such as a salad, starch or vegetable.
 Table d’hôte or prix fixe—This menu offers a complete meal at a set
price. (The term table d’hôte is French for “host’s table” and is
derived from the innkeeper’s practice of seating all guests at a large
communal table and serving them all the same meal.) A table
d’hôte meal can range from very elegant to a diner’s blue-plate
special. A prix fixe menu may offer choices at a fixed price, whereas
a table d’hôte menu usually offers no choice.
 STANDARDIZED RECIPES
 is one that will produce a known quality and
quantity of food for a specific operation.
It specifies
(1)the type and amount of each ingredient,
(2)the preparation and cooking procedures
and
(3)the yield and portion size.
MEASUREMENTS AND
CONVERSIONS
 Measurement Formats
Accurate measurements are among the most
important aspects of food production.
Ingredients and portions must be measured
correctly to ensure consistent product quality.
In other words, the chef must be able to
prepare a recipe the same way each time,
and portion sizes must be the same from one
order to the next. In a kitchen, measurements
may be made in three ways: weight, volume
and count.
 Measurement Formats
Weight refers to the mass or heaviness of a
substance. It is expressed in terms such as
grams, ounces, pounds and tons. Weight may
be used to measure liquid or dry ingredients
(for example, 2 pounds of eggs for a bread
recipe) and portions (for example, 4 ounces
of sliced turkey for a sandwich). Because
weight is generally the most accurate form of
measurement, portion scales or balance
scales are commonly used in kitchens.
 Measurement Formats
Volume refers to the space occupied by a
substance. This is mathematically expressed as
height width length. It is expressed in terms such
as cups, quarts, gallons, teaspoons, fluid ounces,
bushels and liters. Volume is most commonly used
to measure liquids. It may also be used for dry
ingredients when the amount is too small to be
weighed accurately (for example, 1⁄4 teaspoon of
salt). Although measuring by volume is somewhat
less accu- rate than measuring by weight, volume
measurements are generally quicker to do.
 Measurement Formats
Count refers to the number of individual items.
Count is used in recipes (for example, 4 eggs) and
in portion control (for example, 2 fish fillets or 1 ear
of corn). Count is also commonly used in
purchasing to indicate the size of the individual
items. For example, a “96 count” case of lemons
means that a 40-pound case contains 96 individual
lemons; a “115-count” case means that the same
40-pound case contains 115 individual lemons. So
each lemon in the 96-count case is larger than
those in the 115-count case.
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS
teaspoon tsp.
tablespoon Tbsp.
cup c.
pint pt.
quart qt.
gram g
milliliter ml
liter lt
ounce oz.
fluid ounce fl. oz.
pound lb.
kilogram kg
COMMON EQUIVALENTS
dash 1⁄8 teaspoon
3 teaspoons 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons 1 fl. oz.
4 tablespoons 1⁄4 cup (2 fl. oz.)
51⁄3 tablespoons 1⁄3 cup (22⁄3 fl. oz.)
16 tablespoons 1 cup (8 fl. oz.)
2 cups 1 pint (16 fl. oz.)
2 pints 1 quart (32 fl. oz.)
4 quarts 1 gallon (128 fl. oz.)
2 gallons 1 peck
4 pecks 1 bushel
1 gram 0.035 ounce (1⁄30 oz.)
1 ounce 28.35 grams (often rounded to 30 for
convenience)
454 grams 1 pound
2.2 pounds 1 kilogram (1000 grams)
1 teaspoon 5 milliliters
1 tablespoon 15 milliliters
1 fluid ounce 29.57 milliliters (often rounded to 30 for convenience)
1 cup 0.24 liter
1 gallon 3.80 liters