# Professional recipe vs home?



## toffee (May 2, 2016)

May sound like a silly question but the question is. What is the difference between a professional recipe used in a restaurant kitchen vs a home recipe if there really is one? Kitchen i work in, the chef is very open minded. Any menu ideas we have we can pitch to him and he will consider it. But majority of recipes i know are ones from home, or from random cook books. So what would the difference be between a professional recipe vs a home recipe? In any course, from appetizers to desserts even baking and pastry recipes.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

No silly questions here.
There is no difference.
Chefs look through countless articles,recipes, cookbooks, television programs, magazines to get creative ideas for their menus.
Chefs are always looking for new angles, new tastes, presentations, flavors, etc. 
Who's to say that a Betty Crocker recipe hasn't shown up in a casual or upscale menu.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

The only difference, really, is in the amount it makes. Most home recipes are calculated for anywhere from 2 to 8. Restaurant recipes can be geared for anything from 20 to 2000. There are a few other differences, at least when I write recipes. When I write recipes for home cooks, I assume they know nothing and will spell out every step. When I write recipes, in a restaurant setting, I make assumptions that my cooks have some knowledge so I may give very sparse instructions. But beyond these differences, Chefross is right, they can be one and the same.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

I must add too that the basis of every recipe gleaned from any source must be that it be recreated consistently... and that the ingredients necessary to make the dish must be available year round.
So while at home the item might only be made a few times a year while the restaurant does it daily for as long as it's in the menu.


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## toffee (May 2, 2016)

Thank you both for your responses! So basically key things to look for is ingredient availability and the yield. I live and work on the shore so some things are harder to come across then others. The way my chef chooses a recipe is if it can be done fast, and or can be made up ahead of time. Being my first real kitchen job, and learning as i go. Is this the ususal way a kitchen chooses its items on the menu? Any sauce that is for an item made ahead of time in a large batch or anything that can be plated up ahead of time.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

It really all depends on the type of restaurant, and the item. When it comes to sauces, some sauces can be made to order, but others are often made in larger batches and just enough is pulled for each service. But its really hard to give a general guideline that encompasses all types of restaurants and all types of foods. It often comes down to what can be made ahead without loss of quality.


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## toffee (May 2, 2016)

Alright good to know thank you. Where i work is a private club, but we have 2 kitchens. Bar kitchen where i work where there is only 2 cooks and 1 dishwasher. and the dinning room kitchen where they have 4 maybe 5 cooks depending on the day. Food type is similar, steaks, burgers, some sandwiches. bar kitchen has no saute items tho.


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## Mia Burks (Jul 31, 2017)

Actually there is no difference. Its all about cooking. Yeah only the amount can vary.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

For me, the only difference is how the ingredients are measured. That is to say, a professional recipie's amounts are given in weight. This is always the case for baking, and is always the case for meats and protiens like cheese. But yeah, Betty Crocker has shown up on some of my menus...


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

foodpump said:


> For me, the only difference is how the ingredients are measured. That is to say, a professional recipie's amounts are given in weight. This is always the case for baking, and is always the case for meats and protiens like cheese. But yeah, Betty Crocker has shown up on some of my menus...


Recipes in weights are fairly new foodpump. Most of the older recipes still use measuring...especially in baking. Weighing is so much more precise.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

In the U.S., yes, but otherwise, no. How do you think the name "pound cake" came about? (take one pound of sugar, one pound of butter, etc). Bread has always been sold by weight, which means it has to be portioned out (scaled) by weight. There are surviving ancient egyptian hyrglyphics ( sp.?) showing this process too. And I've never, ever heard of a butcher selling meat by the piece, hundreds of tales about crooked scales, yes, but selling by piece or volume, no.

Thing is, as a business, you buy all of your ingredients by weight. In order for a business to survive, you have to sell for more than what you paid for your ingredients. Is there anyone stupid enough to count out how many cups of sugar there sre in a 25 lb bag? Or flour? Scooped, leveled off, sifted, or well packed?


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

To answer your facetious question...."yes" there are stupid owners and Chefs out there that figure how many cups to a 25 pound bag of sugar and or flour. I am with you on weights but can only shake my head when see the rest. OY!!


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

I must be stupid. I use conversion charts and calculators such as http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_volume_cooking.htm to convert from volume to weight and so on. Converting traditional recipes to quantity and preparing shopping orders knowing how many cups of sugar per pound is useful. I use both at different times and for different uses. When buying fresh berries at the farmers market I go to the berries are sold in pints and gallons. If my portion control is a four oz. ladle how many pounds of green beans do I need to order for four hundred portions? Yes, I must be stupid.


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## Loredana Canalis (Aug 3, 2017)

For sure is better home


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## scott livesey (Jan 25, 2013)

if you can convert recipe to weight(grams are easiest) then it is real easy to go from 6 portions to 135. Berries at farmer's market are sold both ways, my favorite U-Pik is pounds, most home recipes in cups. makes my head hurt.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

jimyra said:


> I must be stupid. I use conversion charts and calculators such as http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_volume_cooking.htm to convert from volume to weight and so on. Converting traditional recipes to quantity and preparing shopping orders knowing how many cups of sugar per pound is useful. I use both at different times and for different uses. When buying fresh berries at the farmers market I go to the berries are sold in pints and gallons. If my portion control is a four oz. ladle how many pounds of green beans do I need to order for four hundred portions? Yes, I must be stupid.


I fail to understand your reasoning here unless you are operating a catering situation where you need to have no leftovers.
Other than that I don't get why you need to know how many cups, or ounces, or gallons are in your product, except mayber for inventory purposes.

Your example of a four oz. ladle for green beans is strange. A ladle is liquid measurement and you are trying to stuff green beans into it? Did I miss something?

Also a comment on the thread....If you take a recipe you found and want to use it in your restaurant, you really are just using the recipe without increasing the amounts (unless you are making quantity for banquets) If said find yields 4 portions, you are simply making one for an order. If it's a pan sauce that goes with the recipe, all the better.


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

A little picky on the ladle but you are correct I should have said four oz. portion spoon. If I serve 50 4 oz servings a night of green beans and my purveyor delivers produce twice a week how many bushels of green beans do I order? Yes I am pricing a catered event and need 500 four oz. portions how many bushels or pounds of green beans do I need to order to keep my food cost on target?


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Never understood the bushel thing. Virtually all domestic produce here in Canada (and Europe, and Asia)are sold by weight. The only exceptions are U.S. produce. Never understood why peppers are sold in 1 1/8 cubic Bushels, yes, one and one eighth. Citrus sold by count (ie 72 count navel oranges). Just doesn't make sense.....


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Karl Parker said:


> Good question, Home recipe always good at comparing professional recipe.


I guess it would depend on if the home in question belonged to a good cook.

mimi


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## Jain Daugh (Nov 28, 2017)

foodpump said:


> Is there anyone stupid enough to count out how many cups of sugar there are in a 25 lb bag? Or flour? Scooped, leveled off, sifted, or well packed?


I too use weight (gram/pound scale) for my home cooking. Its just more accurate and faster too - tossing all dry ingredients into same measuring bowl. But since I am baking/cooking at home and dealing with 'home' oriented recipes, I have developed a 'short hand' equivalent conversion chart - 1 cup flour = 100 grams, 1 cup sugar = 200 grams, 1 cup powdered sugar = 100 grams, 1 cup rice = 150 grams etc. Not only does this make preparing ingredients easier/faster, it allows me to increase recipes with better results. (I make my own 'biscuit' mix)


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## Casa Valenciana (Dec 23, 2017)

In my opinion the problem is basicaly that you must be eficient in a restaurant while at home you have all the time in the world. Sometimes the eficency, the time, the pre production and the actual assemble are imposible to achieve all together. 

For instance if you want to make a onion soop, you must either have a pre produced very slow cooked base with an amazing flavour or you pooch the onions live, at home you can take your time and aim for the best flavor even if it means 10 hours. 

My 2 cents.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Casa Valenciana said:


> In my opinion the problem is basicaly that you must be eficient in a restaurant while at home you have all the time in the world. Sometimes the eficency, the time, the pre production and the actual assemble are imposible to achieve all together.
> 
> For instance if you want to make a onion soop, you must either have a pre produced very slow cooked base with an amazing flavour or you pooch the onions live, at home you can take your time and aim for the best flavor even if it means 10 hours.
> 
> My 2 cents.


Not sure what you are saying. Are you saying that you can't take time, in a restaurant setting to do things properly? If so, I totally disagree. In fact, I find it the opposite. At home, I don't have the time, equipment or often, the manpower to always do things the best way. In your example of Onion Soup, in a restaurant setting you most definitely can do the proper way even if it takes hours, plus you have the ability, often, to prep in stages, cutting all the onions the day before or tasking it to a prep cook. And you certainly can find the time to properly caramelize the onions. That being said, I do know many places that rush it because they don't want to take the time, or more often, because they weren't taught that proper caramelization can make or break such a soup.


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

God likes balloon shaped people too. Please no gutter language.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

jane nair said:


> Restaurant food is unhealthier. Typically, more fat is added that would be at home, to create a richer flavor. It's how we get repeat customers. Trust me...you don't wanna know how much fat they put into your food. Even if you order a lean steak au jus, that "jus" is probably half butter.
> I operate a bakery/diner and I almost NEVER eat the food I make there. If I did, I would turn into a goddamn balloon within weeks. It's really one of the biggest sources of stress in my life, cause it takes so much damn self-control not to gorge myself on leftovers at the end of the day (it's going in the trash anyway).


I know you are generalizing the subject. 
I have decades of experience working in different kinds of food related places and in most the food was prepared as one would at home but in a professional setting. 
Chicken, fish, beef, pork....it doesn't matter. 
What does matter is the way it is prepared. 
Not all Chef, cooks, and restaurants, know how to cook well. 
Restaurant corporations seek the bottom line, and in doing so create menu items that are high in fat and calories because that's what the public wants. 
Until more people become health conscience this will not change.


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## toddhicks209 (Nov 14, 2017)

toffee said:


> May sound like a silly question but the question is. What is the difference between a professional recipe used in a restaurant kitchen vs a home recipe if there really is one? Kitchen i work in, the chef is very open minded. Any menu ideas we have we can pitch to him and he will consider it. But majority of recipes i know are ones from home, or from random cook books. So what would the difference be between a professional recipe vs a home recipe? In any course, from appetizers to desserts even baking and pastry recipes.


I'm guessing you may not have easy access to many professional recipes.


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## doraima3875 (May 3, 2015)

I use the metric system at home when cooking and baking which is easier to convert recipes when I am dividing or multiplying the number of servings. At the professional kitchen, as long as you know how to cook - then professional kitchens really serve from 20 to 1000 people. But chefs do research on the Internet, adapt recipes from cookbooks, dishes from where they ate at restaurants and other food establishments, etcetera. Sometimes they also have a great food experience and know what goes in that particular dish. Other times, chefs would make a dish and use their own touch of ingredients to make it special. It the patrons like it - then it can be made a signature dish for a menu.
Some may follow by weight or volume in baking. Others will follow a common measurement system depending on what the production kitchen uses. But taste and smell will always be the common denominator when making every dish taste really great. Make sure you use a consistent system like in Imperial or Metric system depending on where you live and work. It will easier for you to convert. Also, know the cooking and baking ratios, so that way you have the freedom to make and develop your own recipes, and it can change to highlight specific ingredients for a recipe to be more flavorful with the use of heat, or develop flavors over time. You are not stuck with a recipe that has been made, already in the kitchen. You have the freedom to do whatever you want as long as customers like those dishes.


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## iridium12 (Feb 24, 2015)

I would just like to add one thing - hope I did not miss it during my catch up on this thread 

One thing to consider when "copying" a recipe - do you have the customers for it?

Not sure how it is in the US or Europe, but in Asia I have seen my share of ambitious chef's / restaurant owners that put their hearts into a dish only to discover, that the food cost would make the item so expensive, that no one would buy it.
One example:

A good friend of mine opened a restaurant in Bali some 20 years or so ago.
As he left to go back to Europe with the family (was a family based decision) he hired someone to take over the restaurant from him.
It was a younger guy who was not a Chef - however - he did have 15+ years running restaurants.

I went to visit him about 2 years after he took over as he had asked me to stop by and help him - as the business was decreasing.
First thing I noticed was, that while the restaurant was more or less full (60 covers) his finances did not add up - until we found the issue:

He was creating dishes like: Lobster & Uni Ravioli with a beurre blanc sauce - simply delicious - but the price tag was way too high for the restaurant in general, for the location and especially for the daily customers.
And yet he still kept it on the menu, still kept ordering (even if just a little) inventory for those dishes...and was literally throwing money out the window

So - the one thing I'd like to add
While a home recipe might make sense for a fancy dinner party at home (where yes, you have a budget on your food cost, but you don't need to consider labour / running costs / insurances / etc...) it might not work in a restaurant setting.


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## Amilcar Jaime (Mar 21, 2018)

There is no major difference between both. Many people are always obsessed with try something new that could light up their moods and taste should be better than home prepared food. 

The only difference I can figure out till now a dish is way better if it is prepared by professional cook rather than home-made because professional has superiority of skills in his/her work.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Ummm...what's your definition of a "professional cook", and don't you think if a non professional made, say, challah, or pot roast every week for 10 years that they wouldn't have a superiority of skills as good or better than a cook with 5 years experience?


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## toffee (May 2, 2016)

Thank you all for your responses. See my definition of Professional is people who are doing things for a pay. Theyre paid to know the field and be good at it. From most responses seems there is no difference. Ive been putting more time at work so ive been absent from the site due to not having much time lol.


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