How to follow an eatingwell recipe

Once we’re sure the recipe works well, it’s up to you to follow the recipe. It’s important to keep in mind a few simple guidelines and tips for how to read our recipes.

The ingredient list

The comma matters. When we call for ingredients, pay attention to where the comma is because it can have a significant ­effect on what we’re calling for.

Here are some examples:

▪ “1 pound chicken, trimmed” means we are calling for 1 pound purchased chicken and then you trim it.

▪ “1 cup nuts, chopped” means we are calling for 1 cup of nuts and then you chop them. “1 cup chopped nuts,” on the other hand, means you should chop your nuts and then measure out 1 cup of them.

▪ “1 cup frozen corn, thawed” means we are calling for 1 cup of frozen corn and then you thaw it. On the other hand, “1 cup thawed frozen corn” means that you thaw first and then measure.

Word order matters too. The action closest to the ingredient happens first: to get “1 cup diced peeled potato” (reading right to left), you’ll peel the potato, then dice and measure.

Market quantities versus measures. We aim to make shopping as easy as possible, so we usually call for market quantities of ingredients rather than measures.

▪ For example, a market quantity would be 1 small onion, while a measure would be ¾ cup diced onion. When we call for a measure it is typically because we think that using the specified amount of the ingredient is important to the outcome of the recipe.

Tips for measuring

Measuring accurately when cooking and baking is one of the best ways to guarantee successful results in the kitchen. In the EatingWell Test Kitchen, we use four types of standard U.S. measuring tools:

DRY MEASURING CUPS Metal or plastic measuring cups, usually sold in a set, that are available in ¼-, ⅓-, ½-, ¾- and 1-cup sizes. Dry ingredients, such as flour and grains, should be measured in dry measuring cups.

LIQUID MEASURING CUPS Clear glass or plastic cups with pour spouts that are available in 1-, 2-, 4- and 8-cup sizes and have measurements marked on the side of the cup. When measuring liquids, place a clear liquid measuring cup on a level surface. Pour in the liquid, then verify the measure by looking at it from eye level, not from above.

MEASURING SPOONS Small spoons in ¼-, ½-, 1-teaspoon and 1-tablespoon sizes designed to measure small quantities of dry or liquid ingredients. When a teaspoon or tablespoon measure is called for in a recipe, we don’t mean the regular silverware spoons you eat with.

KITCHEN SCALE Although it is not necessary to have a kitchen scale to make our recipes, a small digital scale that can measure up to at least 5 pounds is a handy tool to have in the kitchen to ensure accuracy.

knife skills

How you cut ingredients is important; it helps to distribute the ingredient throughout the dish (mincing or finely chopping garlic, for example), ensure that ingredients cook at the same time (like cutting carrots and potatoes into 1-inch dice) or improve texture (a thinly sliced piece of smoked salmon, for example, is more tempting on your bagel than a fat chunk). Pay attention to, but don’t stress about, these terms. Your common sense will go a long way in helping as you cook.

MINCE & FINELY CHOP “Mincing” is the finest chop of all, less than ⅛ inch, achieved by cutting, then rocking the knife back and forth across the ingredients, while rotating the blade around on the cutting board. “Finely chop” is a little larger than mince.

CHOP & COARSELY CHOP You want to wind up with about a ½- to 1-inch piece when you chop, a bit larger when you “coarsely chop.” The idea of chopping (unlike dicing) is that the ingredients don’t have to be uniform in shape.

DICE & CUBE You’re aiming for uniformity of size here. Most recipes that call for a “dice” or “cube” will indicate the preferred size for cooking in the time allotted (e.g., “cut into 1-inch cubes”). Ignore these measurements and you will alter the cooking time.

SLICE & THINLY SLICE “Slice” is a judgment call, but if you insist on a general rule, think of a slice no thinner than ¼ inch. “Thinly slice,” however, means you will want to cut the food as thinly as possible. This will vary by ingredient: you can slice an apple to near-transparent thinness, which is hard to do with steak.

SLICE DIAGONALLY Also known as slicing “on the bias,” this is just like slicing, but instead of making a perpendicular cut you cut on an angle. It’s an attractive way to cut long vegetables, such as scallions, celery and zucchini. To slice ­diagonally, hold the knife at a 45-degree angle to the ­vegetable and then cut it.

CUT INTO JULIENNE Also known as matchstick cut: food is cut into long thin strips. To get a matchstick, first slice the vegetable and then trim the edges to get even rectangles (about 1 to 2 inches long). Then stack the rectangles and slice lengthwise into matchsticks.