How to read a recipe and avoid common cooking pitfalls

BEFORE you get into the kitchen, it’s key to slow down and understand the recipe you’re making. Ideally, it would have been developed, written and tested by a reliable source. It should be clear and concise. But that’s not always the case. Here are a few things to think about when choosing and preparing to make a recipe.

Read the recipe first

Read the recipe carefully from beginning to end before you do anything else. Ideally, you’ll read it multiple times. Be sure to read, or at

least scan, the head note.

Skip it at your own risk

The head note might also provide information such as how you can switch ingredients or try different cooking methods. In other words, it might answer questions you might have before you even ask them.

Sketch out a time estimate

A lot of recipes provide information about how long a recipe takes to make. Not everyone includes prep time either. Do the maths yourself, accounting for your own speed and situation. This is also key for recipes in which a rest time, such as letting dough chill or rise, is tucked into the instructions. That’s not the surprise you want after you’ve started.

Survey your ingredients

See what you have on hand, ideally long before you start cooking. It’s a real drag to start on a recipe and only then realise you’re missing an ingredient.

Even if in your reconnaissance you find you don’t have something, doing the leg work in advance gives you time to think about a smart substitution.

Look for stealth ingredients

Depending on the writer or publication’s style, not everything will be listed in the ingredient list. The most common item is water, but salt and pepper might be buried in the recipe steps. Ditto oil or nonstick cooking spray.

Check for divided ingredients

Not all recipes will indicate when one ingredient is used at different points. If the recipe does, it will probably use the word “divided” in the ingredient list. See if there’s a related sub-recipe.

This is especially prevalent in cookbooks. You commit to making a dish, maybe even start preparing, only to notice there’s an entirely separate recipe needed to put together the one you chose.

Sometimes they’re elsewhere in the book, making it especially tricky to spot.