Recipe Testing

 Thai Burger

Today was my first day of being an official recipe tester. To explain the whole process thus far, I will describe the steps to recipe testing:

Week 1: Brainstorm-The culinary team and the woman in charge of the website discuss what recipes are lacking and what recipes are the newest trend.  Team members each give their ideas, and recipes are decided on.

Week 2: Recipes are researched and written based off of your findings in literature, online, and common knowledge.

Week 3: Test sheets are made through the database with "cook's tips" and questions for the tester on the correct amounts in the recipes.

Week 4: The first round of testing is done.  Recipe testers are hired, who are trained in producing proper yields and assigning the correct amounts (knowing conversions, cooked weight, edible weight, etc).

Week ????: Recipes can be tested once or as many times as 13! The recipe tester who worked with me today (who is a regular and super awesome) told me she had to make a recipe for a meatloaf that took 13 times! It was for the American Heart Association, and had to contain little fat and low sodium--she said it was a challenge to make it taste good.

The next step after the recipe is to the recipe tester's liking is that the recipe goes under "double check" where it is assigned to another recipe tester to see if the same results are achieved. This way it is known for sure if an everyday consumer could make it consistently.

It may also be tested in the Chicago offices to make sure the altitude does not change the recipe too much.

After double check status as been passed, the recipe is under draft format and is up to the person in charge of the website to edit it.

These recipes are under test 2's and the burger is on test 3. I created all the recipes for this round of new recipes for the website. It has been exciting to see the process progress. My favorite part so far has been testing the recipes in the kitchen! 

Usually this dish is made with veal shanks, but is very tasty so far using beef shanks. The regular tester was in charge of this recipe...it looks very nice! She knows what she's doing...she went to culinary school :)

Every ingredient has to be weighed...an example would be chopping an onion and measuring out 2 cups. The next step would be seeing how many ounces that equals. I browned the meat in batches for the Beef Tikka Masala and had to write how many chunks of stew meat were in each batch and how long each batch was seared before flipping over. Details, details, details!

The dish below in its completion is Beef Tikka Masala. Traditionally, in Indian cuisine this is made with chicken and yogurt. Someone on the team wanted to see how a beef tikka masala would taste. I decided beef stew meat would go good with the flavors...and it was turned into an Indian stew-type of recipe. Also, instead of yogurt I thought we should finish the dish with fat free half and half.  Peas are stirred into this flavorful combination made of a ginger tomato sauce and infused with garam masala. This is a spice blend of coriander, cinnamon, and other warm spices...the result is not fiery spice but a warm sensation in the back of your throat. Pretty tasty served with rice!