building a menu

• Menu


  A list of dishes served or available to be served at a meal
• Main dish


  • The centerpiece of a modern meal
  • If a meal consists of only one dish, it is considered the main course
• Dishes served before the main dish

  • Usually light
• Factors to consider for menu variety and balance

  • Flavors - Do not repeat food items with the same or similar tastes
  • Textures - Texture refers to the softness or firmness of food items, their feel in the mouth
  • Appearance - Serve food products with a variety of colors and shapes
  • Nutrients - The importance of a nutritionally balanced menu is obvious in the case of menus for hospitals and nursing homes
  • Cooking Method - Cooking methods play an important role in determining food flavors, textures, and appearance
• Physical conditions


  • Place limitations on the menu
• Equipment limitations to consider

  • Know the capacities of your equipment and plan menus accordingly
  • Spread the workload among equipment evenly
• Personnel limitations to consider

  • Spread the workload among the workers evenly
  • Spread the workload throughout the day
  • Offer items that the cooks can prepare
• Availability of food items to consider

  • Use food items in season
  • Use locally available ingredients
• Menu terminology and accuracy

  • Point of origin- If a menu lists "Maine lobsters," the lobsters must be from Maine
  • Grade or quality- Grade A is used to be of the most quality
  • Cooking method- A menu item described as "grilled" or "roasted" should be cooked according to the indicated method
  • Fresh- If you call something fresh, it must be fresh, not frozen, canned, or dried
  • Imported- An item labeled "imported" must come from outside the country
  • Homemade- The word "homemade" means the item was made on the premises
  • Organic- Must be raised without using hormones, etc.
  • Size or portion- If portion size is indicated on the menu, be sure that a specific size is served
  • Appearance- Illustrated menus should serve food that looks like the illustrations
  • Spelling- When in doubt, use a dictionary. It is unfortunate to see menus full of misspellings