Course Description
In this interactive module, you will learn how standardizing recipes for Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) is key to ensuring children and adults receive the calories and nutrients they need the CNP meals. You will learn to identify steps to accurately increase or decrease recipe yield to meet meal requirements, and access sample standardized recipes and resources to create standardized recipes for breakfast, lunch, snack, or supper.
The content of this training focuses on applying standardized recipes in School Nutrition Programs, however, the information is applicable to meal service in all CNPs.
- Course Number: 655
- Training Length: 30 minutes
- Certificate: Available at the end of the training
- Target Audience: Food Service Director and Staff
- Mandatory: No
- Cost: Free
- Date Recorded: August 2017
Online Course
Begin the Standardizing Recipes course.
Referenced Resources
- Basics at a Glance poster, in English and Spanish, Basics at a Glance web page

- California Department of Education
(CDE) California Culinary Centers Standardized Recipe for Rotisserie Chicken
- ServSafe Time and Temperature Control

Crediting
- Crediting: 0.5 hour
- Key Area:
Nutrition (1000)
- Training Topic:
Menu Planning (1100)
- Learning Objective: Write Standardized Recipes (1140)
- Training Topic:
Menu Planning (1100)
For more information on crediting, access the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Professional Standards: Resources web page
.
Additional Information
- USDA Food Buying Guide
manual assists with buying the right amount and the appropriate type of food, and determine the specific contribution each food makes toward the meal pattern requirements.
- Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) Basic Culinary Math for School Nutrition Professionals
training provides participants the opportunity to review and practice basic culinary math skills.
- CDE California Culinary Centers Standardized Recipes web page provides a collection of standardized recipes to support schools across California in creating recipes and preparing menus to meet the National School Lunch Program meal pattern.
Please note that the USDA Mixing Bowl, referenced in the training, has been replaced with resources in Team Nutrition web page
. Some are listed here:
- USDA recipes for schools: Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbook for Schools web page

- USDA Standardized recipes for CNPs: Child Nutrition Recipe Box USDA Standardized Recipes web page

- USDA’s Team Nutrition Recipes contains resources on how to create standardized recipes and also sources for recipes: Team Nutrition Recipes web page

Please note that in Section Four, the ‘Measuring Success in Standardizing Recipes’ with a handout on p.63, is no longer available.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please contact SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov.