Manage Recipes

This is where you set up and modify your recipes.

For suggestions on setting up new recipes, please see Shortcuts for Creating Recipes.

• If you want to view or edit an existing recipe, first select a Group (default is Select All Groups).

  • The selected recipes will be displayed in the top grid.
  • You can click on any column heading to sort by that column.
  • To search on any column, click on the column heading and then enter the search criteria in the Search by field. The default Search By option is Description.

    • When searching for a recipe, the results will yield any recipe that “contains” what was entered and not an exact match.

• To search for an existing recipe by ID, click the ID column heading in the upper grid to set focus to ID.

• Type the Recipe ID in the Search By field. You do not need to type the ‘R’ or the leading zeroes.

• Check the Include Inactive box to include inactive recipes in the results.

• Check the Inactive box next to any recipe in the upper grid to make it inactive.  If no other changes have been made, these will save automatically.

• Click on any line in the top grid to display the information for that recipe in the lower grid.

Adding a Picture

Add a picture to a recipe so it displays with the recipe in Manage Recipes and when it is shared to the Community Cookbook.  You can also remove a picture here.

• Click the camera image  to upload an image of the recipe.  A default image will display until a picture is added.

  

   

• Click Add.

  

  • Once an image has been added, click Remove to remove the image from the recipe.
  • Click Close to close the Image box without adding or removing an image.

• Browse to the location of the image and click Open.

• The uploaded image will display in the Recipe Image section.

  

Sample Recipe Screen

The top part of the screen is the search grid.

• Highlight any row in the top grid to display the details for that recipe at the bottom of the screen.

• Check the Inactive box to label an inactive recipe, if applicable.

The following tabs are found on the lower (detail) part of the Manage Recipe screen:

Recipe Info, Ingredients, Components,Nutrients, Directions, Notes, Fat/Moisture Change,Allergens and Inventory Links.

• When you select a recipe, it automatically opens in the Ingredients tab. Since at least one Ingredient is required for each recipe, we suggest starting there.

• The other tabs are used for entering additional information for preparing and serving the recipe.

Entering a new recipe

• Click  to start with a cleared screen.

• Enter the following information in the area below the Search grid:

• Leave the ID/Code field blank. The recipe ID will automatically be assigned by the Menus program. It will start with an ‘R-‘ and then be followed by a four digit numeric code.

• Enter a short name for this recipe (up to 20 characters) in the Name text field. This will be printed on the Public Calendar.

• Enter a description in the Description text field. This can be a longer, more specific name for the recipe. It is used in menu planning and analysis, and must be unique for each recipe.

• Check the Inactive box to label an inactive recipe, if applicable.

• Enter the number of servings this recipe makes in the Servings text field. This information is used in nutrient analysis.

• Enter the serving size information for this recipe using the three Serving Size text fields available.

  • The size information is split into two parts, a whole number and a fraction. They can be combined in any way to create the serving size for the recipe.
  • This information is used in Recipes and Production Reports; it is not used for calculating Menu Cost Per Serving or Inventory Usage calculations.
  • The third field is for entering a description of a single serving of this recipe. Example: It could be 1 ½ Cups, 2 Pieces, ½ Slice, etc. This information will be used when you select the recipe for a menu and will be reported on the Recipe Prep Report.

• Select a Recipe Group from the Group dropdown list.

  • If you need to add more Recipe Groups you can do it under Recipes: Recipe Group.

• Enter the source for this recipe (i.e. cookbook, USDA) in the Source text field. It will be set to Local if left blank.

  • If the recipe has been downloaded from the Community Cookbook, Source will be listed as Community Cookbook.

• Select from the HACCP Process dropdown list if applicable.

  • Available options are blank, No Cook, Same Day Service, Complex Food Preparation, and Non-Potentially Hazardous Foods.

Community Cookbook

The Community Cookbook allows you to share your recipes with other Meals Plus districts.

• When you are ready to share a recipe, click the  button.

• Select your state from the State dropdown list and click Continue.

  • Selecting your state here determines the State filter in the Community Cookbook.
  • Click Close to close the box without sharing a recipe.

• The recipe is automatically shared to the Community Cookbook, which is accessed under Utilities.

• Once a recipe is shared, the Share button disappears and is replaced with the date the recipe was shared, who shared the recipe, how many times it has been downloaded by other districts (both of these are displayed when the mouse hovers over the date), stars and a number for a rating system and links to Unshare and Update the recipe once it has been shared.

  

  • Rating Stars and Number: Once other customers download your recipe and rate it, the ratings will display here.
    • Once the recipe is rated, the stars will display as yellow.

    

    • You can click the (X) to view all ratings and comments.

      • The grid will display all reviews left by other customers with their rating, date/time, district name and contributor’s name.
      • You can delete your own rating, if you have entered one, but not ratings entered by other customers.
      • If a user only has ‘read’ rights to Community Cookbook, they can view, but not add or edit comments on a recipe.

    

• Unshare Link: Once a customer from another district has reviewed a recipe, it cannot be unshared from the Community Cookbook.
• Update link: You can update a previously shared recipe at any time and will update your recipe in the Community Cookbook.

Now you are ready to enter the Ingredients for this recipe. Please refer to the Ingredients Tab section below.

Shortcuts for Creating Recipes

• If you have a single ingredient that you want to be able to use on a menu, you can convert it easily using the button on theIngredient screen.

  • This works well for individually packaged items that need little or no preparation.

• If you need a new recipe that is similar to an existing one, you can copy it by clicking the button and then edit the copy. Example:You could copy a basic cookie recipe and add nuts or raisins.

Combination Recipes

You can create recipes for combinations of items that are frequently served together. This makes it easier to create and edit your menus.

Example:You could set up a recipe for a standard assortment of milk half pints, based on the usual milk choices selected at a school.  If you usually serve 30% reduced, 30% fat-free and 40% chocolate at elementary schools, you would make a 100-serving recipe that includes 30 reduced fat, 30 fat-free, and 40 chocolate.  Then you would just need to select that recipe for meals where milk is served and adjust the total number served.

• If you are licensed to use Meals PlusInventory, it will automatically open the Inventory Item screen when you save a recipe. This is where you can associate your recipe ingredients with your inventory items for menu costing and updating usage.

   

More Options Buttons

The button includes the button and the button.

Attaching a document to a Recipe

The Document Cabinet enables the user to add documents to the record and the information is one central location.

• Click to add documents to an application.

Upper Grid

This displays all the documents currently attached to this record.

• Select any record to display more details below. Any comments along with whom and when the document was added to this record will display.

Buttons

• Click Upload New to add a new document that has been saved on your computer.

  • File Name can be changed and Comments added as needed.

• Click Scan New to scan and add a new document directly to this application.

  

   

  • Select a scanner from the list of available scanners in the Scanner Devices box.
  • Uncheck the Hide Scanner Window box to see more advance options for your scanner.
  • Use the options in Image Processing to adjust the quality of the scan.
  • Click Scan from Platen Glass or Scan from Automatic Document Feeder depending on the type of scanner you are using. When the scan is complete, a preview of the document will show on the right side if the Preview box is checked.
  • Click Finish when you are ready to attach the scanned document. The document will be saved in the document cabinet as a PDF.

• To remove a document, highlight the document in the grid and click Remove.

• Click View to view an existing document. The document will open in read-only status.

• Click Export to export a document out of ISIS. A browse box to select where to save the document will appear.  Choose location to export the document and Save.

Details Section

This section displays the File Name and type, when it was uploaded and by whom. 

• Enter any comments about the document in the Comments text box.

CONVERT TO INGREDIENT BUTTON

• Click the button convert a recipe to an ingredient so it can ordered as an Inventory item.

• Update the Ingredient Name, if different from the recipe name.
• Select an Ingredient Group from the dropdown list.
• Enter a Source in the text field.
• Enter the Measurement Conversion in the text field.
  • This defaults to Serving but can be changed.

  

Prep Report

This report will print the step-by-step directions, ingredients, HACCP notes and nutrients per serving.

• Click   to view a printed version of the recipe.

• Select the Serving Size and click Print to display the Preview.

• Click the printer icon on the preview screen to send the report to the printer.

Inactive Recipes

Recipes can be inactivated to prevent users at the schools from viewing or printing the recipe.

Security

In System Management, there is a security preference that controls the viewing/modifying of a hidden recipe.

• This is to prevent the user from adding these recipes to the cycle menu, school daily menu and the Production record.

  • Regardless of the users security setting, if you want to add an inactive recipe, you first must make it active and then inactive it.

Notes on Inactive Recipes

• If it is in the cycle menu, the recipe will be marked as inactive.  This will not alter the way our program handles WA and Display on Public Calendar, it will be the users’ responsibility to update these areas.

• Inactive recipesin the cycle menu will not get APPLIED to sites, only active recipes are applied.

• Duplicating cycles that contain inactive recipes will not duplicate the inactive recipes into the newly created cycle.

• Inactivating a recipeafter the recipe has been applied to a site will mark the recipe as inactive.   This will not alter the way our program handles WA and Display on Public Calendar.

• It is also the users’ responsibility to have inactive recipes removed from School Daily Menu so the inactive recipes do not appear on the production records.

• For applied data, the recipe will still be visible.

• Inactive recipesare not included in the result set when using the Search for Recipefeature.

• Inactive recipes cannot manually be added to Cycle Menu, School Daily Menu or the Production record regardless of the user preference setting.

• Duplicating cycle menus that have no active recipes you will get a cycle menu with no recipes.

• Applying cycle menus that have no active recipes will not create the expected School Daily Menu.

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MNU Version 9, revised 08/2018