Failure to Follow Standardized Recipes and Measure Ingredients During Meal Preparation
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure menus and standardized recipes were followed and that meals were prepared using methods that conserved nutritive value, flavor, and appearance for a census of 87 residents. During a kitchen observation, a cook was preparing lunch items, including herb crusted beef roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, zesty spinach, and garlic bread, without any recipes present at the cook’s station. The cook was seen adding an unmeasured amount of butter to a butter, garlic, and parsley mixture for garlic toast and later combining four tablespoons of garlic powder with one pound of melted butter to be used for zesty spinach intended to serve 72 residents, omitting red pepper flakes and salt that were included in the written recipe. The cook also poured unmeasured amounts of milk into dry breadcrumbs to prepare pureed garlic bread, despite the dietary supervisor confirming that a specific recipe existed for pureed bread products and that it should have been used. Further observation showed the cook spilling boiled spinach into the sink while attempting to drain it, leaving portions in the pot, strainer, and sink, after which the dietary supervisor intervened to strain the remaining spinach. The cook then added an unmeasured amount of the garlic and butter mixture to the spinach and stated she did not know how much was added. Both the cook and the dietary supervisor stated they did not add salt to anything, and the dietary supervisor said, "Yeah, we don't use salt," despite the zesty spinach recipe specifying salt and red pepper flakes. In interviews, the dietary supervisor and the regional registered dietitian both stated that recipes must be visible, used, and followed, and that measuring tools should be used to ensure correct ingredient amounts and nutrient content. The cook admitted she did not always follow recipes, did not like the recipe book on the table, and acknowledged that measurements were supposed to be precise. Review of facility recipes and the standardized recipes policy confirmed that standardized recipes, including specific ingredient amounts for zesty spinach and pureed bread products, were required to be used, but were not followed during the observed meal preparation.
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