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Star profile

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What is a star profile?

A star profile is sometimes called a star diagram and it shows the characteristics of a product such as a recipe. You can also use it to show the nutritional profile - the nutritional value of the food or meal.

How does it help to improve your cooking?

You decide how you want your recipe to look and taste, then make it, taste it and see if the results meet the one that you want. If not, improve!You can draw a star profile by hand and it can be simple or detailed.

You can use Excel to draw a radar chart like the one shown.

You need some words to describe your product.These are called Descriptors.You can choose tasting words.If you want to do a Nutritional Profile of your food, you can choose Nutrition words.

Tasting words

Nutrition words

Star drawn on Excel

Star profile and the Nutrition Program

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Star profile and the Nutrition Program

Where can I find the Star Profile?Go to My Recipes.Open your recipe - like Salmon fishcake.You will see Star Profile top right.

If you want a Star profile for your meals, to see how delicious or nutritious it is:Go to My Meals, click and open your meal.You will see Star Profile top right.

You can create a profile for the recipe or meal that you want.Then get someone to taste your recipe or meal and give their score.

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How to do it• Input your recipe name, for example Cheese

and onion soda bread.• Think of words to describe your recipe. These

are called Descriptors.• The star profi le shows how you want the

recipe to look and taste.• Give a Rating from 1 to 5 to show what you

want. 1 = ‘not’ and 5 = ‘very’• The Result is what happens when the recipe is

tasted when fi nished.• Several people can taste the recipe and fi ll in

their own marks. These are called Tasters.• In the Evaluation you look at the Results and

decide what changes, if any, are needed to the recipe.

Create a star profi le to show how your recipe looks and tastes.• Enter Recipe name• Add Descriptor.

We have provided you with a list of tasting descriptors for:• Taste, fl avour and smell• Appearance• Texture

You can tap and the word drops into the box.Or write in your own words for descriptors.

Give each descriptor a rating from 1 to 5. 1 = ‘not’ and 5 = ‘very’.

Star profi le on the Nutrition Program

Tasting Descriptor words for Taste, Appearance, Texture

Add Descriptors

Think of Descriptors for your recipe such as Risotto

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Star profile on the Nutrition Program

For the Cheese, tomato and onion soda bread we have given the following ratings:• Salty 1• Crisp 3• Crumbly 3• Moist 3• Buttery 3 • Tasty 5

This means you want the soda bread to not be too salty, but to be quite crisp, crumbly, moist and buttery. But it must be very tasty and well risen.

Now make the soda bread and get it ready for tasting.Choose 3-5 people to taste the bread. Add Taster - each person tastes your food and gives a score fromn 1-5.

EvaluationThe tasting will help you decide if your recipe needs changing to improve. Or it may be OK.Now fill in the Evaluation for your recipe.Look at the marks and see how the tasting results compare with the Rating.Write in any changes in Evaluation that might need to be made.You can export your work.

Star with Descriptors

Star with tasting results and Evaluation

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Nutrition Profi le

You can analyse the nutritional value of your recipe or meal and set targets.Get ideas from the Nutrition descriptors for the Star Profi le.You could use Descriptors such as • low in sugar, • plenty of fi bre, • low in salt.Then give each a rating of 1-5 where 1 = not and 5 = very.Complete the Ratings then analyse the results.You can see how to improve to meet the nutritional value you need.

This star profi le for Vegetable kebabs shows the nutritional profi le:• high in vitamin C 4/5• good source of protein 3/5• contains calcium 5/5• low in fat 4/5 Put the recipe into the Nutrition Program and see if it meets the profi le you want.

Nutrition profi le on the Nutrition Program

Nutrition descriptors for the Star Profi le in circle

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Star profile on the Nutrition Program - My Meals

This Star Profile for the meal shows the words to describe a packed lunch.tastynutritiousan energy providercolourfulwell packed

The tasting panel can now see if the packed lunch meets the criteria and make changes.

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