A preparation state is part of an ingredient measurement. “Chopped almonds” and “whole almonds, then chopped” can describe different measuring steps even though the finished ingredient looks similar.
Read the complete line
Look at words before and after the ingredient name. “One cup of chopped nuts” asks you to measure the chopped nuts. “One cup of nuts, chopped” normally places chopping after the stated measure. If the recipe’s meaning remains unclear, keep its wording and review it rather than guessing.
Preparation notes can also describe temperature, draining, packing, or sifting. A reference that does not establish the required state cannot silently stand in for one that does.
Choose the matching reference state
Open the ingredient’s reference details and compare the state with your recipe. For chopped almonds, for example, the Women’s Weekly Food guide distinguishes coarse and fine chopping. These are separate source relationships under the same ingredient.
Keep the state linked to the selected reference. A state label is not a universal correction factor that can be applied to every publisher’s value.
Preserve information that has no matching choice
If the exact preparation is unavailable, keep it in the row note and leave the quantity in its original unit. A recipe can still be scaled within that unit without an unsupported mass–volume conversion.
Avoid replacing “packed brown sugar” with a generic sugar solely because the generic entry has a convenient conversion. Preserve the ingredient identity and report the missing match.
Check grouped and exported rows
Shopping rows should combine only when ingredient identity, relevant state, and units are compatible. Chopped and whole nuts may be purchased from the same shelf, but the tool should not silently decide how those recipe quantities relate.
Before sharing a recipe, read the output as someone who cannot see your original form. The quantity, unit, ingredient, and state should still tell that person what to measure. A short preparation note is often more valuable than another decimal place.