Chapter 7 – Recipes and Cost Management

Collectively, and at street level, these trucks are indeed “magical urbanism on four wheels”, a powerful affirmation of “pop-up urbanism” and of cultural placemaking. (Ageyman)

—Julian Agyeman, Caitlin Matthews, and Hannah Sobel, Food Trucks, Cultural Identity, and Social Justice

Chapter Warm-Up

Prechapter Reading Materials

• “Common Product Yields” (US Foods n.d.)
• “Produce Yield Chart” (Chefs Resources 2022)
• Food and Beverage Cost Control (Dopson and Hayes 2019, 64–69, 153–157)
• Professional Cooking (Gisslen 2018, 74–77)

Prechapter Exercise

Using recipe principles from Dopson and Hayes (2019), standardize this homemade chili recipe for thirty-five persons using the factor method or percentage methods found in the template here.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

• Recipe Management
• Cost Management
• Yields

Recipe Management

A recipe is a set of instructions for producing a certain dish that contains a precise record of ingredients, their amounts, and the way they are combined and cooked. A written recipe will never tell you everything—judgment is important. A standardized recipe is a set of instructions describing the way an establishment prepares a particular dish. The use of standardized recipes helps ensure consistent quality and portions and enhances food and beverage projections and cost control.

A professionally developed standardized recipe will contain the following:

1. Menu item name
2. Total yield (number of servings)
3. Portion size
4. Ingredient list
5. Preparation/method section
6. Cooking time and temperature
7. Special instructions, if necessary
8. Recipe cost (optional)

Standardized recipes help describe the way an establishment prepares a particular dish and ensures consistency regardless of the day, time, or season the guest visits. Recipe standardization also assists with portion and cost control. By ensuring the same quantities of ingredients, preparation methods, and cooking techniques are used, food and beverage cost control is likely to remain within budget while supporting minimum waste or leftovers. Standardized recipes also assist with quality control, ensuring high-quality customer service experiences within and across production and service times. There are, however, disadvantages to using standardized recipes, as they can inhibit creativity, slow production, and inhibit judgment. In addition, the use of standardized recipes does carry some degree of risk, in that “family” or “secret sauce” recipes could be made public, thereby weakening a brand’s competitive advantage. Still, the advantages of using standardized recipes do outweigh the disadvantages. Table 7.1(a) and Table 7.1(b) show examples of standardized recipe worksheets.

Table. 7.1(a) and 7.1(b)

There are two approaches to standardizing recipes: the factor method and the percentage method. The factor method identifies a number or factor based on old and new yield quantities. That number is then used to multiply each old ingredient quantity to arrive at the new ingredient quantity. The percentage method is helpful for large-batch items like soups, chilies, and baked goods. This method allocates a total quantity (e.g., number of ounces) of all ingredients in a recipe and multiplies the percentage represented by each ingredient by the new yield amount to arrive at the standardized quantities for all ingredients.

Cost Management

A well-planned menu will contribute to controlling food costs if ingredients are planned for and used efficiently. When finalizing pop-up menu design, cost management considerations should do the following:

• Use all edible trimmings
• Avoid adding an item to the menu trimmings
• Plan the production to avoid leftovers
• Plan ahead for use or donation of leftovers
• Avoid minimum-use perishable ingredients (e.g., mushrooms) by changing the recipe, updating the menu, or adding substitutes

Yields

Understanding and applying yield management an important part of standardizing recipes for production and service management. Having BOH and FOH teams who are knowledgeable of yield management principles helps ensure adequate products (no excess or shortage) and meeting agreed-upon service standards for guests and diners.

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KEY TERMS

• Ethical sourcing
• Standardized recipes
• Yields
• Yield management

REVIEW Questions

1. What are examples of local Pennsylvania ingredients and flavors in the following categories?
   • Meats and Game
   • Legumes and Grains
   • Plants and Root vegetables
   • Pastries, Desserts and Baked Goods
2. What is a conversion factor, and how is it used in recipe standardization?
   3. What are the following produce quantities expressed in cups? (Use the produce yield chart provided to convert from pounds to cups.)
   • Three pounds of broccoli to cups, chopped
   • Five pounds of carrots to cups, grated
   • Seven pounds of cabbage to cups, shredded
   • Ten pounds of potatoes to cups, grated
   • Twelve pounds of Swiss chard to cups, cooked.
   4. Using the common product yields chart, calculate the following:
   • Fresh Brussel sprouts have an AP weight of 12 kg and a trimmed yield of 90 percent. If the AP cost of Brussel sprouts is $2 per kg, what is the new trimmed yield test cost per kg for the item?
   • If the price of a whole chicken is $8.50 per kg, what is the cooked yield test cost per kg if the yield of a 2.8 kg chicken is 2.5 kg?
   • A recipe for chili yields twenty liters. What is the portion size in milliliters if this batch of chili is for eighty guests?
   • How many (AP) pounds of ribeye steak (LO) will you need to purchase to yield fifteen pounds EP?
   • What is the yield on veal flank if you purchase twenty pounds?
   • How many ounces of slivered almonds will you get from one-half of a cup?
   • How many ounces of ice cream does a number 8 scoop yield?

Review Activities

1. Consider the BOH or FOH role you will be playing in your pop-up restaurant. Using your knowledge of the principles of ethics and sustainability, explain the role of the following teams in promoting ethical and sustainable food production and service at your pop-up restaurant:
   • BOH: Chef and kitchen-production team when
     1. designing menus
     2. developing recipes
     3. preparing dishes
   • FOH: Maître d’ and dining room service team when
     1. receiving reservation inquiries
     2. planning for service
     3. serving dishes
2. Open your favorite browser. Using your knowledge of pop-up menus and recipes, find a recipe for the food and beverage items below. Create standardized recipes for each item for twenty-five portions.

• appetizer (brie cheese | apricot jam | walnuts | thyme sprig | crostini)
• entrée (sautéed veal medallions | mash potatoes | asparagus)
• dessert (meringue cakes | figs | chocolate cream | raspberries)
• mocktail (ginger ale | grenadine syrup | lemon-lime soda | ice)