RECIPES AND COSTING HOW TO STANDARDIZE A RECIPE AND COMPUTE COST PER PORTION FOR A VARIETY OF MENU ITEMS.

OBJECTIVES Develop standardized recipes Develop a cost per portion for recipe items & items with loss due to waste, trimming & cooking Identify common menu pricing formats Calculate the Q factor and Spice Factor for your operation

STANDARDIZED RECIPES WHY HAVE THEM? Consistency of product - quality Consistency of cost Production Control: portion, costs, purchasing You won’t have to close down if the chef leaves Without a doubt – the most important tool you have in your operation’s toolbox Controls the quantity & quality of what the kitchen will produce.

MORE REASONS TO INCORPORATE A STANDARIZED RECIPE SYSTEM INTO YOUR BUSINESS! Accurate purchasing Dietary concerns are addressed-ingredients identified Accuracy in menu laws-ingredients identified Matching food used to cash sales Accurate recipe costing and menu pricing New employees can be better trained Computerization of a foodservice operation depends on them

HOW TO STANDARDIZE A RECIPE FOR YOUR PRODUCTION: Work on 1 recipe at a time. Weigh/measure each ingredient Write down & follow all directions. Check times for precision. Make the item using the recipe. Modify/fix recipe: ingredients, measurements, times, instructions] Test for yields: accurate, portion size OK Test 3 times or until product comes out as desired for taste, presentation, cost

STANDARD RECIPE FORMAT WHAT DOES ONE LOOK LIKE? Standardized formats are available with many software packages Design your own Recipes from outside sources must be tested and adjusted for your operation A recipe is standardized when it fits for your operation – portion size, taste, cost, production, guest AND includes all necessary information.

INFORMATION ON A STANDARDIZED RECIPE – (The LIST OF 18) Name & file code Recipe yield – VIP! GOTTA HAVE IT! Prep time & cook time Holding temperatures & times Equipment Food safety statement HACCP notations – CP, CCP List of ingredients Weight & Measure columns Quantities of ingredients Method of prep Plating instruction Garnish Cutting instruction Cooling/storing/leftovers Nutritional info Alternatives to reduce fat/calories Photo

RECIPE YIELD THE MOST CRITICAL PIECE OF INFORMATION THE YIELD MUST BE PROPERLY EXPRESSED (# 1 & 2 are non-negotiable. #3 is subjective.) THIS IS THE COST CONTROL LINE OF THE DOCUMENT # OF SERVINGS SERVING SIZE TOTAL QUANTITY THE RECIPE PRODUCES EXAMPLE: CHICKEN SOUP YIELD: 2 GALLONS 32 SERVINGS 8 OUNCES EACH

DESCRIBING PORTION SIZES: ACTIVE METHODS: Exact weight Exact measure Exact count Even division PASSIVE METHOD: Even Fill Container Imprecise descriptions on recipes DON’T LEAVE PORTIONING TO CHANCE. BE PRECISE IN DESCRIBING HOW MUCH TO PUT ON A PLATE.

PLATE CARDS Used in kitchen to describe one dinner as management wishes it to be served Describes the portions, portion sizes, the placement/positioning of the food, the garnish, the plate & other serving utensils needed, heating/chilling of wares Picture of finished plate Safeguards against mistakes in BOH. Provides consistency on the line

MENU ITEM: BAKED MEATLOAF TABLEWARE FOR THIS ITEM: 9” Dinner plate Dinner plate will be warmed INGREDIENTS: AMOUNT: DIRECTION: Meatloaf 6 oz. 6 o’clock on plate Gravy 2 oz. 1 oz. over meatloaf 1 oz in a nappy dish Smashed potatoes 5 oz. 9 o’clock on plate Butter pat 1 each Centered on top of potato Glazed carrots 4 oz. 3 o’clock on plate Parsley, chopped As needed Sprinkled lightly over potatoes Garnish 2 pickle spears Between carrots & meatloaf Steak knife On right side of plate, facing in

WHAT’S NEXT? THE PORTION COST!

CALCULATING COST PER PORTION A COST PER PORTION IS CALCULATED FOR ALL MENU ITEMS: 1. RECIPE ITEMS – menu items with multiple ingredients & little or no shrinkage or trim 2. PLATE CARD ITEMS – menu items consisting primarily of preprepared items (hot dogs) 2. BUTCHER TEST ITEMS – menu items with trim loss. This item can be portioned and cooked – or – roasted 3. COOKING LOSS ITEMS – menu items that will be cooked after trimming and will experience further loss

PLATE COST CARDS Cost card developed for 1 complete plate of a particular menu item Useful when there are static items always served on the plate Works very well for operations with simple menus and limited choices; used with preprepared food items.

MENU PRICING FORMATS A-la-carte = all items priced separately Semi-a-la-carte = some courses included with the meal Table d’Hote = all courses included for a set price. Prixe Fixe

Q FACTOR – SMASHED POTATO FACTOR use with semi-a-la-carte pricing COST PER PORTION OF SURROUNDING ITEMS OFFERED WITH A MEAL All selections have standard recipes and cost cards Select the most expensive selections and add up – this becomes the Q. Q is added to entrée cost to get plate cost

Q CARD EXAMPLE Q CARD Q = $1.32 STARCH SALAD: French fries .15 Mixed Green .25 Baked Potato .30 Caesars .19 Rice Pilaf .17 DRESSINGS: VEGETABLES Balsamic .18 Broccoli .25 Blue Cheese .29 Glazed carrots .13 Ranch .10 Seasonal mixed .28 ROLL & BUTTER .20 Q = $1.32

SPICE FACTOR % added to every menu item to account for cost of: Spices, herbs, seasonings Garnishes Waste factor Expensive items skewing CPP Ingredients too small to cost out Whatever else management wants

CALCULATING SF % Identify those items in this category via recipes, inventory & invoices Calculate cost of purchasing these items over time showing usage Calculate cost of purchasing all food items over same period of time Cost of Spice Factor items = SF % Cost of all food items

SPICE FACTOR Evaluate periodically for accuracy Recalculate when invoice costs change or menu changes Add to all menu items – communistic approach to sharing the cost of these items!

LET’S SIZE OR CONVERT A RECIPE! YEAH! When adjusting recipes for quantity (total yield), two general methods may be employed. They are: Factor Method (Multiplier) Percentage Technique (We won’t use this one!)

HOW TO FIND THE MULTIPLIER OR CONVERSION FACTOR: NEW AMOUNT / OLD or ORIGINAL AMOUNT = THE MULTIPLIER NEW OLD = MULTIPLIER

We need soup for 325 folks. Find the conversion factor: NEW AMOUNT EXAMPLE: CHICKEN SOUP YIELD: 2 GALLONS 32 SERVINGS 8 OUNCES EACH We need soup for 325 folks. Find the conversion factor: NEW AMOUNT OLD AMOUNT = ?? 325 32 = 10.15 (This means you will have to make the original recipe 10.15 times to have enough) SO WHAT? NOW WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE MULTIPLIER???????????????

USING A MULTIPLIER: Each ingredient in the recipe is converted into ounces and multiplied by the conversion factor. This new amount is than converted back into a useful quantity for the chef’s and cook’s to work with

EXAMPLE: 2 gallons of stock are needed for the original recipe 2 x 128 ounces = 256 ounces 256 ounces x 10.15 = 2598.4 ounces 2598.4 ounces / 128 = 20 gallons + 1 quart