Recipe yield
How to measure usable recipe yield
Weigh what you buy and what remains usable, then carry the measured yield into a clear ingredient cost per serving.
Illustrative quantities. Measure your own ingredient and preparation method.
By OX Labs team · A practical guide for restaurant operators. Adapt the steps to your policies, units and approval process.
- 01Weigh what you buy
- 02Weigh what you can use
- 03Calculate the yield
- 04Cost one serving
Name the form you are measuring
Record the ingredient as purchased, including its pack size and weight. Then name the form the recipe actually uses: trimmed, peeled, prepared or cooked. A yield figure is only meaningful when the starting and ending forms are clear.
Use the same unit for both weights. Keep packaging, bones, peel and other excluded material out of the usable weight. If the trimmings have a separate use or value in your operation, record that treatment instead of silently calling everything waste.
Measure a representative preparation
Weigh the purchased quantity, prepare it using your usual method, and weigh the usable output. Divide usable weight by purchased weight and multiply by 100 to get the usable yield percentage. Repeat the measurement when suppliers, specifications, preparation or portion standards change.
A published yield table can help you plan when you have no local measurement, but actual yield depends on the item and method. Record the date, preparer, item specification and any unusual loss so the next review can compare like with like.
Carry yield into the cost
Divide the pack cost by the measured usable quantity to find the cost per usable unit. Multiply that rate by the usable quantity in one serving. Use the same currency and weight unit throughout the calculation; a 200 g portion is 0.2 kg.
This gives one ingredient's cost in the example, not the complete menu-item cost or a recommended selling price. Add the other ingredients and review labor, overhead, demand, taxes and commercial decisions separately. If your recipe specifies cooked weight, measure the cooked yield as another stage rather than applying a raw preparation figure to a cooked portion.
Review the number before relying on it
Check that the purchase price, pack specification, preparation method and serving size still match reality. Keep the original weights alongside the calculated percentage. When the yield changes, investigate the reason before simply replacing the old value.
Worked example: one pack, one ingredient
| Purchased weight | 5 kg |
|---|---|
| Usable prepared weight | 4 kg |
| Usable yield | 4 ÷ 5 × 100 = 80% |
| Pack cost | 40 in your currency |
| Cost per usable kg | 40 ÷ 4 = 10 |
| Usable portion | 200 g = 0.2 kg |
| Ingredient cost per portion | 10 × 0.2 = 2 |
The example uses an invented pack price for the arithmetic. It yields 20 portions of 200 g from the usable 4 kg. Replace every figure with your own measured quantities and price; this is not a published ITS V.Pro price or a full recipe cost.
Record your own yield
Download the free CSV worksheet for purchase weight, usable weight, yield and portion cost. The example row is illustrative; keep actual kitchen records in your own approved storage.
Download the yield worksheet ↓Continue to menu costing
Usable yield answers one ingredient question. Use it alongside the full recipe, portions and current purchase prices when building a menu-costing baseline.
Method references: USDA Food Buying Guide explains as-purchased and edible-portion quantities; Vancouver Community College’s recipe-costing worksheet explains the effect of preparation yield on usable cost. Measure your own operation’s result.
Use this guide as a discussion aid. Confirm the actual ITS V.Pro workflows available for your setup before relying on a product-specific process.
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