TH1607

Laboratory Exercise
Recipe Quantification
Objectives:

At the end of the exercise, the students should be able to:

Compute for yield and portion adjustments correctly.

Materials:

• Calculator
• Paper and pen

Basic Principles:

It is often necessary for a caterer to adjust standardized recipes. One way to adjust a recipe’s yield is by
making use of the conversion factor method which uses the conversion factor (CF) to adjust all the
ingredients in a standardized recipe. One of the most important catering management control tasks is the
measurement of ingredients and portions in food production. A caterer will measure ingredients by number,
volume, or weight.

Purchasing the correct amount of food may challenge the caterer when there is a loss because of waste.
Unless, purchasing a convenience food, which offers a 100 percent yield, food may vary from its As-
Purchased (AP) form to its Edible Portion (EP) form, the amount of food the guest will consume.

Recipe Quantification

Knowledge in recipe quantification is essential for a caterer in determining project quantities needed in the
purchase of ingredients for various number and functions. It is usually needed for a caterer to adjust
standardized recipes. A standardized recipe produces a standard yield designed to produce a specific
amount of food expressed in portion size, volume, or weight.

Conversion Factor Method

Steps
1. Begin with the known yield of the standard recipe. Divide the desired yield by the known yield to obtain
the conversion factor or working factor.

Conversion factor (CF) = New Yield/Old Yield

New Yield refers to the desired number of participants that will be served.
Old Yield refers to the number of participants that will be served by the standardized recipe.

2. Convert ingredients to weight, if possible.

3. Multiply each ingredient in the original recipe by the conversion factor.
4. Multiply the original total weight of ingredients by the conversion factor.

Examples:
1) Convert Adobo standard recipe for 10 pax to 100 pax.
A) Old yield = 10 pax; New Yield = 100 pax
B) Conversion Factor = New Yield/Old Yield
CF = 100/10
CF = 10

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C) Ingredients:
Soy sauce 10 ml x 10 (CF) = 100 ml
Meat (pork) 1kl x 10 = 10 kl
Vinegar 10 ml x 10 = 100 ml
Salt and pepper

2) Convert Beef Stroganoff recipe for 10 pax (portion size: 6 oz.) to 25 pax (portion size: 4 oz.)

A) 10 pax x 6 oz. = 60 oz. is Old Yield

25 pax x 4 oz. = 100 oz. is New Yield
Note: Since there is a change in the portion size for the new yield, the pax (target number of customers)
should be multiplied first to its corresponding portion size as shown above.

B) Conversion Factor = New Yield/Old Yield

CF = 100/60
CF = 1.67
C) Some ingredients:
Clarified butter 2 oz. x 1.67 (CF) = 3.34 oz.
Onions 4 oz. x 1.67 = 6.68 oz.
White Wine 2 oz. x 1.67 = 3.34 oz.
Beef Tenderloin 2.5 lbs. x 1.67 = 4 lbs.

Portion Control

Portion control refers to the measurement of ingredients and portions in food production. A caterer will
measure ingredients by number, volume, or weight. Standardized recipes are also written with ingredients
stated as either weight or measure.

Purchasing the correct amount of food may challenge the caterer when there is a loss because of waste.
Unless purchasing a convenience food, which offers a 100 percent yield, food may vary from its As-
Purchased (AP) form to its Edible Portion (EP) form, the amount of food the guest will consume.

To purchase correctly, an accurate understanding of the relationship between AP and EP concepts must
be comprehended.
1. As-Purchased (AP) – the amount of raw material purchased. It is in the form as delivered by the
purveyor. The As-Purchased amount will always represent the original weight; it always represents the
total or 100 percent.
2. Edible Portion (EP) – the amount of food a caterer will expect the customer to consume. It is always
less than the As-Purchased weight.
3. As-Served (AS) – represents the portion size a caterer will serve to the guest. It is always less than the
As-Purchased weight
4. Waste (W) – the amount of product lost during its preparation and storage. Its removal delivers its As-
Served or Edible-Portion weight. Waste will always be a part of the As-Purchased weight or part of the
100 percent.
5. Waste Percentage (W%) – the amount of waste expressed as percentage. To calculate the waste
percentage, divide the Edible Portion weight by the As-Purchased weight and multiply by 100.

Descriptive examples of AP and EP

A.P.: One pound (16 ounces) of pistachio nuts in the shell (As-Purchased).
Remove the meat from the shell.
E.P.: One-half pound (8 ounces) of pistachio nuts without the shell.

A.P.: One regular-sized piece (approximately 540 grams) of iceberg lettuce (As-Purchased).
Removing some leaves with slime, insect bite, and withered.
E.P.: 435 grams (approximate) of iceberg lettuce after trimming.

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Examples with computation

The caterer must calculate the AP weight to meet the EP needs, and further calculate the waste percentage.
1. The caterer will multiply the EP size by the customer count. This amount will be the total EP weight
required to serve each guest the correct portion amount. If the guests are served more, the caterer will not
have enough of that particular item.
2. Then, the caterer will calculate the AP weight by dividing the EP weight by the yield. This calculation is
important in order to procure/purchase the right amount of a particular item. Each caterer should calculate
their own yield information using the same preparation and cooking techniques as stated in the recipe. The
yield can also be approximated using industry standards.
3. If the caterer begins with the AP weight, after cooking, finds the ending weight of the particular item. It
is now considered to be the waste. The waste percentage is calculated by dividing the ending weight by the
beginning weight.

ABC Catering is serving 125 guests with 4 oz. (EP) beef tenderloin. Beef yield at 90%
Computation:
1. 125 guests x 4 oz. = 500 oz. or 31.25 pounds EP
2. ABC Catering uses a yield of 90% for beef tenderloin.
31.25 pounds / 90% = 34.7 pounds AP ---> the caterer will purchase 35 pounds of beef tenderloin.
3. Beginning weight = 35 pounds
Ending weight (after preparation and cooking) = 32 pounds
32 pounds / 35 pounds x 100 (%) = 91% waste

479 Catering Services Inc. is serving 311 guests with 6 oz. (EP) chicken breast. Chicken yield at 80%
Computation:
1. 311 guests x 6 oz. = 1,866 oz. or 116.63 pounds EP
2. ABC Catering uses a yield of 80% for chicken breast.
116.63 pounds / 80% = 145.8 pounds AP ---> the caterer will purchase 146 pounds of chicken
breast.
3. Beginning weight = 146 pounds
Ending weight (after preparation and cooking) = 142 pounds
142 pounds / 146 pounds x 100 (%) = 97% waste

Reference:
Catchillar, e. a. (2009). Banquet & catering procedures: a student’s guide. Mandaluyong: Books Atbp.
Publishing Corp.
Shiring, S. (2014). Professional catering: the modern caterer’s complete guide to success. New York:
Delmar, Cengage Learning.

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Procedures:

1. Individually, compute for the new yield of each ingredient given below by finding the correct conversion
factor. Use page 2 as answer sheet.
2. Compute for the AP, EP, and Waste Percentage of selected ingredients. Use page 2 as answer sheet.
3. You are given 45 minutes to accomplish this exercise. Submit your output within the allotted time.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
Carrot Cake Vegetable oil 1750 ml Yield: 24 servings
Granulated sugar 1850 g New Yield: 14 servings
Eggs 875 g
Carrots, shredded 2500 g
Crushed pineapple 1580 g
Baking soda 45 g
Cinnamon, ground 60 g
Pumpkin pie spice 45 g
Salt 45 g
Baking powder 40 g
Cake flour 2300 g
Coconut, shredded 500 g
Walnut pieces 500 g

Cream Cheese Frosting Unsalted butter 350 g

Cream cheese 1500 g
Margarine 350 g
Vanilla extract 30 ml
Powdered sugar 3000 g

Conversion factor =

Conversion
Ingredient Old Yield New Yield
Factor

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A) Shin-Ling Restaurant and Catering Services will be serving 220 guests on a wedding reception with pork
tonkatsu as their main course. The catering needs to serve 6 ounces of pork tenderloin per person. Pork
yield at 74% with waste difference at 8 pounds.

B) The Perfect View Hotel and Casino will cater 120 VIPs in their banquet hall for an exclusive event. They will
be serving shrimp scampi as their cold appetizer with 32 ounces of shrimp per guest. Shrimp yield at 42%
with 24 pounds waste difference.

Reference:
Tria-Natad, M. A. (2014). Basic baking and cake decorating. Intramuros: Mindshapers Co., Inc.

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