Specifying Recipe Yield
applies to: nutraCoster 3.0
Contents
Introduction
General
Yield indicates how much, or how many, of your product your recipe/formula makes.
You also use yields to account for losses or gains at various steps in the production process.
To specify the yield of your recipe:
- Enter all of the ingredients and quantities for your recipe.
- Use the Add or Change Units procedure to define units for the yield. Refer to the article Defining Units of Measure for instructions.
- Use the Production tab of the Change Recipe/Formula window to specify the Yields of your recipe in terms of the units you just defined.
Production Tab
Use the Production tab of the Change Recipe/Formula window to specify the Yields of your recipe.
Recipe Size
You can enter your recipes for any batch size, as long as the ingredient proportions are correct. nutraCoster will automatically scale recipes and ingredient quantities as needed for reports, nutrition and costing.
We recommend that you enter ingredient quantities for the batch size you typically make in the kitchen. This is especially important if you are using nutraCoster for costing, so your labor costs will be accurate.
Note: It is not necessary to externally calculate ingredient quantities to make a specific serving size or individual unit. Let nutraCoster do these calculations for you.
Note: You scale ingredient quantities by creating recipe or cost reports for any batch size. Similarly, you can create nutrition reports for any serving size.
Types of Yield
There are 4 yield numbers associated with each recipe:
- Total Ingredient Weight
- Preparation Yield
- Processing Yield
- Finishing Yield
Yield Components
Preparation Yield, Processing Yield and Finishing Yield consist of the following components: Yield Percentage, Yield Quantity and Yield Unit.
Initial Yields
The initial Yield Percentages for a new Recipe/Formula are all 100%.
This means that the Preparation Yield Quantity, Processing Yield Quantity and Finishing Yield Quantity all equal the Total Ingredient Weight.
Types of Losses/Gains
Preparation Yield
Preparation Yield includes all losses before cooking or processing, such as spillage, batter sticking to mixers, etc. It is also referred to as the Weight Before Cooking.
Preparation Yield is always 100% or less.
Preparation losses affect all nutrients equally, so Preparation Yield affects cost but not nutrition.
Processing Yield
Processing Yield refers to all losses or gains due to cooking or processing, such as water loss during baking, fat gain during frying, etc. It is also referred to as the Weight After Cooking.
Processing Yield can be more or less than 100% depending on whether processing results in weight gain or weight loss.
Processing losses and gains affect both cost and nutrition.
If you have not entered fat losses or gains or other losses or gains in the Nutrient Changes Due To Processing tab, changes to Processing Yield are assumed to be all water loss or gain. If your process involves only water loss or gain, you may never need to use the Nutrient Changes Due To Processing tab.
If there are already losses or gains entered in the Nutrient Changes Due To Processing tab, nutraCoster adjusts the existing losses or gains proportionally.
See Accounting for Processing Losses and Gains for more information.
Finishing Yield
Finishing Yield includes all losses after cooking or processing, such as defectives, breakage, trimming, etc. Finishing Yield is the final result of your recipe.
Finishing Yield is always 100% or less.
Finishing losses affect all nutrients equally, so Finishing Yield affects cost but not nutrition.
Yield Calculations
You determine yield values by weighing or measuring your product at each step of production. You then enter either the yield quantity or yield percentage.
If you enter the yield quantity and press Enter or Tab, nutraCoster will calculate the corresponding yield percent.
If you enter the yield percentage and press Enter or Tab, nutraCoster will calculate the corresponding yield quantity.
Preparation Yield Calculation
| Preparation Yield Percent | = | Preparation Yield Quantity | expressed as percent |
| Total Ingredient Weight Quantity | |||
Example: Your Total Ingredient Weight is 100 lbs. After mixing and scaling the total weight is 99 lbs. This is the Preparation Yield or Weight Before Cooking. Preparation Yield Percent = 99 ÷ 100 = 99%. This also means the preparation loss is 1%.
Processing Yield Calculation
| Processing Yield Percent | = | Processing Yield Quantity | expressed as percent |
| Preparation Yield Quantity | |||
Example: Your Preparation Yield is 99 lbs. After baking the total weight is 90 lbs. This is the Processing Yield or Weight After Cooking. Processing Yield Percent = 90 ÷ 99 = 90.9%. This also means the processing or cooking loss is 8.1%.
Finishing Yield Calculation
| Finishing Yield Percent | = | Finishing Yield Quantity | expressed as percent |
| Processing Yield Quantity | |||
Example: Your Processing Yield is 90 lbs. After packing the total weight is 89.1 lbs. This is the Finishing Yield. Finishing Yield Percent = 89.1 ÷ 90 = 99%. This also means the Finishing loss is 1%.
Negligible Losses or Gains
If you have negligible Preparation or Finishing losses, those yields will remain 100%.
If you do not cook or process your product, the Processing Yield will remain 100%.
Step by Step Instructions with Examples
Here are step by step instructions to define units and specify the yield of your recipe.
How Much or How Many Your Recipe Makes
- Determine the Preparation Yield, Processing Yield and Finishing Yield of your recipe as described above.
Example: The Total Ingredient Weight of the Banana Bread shown in the image above is 121.5 lbs. This recipe makes 110 1-lb loaves. The weight difference is due to water loss during baking.
For this example we will assume there are no Preparation or Finishing losses. Those yields will remain at 100%. - Click the Add or Change Recipes/Formulas tool bar button (with the picture of the card file). This opens the Add or Change Recipes/Formulas window.
- In the Add or Change Recipes/Formulas window select your recipe and click OK.
- In the Change Recipe/Formula window, click the Production tab.
- Click the Add or Change Units button (red measuring cup) next to the unit dropdown for any of the yields. This opens the Units of Measure window for your recipe.
Define a Unit for the Yield
- Define the unit as described in the article Defining Units of Measure.
Example: Define a unit as 1 loaf = 1 lb
- Close the Units of Measure window.
Use the Unit to Specify the Yield
- In the Production tab of the Change Recipe/Formula window, open the unit dropdown for the Processing Yield and choose the unit you just defined. nutraCoster will automatically scale the Processing Yield Quantity.
Example: Change the Processing Yield Unit to "loaves". Since the Processing Yield Percentage is still 100%, nutraCoster will set the Processing Yield Quantity to 121.5 loaves.
- Change the Processing Yield Quantity (the middle box) to the correct yield for the batch you entered.
Example: Change the Processing Yield Quantity to 110. When you press Enter or Tab, nutraCoster will calculate the Processing Yield Percentage as 90.5%.
- Repeat steps (1) and (2) for the Finishing Yield.
Example: Change the Finishing Yield Unit to "loaves". Since the Finishing Yield Percentage is 100%, nutraCoster will set the Finishing Yield Quantity to 110.
The final result of this recipe is 110 loaves. - Click Save Recipe/Formula.
Notes:
- When you change the Processing Yield Quantity, nutraCoster will calculate the Processing Yield Percentage. For processes that involve losses, this percentage will be less than 100%.
- The unit you defined in this example is for the baked weight (weight after cooking).
- When you enter Processing Yield in the Production tab, nutraCoster assumes that any losses are water loss. If you have losses or gains other than water loss, enter them in the Nutrient Changes Due to Processing tab. Refer to the article Accounting for Processing Losses and Gains
- The Finishing Yield is the final result of the recipe.