Cooking Lessons Recipe Costing and Scaling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A recipe yields 12 portions and costs $18.00 in ingredients. What is the cost per portion?
- $1.50 (Correct answer)
- $1.20
- $2.00
- $1.80
Correct answer: $1.50
Divide total recipe cost by yield: $18.00 ÷ 12 = $1.50 per portion.
Question 2: What is the conversion factor when scaling a recipe from 25 servings to 100 servings?
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 0.25
- 75
- 2.5
Correct answer: 4
Conversion factor equals desired yield divided by original yield: 100 ÷ 25 = 4.
Question 3: A chef buys a 10 lb pork loin for $35.00 and after trimming has 8 lb of usable meat. What is the cost per usable pound?
- $4.38 (Correct answer)
- $3.50
- $2.80
- $5.00
Correct answer: $4.38
Edible portion cost is purchase price divided by usable weight: $35.00 ÷ 8 lb = $4.375, about $4.38.
Question 4: If a dish costs $3.20 to make and the target food cost percentage is 25%, what should the menu price be?
- $12.80 (Correct answer)
- $8.00
- $4.00
- $16.00
Correct answer: $12.80
Menu price equals food cost divided by target percentage: $3.20 ÷ 0.25 = $12.80.
Question 5: Which ingredient measurement is generally the most accurate for scaling recipes in a professional kitchen?
- Weight (Correct answer)
- Volume
- Count
- Handfuls
Correct answer: Weight
Weight is the most consistent and accurate measure because volume varies with packing and density.
Question 6: A recipe calls for 2 cups of flour and must be scaled by a conversion factor of 3.5. How much flour is needed?
- 7 cups (Correct answer)
- 5.5 cups
- 6 cups
- 8 cups
Correct answer: 7 cups
Multiply the original quantity by the conversion factor: 2 × 3.5 = 7 cups.
Question 7: What does 'as purchased' (AP) weight refer to in recipe costing?
- The weight of an item before any trimming or processing (Correct answer)
- The weight after cooking
- The weight of the edible portion only
- The weight listed on the menu
Correct answer: The weight of an item before any trimming or processing
AP weight is the item's weight exactly as it comes from the supplier, before trimming or fabrication.
Cooking Lessons Recipe Costing and Scaling 2
A recipe yields 12 portions and costs $18.00 in ingredients.
What is the cost per portion?