I have a question for everyone

How often do chefs really use the AP and EP formulas?? I'm currently in culinary school and am having a hard time figuring ou the correct way to do it

I've been in this Biz for fifteen plus years, and I have rarely used them. You get a feel of things through experience, plus different items from different suppliers at different times of the year yield widely differntly.

[Isa]

Could someone please tell me what are the AP and EP formulas?

Thanks!

As Purchased
Edible Portion
There are ways to calculate what the yield (EP) will be from the AP of a given product. They are usually confusing and not worth the time to use, but are worth the time to learn, just like many other fundamentals.

[This message has been edited by CampChef (edited 01-14-2001).]

[Greg]

It was pretty useful to me when I did a yield test on some saddles of venison I butchered once. It was 11.95/lb before trim. It was $29/lb after (thought the chef was going to explode when I told him). Needless to say, we switched to $15.95/lb boneless loin after that.
It's this easy: take the dollar amount that you paid for something and divide that by the amount of usable product you have after processing.Example, I have a 9# PSMO beef tenderloin bought at $8/lb. 9x8=$72. After trimming and cutting into steaks, I've got 6# of meat that I can sell to a customer. $72 divided by 6: :$12/lb, edible portion cost.

[This message has been edited by Greg (edited 01-14-2001).]

[cape chef]

As Greg indicated the AP and EP are very important, That's how I determine my food cost and mark up's.I think it is good for all cooks and Chefs to have a clear understanding of how to determine and maintain a good food cost
cc

[Isa]

Thanks for the explanation guys.

So what if I use my Handy dandy book of yields and measures. For example a 20lb turkey yields 11lbs of edible porton. Now how do I figure out portion size and cost?

[Greg]

To figure your edible portion cost, multiply the price you pay to buy it from the purveyor by 20. This will give you the total cost of the turkey. Let's say you payed $2 per pound, resulting in a total cost of $40 for the bird. Divide 40 by the amount of edible portion (11 pounds) and you get $3.64 per pound edible portion cost. Portion size will differ depending on what type of establishment you are running. As part of a fine dining multi-course meal, you might go with a 5-6 oz portion. In a factory cafeteria, you would go larger. As far as costing for the menu price is concerned, start with a targeted food cost as a guideline and price accordingly. For example, say you want to run a 25% food cost and you are serving an 8 oz portion of turkey (a portion cost of $1.82). Using a very basic costing formula (not taking into account surrounding costs such as sauces, sides, salads and garnish) you could price it at $7.28 and maintain your 25% food cost theoretically. You would probably at least up that to $7.95 or, if you think you could charge more and not have your customers feel ripped off, you up it some more (known as charging what the market will bear). You won't be able to price your menu like this for all items, steaks being the best example. In most places, if you tried to get a food cost for most steaks even in the lower 30%'s, you would end up with a price most people would not be willing to pay.

[This message has been edited by Greg (edited 01-14-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Greg (edited 01-14-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Greg (edited 01-14-2001).]

[shroomgirl]

There's also labor costs involved....cheeks are fairly inexpensive to purchase but to clean them takes longer....also having to prep fresh veggies vs using already prepped...there's also the shelf life factor ie off the farm usually last longer than shipped from far off places.
Also I have a friend that charges for the whole package ie 5# of shrimp if the party is small the costs are higher.
I don't follow his rule but know others that do.
So throw in waste adn labor for a final count.

O.K. guys, I was thinking sideways when I said I don't use AP & EP. I was referring to the books and charts and formulas that are supposed to give you the EP for a given product based on average yields. They are inaccrate and hard to use. I ALWAYS do it myself from the actual products. There is no other way to figure food cost.
Sorry to cause confusion,

[Greg]

Now it all becomes clear! Good point, campchef, especially when you have to take into account the skill level of the person doing the processing. I would only use a formula based on an average yield found in a book as a loose guideline. They work okay if you're just trying to figure out if the cost of something is going to fit the pricing parameters of your menu, not to figure out what you are going to sell it for or to figure your food cost.

Camp:

Thinking sideways??? I like it! I like it!

Quantity Food Purchasing by Katchmeyer (spell check that name) is a book we used while in school. It gave you info on just about everything from the different grades of beef to the edible portion of cauliflower. Its on my shelf at every job I go to. I use it a lot. Tells me seasons that blood oranges are available,and how eggs are sized. It even recommends what to do with scrap asparagus stems. ......Is it a great coffee table book?......does it have a great plot?.......New York Times best seller list? ......no to all these questions. Can it tell me the edible portion of sea urchins? Yes........(Thank you Mr Bob Ulm for introducing me to this book)