Cooking Lessons Recipe Costing and Scaling 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A whole chicken costs $8.40 and yields 3.5 lb of usable meat after fabrication. If a recipe needs 1.75 lb, what is the chicken cost for the recipe?
- $4.20 (Correct answer)
- $2.40
- $8.40
- $3.60
Correct answer: $4.20
Cost per usable pound is $8.40 ÷ 3.5 = $2.40, so 1.75 lb costs $4.20.
Question 2: Which factor often needs adjusting besides ingredient quantities when scaling a braise from 4 to 40 portions?
- Cooking time and equipment size (Correct answer)
- The name of the dish
- The plating garnish only
- The unit of currency
Correct answer: Cooking time and equipment size
Larger batches change heat transfer, so cooking times, pan sizes, and evaporation rates must be re-evaluated.
Question 3: A vendor raises butter prices from $3.00 to $3.60 per pound. What is the percentage increase in cost?
- 20% (Correct answer)
- 16.7%
- 60%
- 10%
Correct answer: 20%
The increase of $0.60 divided by the original $3.00 equals 0.20, or 20%.
Question 4: What does 'Q factor' represent in menu costing?
- The cost of small accompaniments like bread, butter, and condiments added to a plate (Correct answer)
- The quality rating of the protein
- The quantity discount from a vendor
- The queue time in the kitchen
Correct answer: The cost of small accompaniments like bread, butter, and condiments added to a plate
The Q factor is a small allowance added to plate cost for complimentary items and hard-to-cost extras.
Question 5: A recipe for 8 uses 2 lb 4 oz of ground beef. Scaled to 20 portions, how much beef is needed?
- 5 lb 10 oz (Correct answer)
- 4 lb 8 oz
- 6 lb
- 5 lb
Correct answer: 5 lb 10 oz
The factor is 20 ÷ 8 = 2.5, and 36 oz × 2.5 = 90 oz, which is 5 lb 10 oz.
Question 6: Why should yield tests be repeated periodically on the same product?
- Yields vary with season, supplier, and product quality, changing true costs (Correct answer)
- Yield never changes once measured
- It is required daily by federal law
- It reduces the AP price automatically
Correct answer: Yields vary with season, supplier, and product quality, changing true costs
Trim loss and usable yield shift over time, so cost data must be refreshed to stay accurate.
Question 7: If total monthly food sales are $60,000 and cost of food sold is $19,800, what is the overall food cost percentage?
- 33% (Correct answer)
- 30%
- 25%
- 38%
Correct answer: 33%
$19,800 ÷ $60,000 = 0.33, so the food cost percentage is 33%.
Cooking Lessons Recipe Costing and Scaling 4
A whole chicken costs $8.40 and yields 3.5 lb of usable meat after fabrication.
If a recipe needs 1.75 lb, what is the chicken cost for the recipe?