Cooking loss increases your food cost because you end up with less product than you purchase. Many hospitality entrepreneurs forget to factor this in, which means their actual...
A 250-gram raw ribeye shrinks to just 175 grams after grilling – yet most restaurant owners still calculate costs using the raw weight. This oversight inflates profit margins on paper while eating into actual earnings. Here's how to properly factor cooking loss into your recipe costs.
What exactly is cooking loss?
Cooking loss represents the weight reduction between raw and finished product. Proteins shed moisture, vegetables wilt and shrink, starches lose water content. Your actual cost per serving jumps higher than the original purchase price suggests.
💡 Example:
You buy 1 kg of beef tenderloin for €45.00. After cooking it weighs 750 grams.
- Purchase price: €45.00/kg
- Cooking loss: 250 grams (25%)
- Remaining weight: 750 grams
Actual cost price: €45.00 / 0.75 kg = €60.00/kg
Typical cooking loss per product
Different products shed varying amounts of weight during preparation. Use these percentages as your baseline:
- Beef: 20-30% (depending on doneness)
- Pork: 25-35%
- Chicken: 15-25%
- Fish: 10-20%
- Vegetables: 5-15%
- Potatoes: 15-25%
⚠️ Note:
These percentages serve as guidelines only. Weigh your products before and after cooking for precise measurements. Every kitchen's methods produce different results.
Calculate cooking loss in 3 steps
The cooking loss formula appears straightforward, but calculation errors happen frequently. Avoiding these mistakes protects your profit margins.
💡 Example calculation:
A 250 gram raw steak becomes 180 grams after cooking:
- Cooking loss: (250 - 180) / 250 × 100 = 28%
- Yield: 100% - 28% = 72%
- Purchase price: €32.00/kg
Actual cost price: €32.00 / 0.72 = €44.44/kg
Account for cooking loss in your recipe costs
Apply the adjusted cost price to your recipe calculations. Base all measurements on final serving weight, not raw ingredient weight. One of the most common blind spots in kitchen management involves using raw weights for cooked portions – this creates a false sense of profitability that only shows up when monthly numbers don't match projections.
💡 Practical example:
You serve a 180 gram steak (cooked weight):
- Actual cost price after cooking loss: €44.44/kg
- Portion size: 180 grams = 0.18 kg
- Cost per portion: €44.44 × 0.18 = €8.00
Without accounting for cooking loss you'd calculate with €32.00/kg and come up with €5.76 per portion. You'd be short €2.24 per steak!
Impact on your food cost
Ignoring cooking loss creates substantial distortions in food cost calculations. Meat and fish dishes typically show 5-10 percentage point variances between estimated and actual costs.
⚠️ Note:
Never base calculations on raw weight if cooking loss occurs. Your plated portion reflects cooked weight, so that's your calculation foundation.
Track cooking loss digitally
Paper tracking and Excel spreadsheets consume time while introducing errors. Digital tools like KitchenNmbrs automatically compute cooking loss once you input the percentage for each ingredient.
This eliminates manual recalculation and ensures cost accuracy. The system also identifies which products generate the highest cooking loss, helping you target efficiency improvements.
How do you calculate cooking loss? (step by step)
Measure the weight difference
Weigh your product before and after cooking. Note both weights. Do this a few times to get an average.
Calculate the cooking loss percentage
Cooking loss % = ((Raw weight - Cooked weight) / Raw weight) × 100. This gives you the loss percentage.
Calculate the actual cost price
Divide your purchase price by the yield (100% - cooking loss%). For example: €30/kg divided by 0.75 (75% yield) = €40/kg.
✨ Pro tip
Weigh your 3 highest-cost proteins before and after cooking for one full week. This gives you precise loss percentages that'll immediately improve your cost accuracy and protect profit margins.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I always need to account for cooking loss in my cost price?
Only if your product loses weight during preparation. Cold salads and raw preparations don't require cooking loss calculations, but any heated proteins, vegetables, or starches do.
How often should I remeasure cooking loss percentages?
Test each product 3-4 times to establish an average percentage. Once you have reliable data, use those numbers until you change your preparation methods or suppliers.
Does cooking method affect the amount of loss?
Absolutely – grilling creates more moisture loss than poaching or sous vide. Well-done proteins lose more weight than medium-rare preparations. Measure loss for each cooking technique you use.
Can I use industry standard percentages instead of measuring?
Standard percentages work as starting points, but measuring your own kitchen's results ensures accuracy. Equipment, technique, and timing all influence actual loss rates.
What happens if I skip cooking loss calculations entirely?
Your cost calculations become artificially low, reducing actual profits. High-protein dishes can show 20-30% cost underestimation, seriously impacting your bottom line.
Should I weigh ingredients before or after cooking for recipes?
Always use post-cooking weights for portion calculations and apply the adjusted cost price. This matches what actually reaches the customer's plate.
How do I handle cooking loss for combination dishes like stews?
Calculate loss for each ingredient separately, then combine the adjusted weights and costs. Different components lose varying amounts of moisture and mass during cooking.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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