Most restaurants cook individual portions while others prepare massive batches. Large pans create a costing nightmare since you're making 20 or 50 portions simultaneously. The secret lies in dividing total ingredient costs by actual portions served.
The problem with large pans
Busy kitchens don't cook individual portions. You prepare risotto for 25 guests or stew for 40 covers. But determining what one plate costs becomes tricky.
The solution: calculate your pan's total cost first, then count actual portions served.
💡 Example:
Large pan of mushroom risotto:
- 2 kg risotto rice: €7.60
- 800g mushrooms: €6.40
- 500ml white wine: €3.50
- Parmesan, butter, onion, stock: €4.80
Total pan cost: €22.30
This pan yields 28 portions → €22.30 ÷ 28 = €0.80 per portion
Step 1: Add up all ingredients
List everything entering that pan. Small ingredients matter too:
- Main ingredients (meat, fish, pasta, rice)
- Vegetables and herbs (including fresh parsley)
- Fats (olive oil, butter for cooking)
- Liquids (stock, wine, cream)
- Seasonings (salt, pepper, spices)
⚠️ Watch out:
Don't forget cooking oil. Large pans easily consume €1-2 worth of olive oil. That's €0.04-0.08 per plate across 25 portions.
Step 2: Count portions (don't estimate!)
Here's where mistakes happen. You estimate 30 portions but actually serve 26. Each portion becomes more expensive than calculated.
Practical tip: Count while serving. Use tally marks on paper. After several services, you'll know your pan's exact yield.
💡 Example calculation:
Beef stew, large pan:
- Total ingredient costs: €67.50
- Expected portions: 35
- Actual portions: 32
Cost per portion: €67.50 ÷ 32 = €2.11
If calculated for 35 portions: €67.50 ÷ 35 = €1.93
Difference: €0.18 per portion underestimated!
Step 3: Account for byproducts
Large pans often produce more than the main dish:
- Stock from cooking (use for soup)
- Extra sauce (save for tomorrow)
- Leftover meat (for salads or pasta)
These byproducts hold value. It's the kind of thing you only learn after closing your first month at a loss - either subtract their worth from pan costs or count them as additional portions.
Why this matters
A 3-portion difference on a €60 pan means €5 lost per pan. At 4 pans weekly, you're miscalculating €1,040 annually on cost pricing.
💡 Annual impact:
Say you underestimate €0.15 per portion due to miscounting
- 100 covers per day
- 6 days per week
- 52 weeks per year
€0.15 × 100 × 6 × 52 = €4,680 per year in lost margin
Track it digitally
Most kitchens use notebooks or paper scraps. That works but you lose oversight. Apps like KitchenNmbrs store recipes with exact portions, eliminating repeated calculations.
Enter it once: large risotto pan, 28 portions, €22.30 total. The app calculates €0.80 per portion automatically. Next time you prepare it, cost pricing appears instantly.
How do you calculate cost per portion with large pans?
Add up all ingredient costs
Make a list of each ingredient with the exact quantity and price. Oil, butter, herbs and spices all count. Add everything together for the total pan cost.
Count the actual number of portions
Don't estimate, but count as you serve. Make tally marks on paper. The actual number of portions often differs from what you expect.
Divide total costs by number of portions
Use the formula: Cost per portion = Total ingredient costs ÷ Number of portions. This is your exact cost per plate for this pan.
✨ Pro tip
Track your pan yields for 2 weeks straight - you'll discover your estimates are off by 15-20% on average. This data becomes your portion calculator goldmine.
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
Should I also include the energy for cooking?
Focus on ingredients for cost calculation. Energy becomes part of fixed costs. Including it complicates calculations and reduces clarity.
What if I have different portion sizes?
Calculate using your standard portion size. Large portions get factor 1.5, small portions factor 0.7. This maintains simplicity while preserving accuracy.
How often do I need to recalculate this?
Recalculate whenever supplier prices change or you modify recipes. Check quarterly minimum to ensure cost prices reflect current reality.
What do I do with leftovers that remain?
If leftovers get discarded, divide total costs by sold portions only. If reused, count as extra portions or subtract their estimated value from total costs.
Can't I just stick with a standard amount per portion?
That's inaccurate and costly. Fish pans cost differently than pasta pans. Exact calculations reveal which dishes generate profit versus losses.
How do I handle recipes with expensive garnishes?
Include garnish costs in your pan calculation if they're prepared simultaneously. For individual garnishes added during plating, calculate separately and add to portion cost.
What about waste during cooking like evaporation?
Evaporation and cooking losses are already factored in since you're counting final served portions. The ingredient costs remain the same regardless of volume reduction 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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