Sub-recipes complicate cost calculations significantly. Your pasta carbonara with house-made noodles and signature sauce contains multiple cost layers. Each component needs precise tracking to avoid underpricing dishes.
What are sub-recipes?
Sub-recipes represent ingredients you prepare in-house rather than purchasing ready-made. Common examples include:
- Sauces (hollandaise, jus, pesto)
- Dough (pasta, pizza, bread)
- Marinades and spice blends
- Garnishes and decorations
- Preparations (steamed vegetables, reduced stock)
Every sub-recipe contains its own ingredient costs. You'll treat that calculated cost as a single "ingredient" in your main dish pricing.
The hierarchy of recipes
Complex dishes typically contain multiple cost layers:
💡 Example: Beef tenderloin with hollandaise
Main dish consists of:
- Beef tenderloin: €8.50 (direct ingredient)
- Hollandaise sauce: €1.20 (sub-recipe)
- Potato gratin: €1.80 (sub-recipe)
- Vegetable bouquet: €0.95 (sub-recipe)
Total cost price: €12.45
The hollandaise sauce itself breaks down to:
- Egg yolk: €0.45
- Butter: €0.65
- White wine: €0.10
- Total hollandaise (100ml): €1.20
Calculate sub-recipes first
Start with foundational recipes. You must calculate every sub-recipe before assembling main dish costs.
💡 Example: Homemade pasta
For 1 kg fresh pasta:
- Flour (800g): €0.96
- Eggs (8 pieces): €2.40
- Olive oil (50ml): €0.35
- Salt: €0.02
Total: €3.73 per kg = €0.37 per 100g portion
This €0.37 becomes your ingredient cost whenever pasta appears in other dishes.
Determine quantities per portion
Measure precisely how much of each sub-recipe goes into one main dish portion. I've seen restaurants lose €200-400 monthly by guessing these amounts instead of weighing them accurately.
⚠️ Note:
Calculate using actual plated amounts, not batch quantities. If you prepare 500ml sauce but only plate 400ml, divide costs over the 400ml used.
Include waste and loss
Sub-recipes generate more waste than direct ingredients:
- Browning: 5-10% of sauces clings to pans
- Tasting: Chefs sample during preparation
- Storage: Leftover portions that spoil
- Failures: Occasional batches that don't work
Add 10-15% to sub-recipe costs for waste compensation.
💡 Example: Jus calculation
Jus recipe yields 1 liter, costs €12.00:
- Base cost per liter: €12.00
- Plus 15% waste: €12.00 × 1.15 = €13.80
- Per 50ml portion: €0.69
Digital organization of sub-recipes
Maintain a central database tracking all sub-recipes and their current costs. Update prices immediately after ingredient cost changes.
Systems like KitchenNmbrs automatically recalculate main dishes whenever sub-recipe costs change. Butter price increases? Every sauce containing butter updates instantly.
Control and updates
Review your most critical sub-recipes monthly:
- Are ingredient prices still accurate?
- Do portion quantities match actual usage?
- Is the waste percentage realistic?
Sub-recipes appearing across multiple dishes dramatically impact overall food costs.
How do you calculate sub-recipes? (step by step)
Make a list of all sub-recipes
Write down all homemade components: sauces, marinades, dough, garnishes. Start with the recipes you use most often in different dishes.
Calculate the cost price per sub-recipe
Add up all ingredients of each sub-recipe. Divide by the number of portions the recipe yields. Include 10-15% loss for preparation and waste.
Determine the quantity per main dish
Measure exactly how much of each sub-recipe you use per portion of the main dish. Multiply by the cost price per unit of the sub-recipe.
Add up all components
Sum the costs of direct ingredients plus all sub-recipes for your total cost price. Check whether this falls within your desired food cost percentage.
✨ Pro tip
Calculate your 3 most-used sub-recipes within the next 48 hours. These foundational recipes likely appear in 60% of your menu items.
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 include labor time in sub-recipes?
No, labor represents personnel costs, not food costs. Calculate only ingredients plus waste percentage for failures and spillage.
How often should I update sub-recipe prices?
Review your top 5 most-used sub-recipes monthly. Update immediately after significant price increases in major ingredients like butter or eggs.
What if I have leftovers from sub-recipes?
Calculate using actual usage, not batch size. Discarded leftovers count as waste — that's why you include 10-15% loss in cost calculations.
Can I estimate sub-recipes instead of calculating them?
Avoid estimating. Sub-recipes appear across multiple dishes, so errors multiply quickly. Calculate once accurately and apply that cost everywhere.
How do I keep sub-recipe cost prices organized?
Use a central database or app like KitchenNmbrs. This automatically adjusts all main dishes whenever sub-recipe costs change.
What's the biggest mistake with sub-recipe costing?
Forgetting to account for yield loss during preparation. Many chefs calculate raw ingredient costs but ignore the 15-20% that gets lost during cooking, reducing, or straining.
📚 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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