How the sheet works out the cost
Prices go in per kg, per litre or per piece. If you enter grams or millilitres, the sheet converts them. The yield column covers trimming loss: 1 kg of usable carrots at 80% yield means you buy 1.25 kg, and the cost follows.
The cost per portion is the total cost divided by the number of portions. The food cost percentage divides that by your menu price excluding tax, and the suggested price is the cost per portion divided by your target.
Why a technical sheet matters in a kitchen
A technical sheet is the written version of a recipe: same quantities, same method, same portion every time, whoever is on the station. It also fixes the cost of the dish, so a price rise from a supplier shows up on the margin before it shows up in the accounts. For cost, allergens and training it is the document a kitchen is asked for first.
Questions
Is this technical sheet generator free?
Yes. It is free, needs no account, and runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How do I save my sheet?
Use the Print / Save as PDF button, then choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. The sheet prints on one A4 page, without the website around it.
What do I put in the yield column?
The percentage of the product you can use after trimming or cooking loss. Leave 100 for products with no loss. For 1 kg of whole fish that gives 450 g of fillet, the yield is 45.
Does it cover allergens?
It lists the 14 allergens that EU rules require to be declared, so you can tick them on the sheet. It does not read your recipe for you: check your suppliers’ labels, and check the rules that apply in your country.
Can I keep my recipes and cost a whole menu?
This page makes one sheet at a time and keeps nothing. The recipe costing spreadsheet stores every recipe, links prices to suppliers and costs a whole menu.