Chapter 5Chapter 5

Menus, Recipes and Cost Management

Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

• A list of dishes served or available to be served at a meal.

• It is an important management tool.

• The menu is the single most important document in the business.

The Menu

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Menu Forms and Functions

Menus must be planned for the clientele.

• The kind of clientele the business serves influences the form the menu takes.

• Each kind of operation has a different menu because each serves the needs of a different clientele.

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The Menu

Menu Forms and Functions

Recipes

• Are the building blocks of the menu.

• Are an important management tool.

• Indicate ingredients to be purchased and stored.

• Give measuring and preparation instructions to the kitchen staff.

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Menu Forms and Functions

• Hotel

• Hospitals

• Employee food service

• Catering and banquet

• Fast-food and take-out

• Full-service restaurants

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Type of Institution

Menu Forms and Functions

• Facilities must produce food that is appealing to their customers.

• Tastes vary by region, by neighborhood, by age group, and by social and ethnic background.

• Prices must be kept in line with the customers’ ability and willingness to pay.

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Customer Preferences

Menu Forms and Functions

Breakfast• Breakfast menus are fairly standard within any one

country.

Lunch• Menu Planning factors are:

– Speed– Simplicity– Variety

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Kind of Meal

Menu Forms and Functions

Dinner• Usually the main meal.

• Eaten in a more leisurely fashion.

• Dinner menus offer more selections and more courses.

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Structure

Menu Forms and Functions

• Static Menu is one that offers the same dishes every day.

• Cycle Menu is one that changes every day for a certain period.• After this period, the daily menus repeat in the same

order.

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Static and Cycle Menus

Types of Menus

• Á la carte menu is one in which each individual items are listed separately, each with its own price.

• Table D’ Hôte menu is one in which a selection of complete meals are offered at set prices.

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Á la carte & Table D’Hôte

Types of Menus

• Prix fixe means “fixed price”menu.

• On a pure prix fixe menu, only one price is given.

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Prix Fixe

Types of Menus

• Also known by its French name, menu dégustation.

• Offered in addition to the regular menu.

• Gives patrons a chance to try a larger number of the chef’s creations.

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Tasting Menu

Types of Menus

Building the Menu

Classical menu in the early twentieth century• Cold hors d’oeuvres

• Soup

• Hot hors d’oeuvres

• Fish

• Main course

• Hot entrée

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The Classical Menu

• Cold entrée

• Sorbet

• Roast

• Vegetable

• Sweet

• Dessert

Building the Menu

Modern Menus: Courses and Arrangements• First courses

• Appetizer• Soup• Fish (sometimes included in more formal dinners)• Salad (may be served before or after main course)

• Main dish• Meat, poultry, fish• Vegetable accompaniment

• Dessert dishes• Salad• Fruit and cheese• Sweets 14

The Modern Menu

Building the Menu

Flavor• Do not repeat foods with the same or similar

tastes.

Texture• Refers to the softness or firmness of foods, and

their feel in the mouth.

• Do not repeat foods with the same or similar texture.

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Variety and Balance

Building the Menu

Appearance• Serve foods with a variety of colors and shapes.

Nutrients • Menus should provide enough nutritional variety to

allow customers to select nutritionally balanced meals.

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Variety and Balance

Building the Menu

Cooking Methods• They play an important role in determining the

flavors, textures, and appearance of food.

• It is a good idea to offer a variety of roasted, braised, grilled, sautéed, and simmered foods.

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Variety and Balance

Building the Menu

Equipment Limitations• Know the capacities of your equipment and plan

menus accordingly.

• Spread the workload evenly among your equipment.

Personnel Limitations• Spread the workload evenly among the workers.

• Spread the workload throughout the day.

• Offer items the cooks are able to prepare.

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Kitchen Capabilities & Availability of Equipment

Building the Menu

Availability of Ingredients• Use foods in season.

• Use locally available foods.

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Kitchen Capabilities & Availability of Equipment

Building the Menu

Accurate and truthful descriptions are required:• Point of origin

• Grade or quality

• Cooking method

• Size or portion

• “Fresh”

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Menu Terminology & Accuracy

• “Imported”

• “Homemade”

• “Organic”

• Size or portion

• Appearance

The Written Recipe

Recipe: a set of instructions for producing a certain dish

• Written recipes have many limitations

• There are several reasons for this:

• Food products are not uniform.

• Kitchens have different equipment.

• It is impossible to give exact instructions for many processes.

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Uses & Limitations of Recipes

The Written Recipe

• Standardized recipe: a set of instructions describing the way a particular establishment prepares a particular dish.• It is a customized recipe developed by an operation

for the use of its own cooks, using its own equipment, to be served to its own patrons.

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Standardized Recipes

The Written Recipe

Structure• Name of the recipe• Yield, including total yield, number of portions, and portion size• Ingredients and exact amounts, listed in order of use• Expected trim yields• Equipment needed• Directions for preparing the dish• Preparation and cooking temperatures and times• Directions for portioning, plating, and garnishing• Directions for breaking down the station, cleaning up, and storing

leftovers23

Standardized Recipes

The Written Recipe

Function• Controls quality.

• Controls quantity.

• Is a key tool in controlling costs.

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Standardized Recipes

The Written Recipe

When cooking with judgment determine the following points:

• What are the basic cooking methods?

• What are the characteristics of the ingredients?

• What are the functions of the ingredients?

• What are the cooking times?

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Cooking with Judgment

Measurement

Weight: Measures how heavy an item is.• AP weight is the weight of the item as purchased,

before any trimming is done.

• EP weight is the weight after all inedible or non servable parts are trimmed off.

Volume: Volume measures how much space an item fills.• Volume measures are used for liquids.

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Ingredient Measurement

Measurement

Portion Control: The measurement of portions to ensure the correct amount of an item is served.

• The following techniques are used

• Count

• Weight

• Volume

• Even division

• Standard fill

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Portion Control

Measurement

Basic Units• The gram is the basic

unit of weight

• The liter is the basic unit of volume

• The meter is the basic unit of length

• The degree Celsius is the basic unit of temperature 28

Metric System

Divisions of metric units are expressed by prefixes

• Kilo: 1,000

• Deci: 1 ⁄ 10

• Centi: 1 ⁄ 100

• Milli: 1 ⁄ 1,000

Converting Recipes

• Yield: a specific quantity of a food produced by a recipe.

• Converting the recipe: to change the yield of a recipe

• Conversion Factor = New Yield ÷ Old Yield

• New quantity = Old Quantity × Conversion Factor

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Food Cost Percentages

Food cost percentage: The raw food cost or portion cost divided by the menu price.

• Food cost percentage = Food Cost ÷ Menu Price

To determine what the menu price is at a certain food cost percentage:

• Menu price = Food Cost ÷ Food Cost Percentage

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Controlling Food Cost

Utilize ingredients efficiently by following guidelines for total utilization of foods.

• Use all edible trim.

• Do not add an item to the menu unless you can use the trimmings.

• Plan production to avoid leftovers.

• Plan ahead for use of leftovers.

• Avoid minimum-use perishable ingredients (ingredients that are utilized on only one or two menu items).

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Controlling Food Cost

Purchasing• Accurate forecasting of future business, based on

careful study of past business, is key to managing inventory and establishing par stock.

Receiving• Pay careful attention to receiving procedures.

Storing• Proper storage is essential to avoid spoilage and

loss of food items.

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Controlling Food Cost

Measuring and other Cooking Procedures• All cooking procedures, including measuring,

combine to help control food costs.

Serving• Serving staff must be trained in serving techniques

and in portion control for those items they are responsible for plating.

• A well-trained serving staff is an important part of controlling food costs.

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