Culinary Calculations: Simplified Math for Culinary Professionals by Terri Jones

Author:Terri Jones [Jones, Terri]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: 0471226262
Published: 2011-01-08T05:22:00.329000+00:00

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Chapter 4

FOOD-PRODUCT GROUPS

AP unit of measure Ͼ EP and AS unit of measure Fresh strawberries can be served AP. If we purchase a quart of fresh strawberries and they are all edible,

AP price ϭ EP and AS price

and

AP unit of measure ϭ EP and AS unit of measure If there is a certain percentage of fresh strawberries in the quart that are soft or moldy, or the strawberries are going to be sliced as a filling for a cake, and the stem portion discarded, then AP price Ͻ EP and AS price

and

AP unit of measure Ͼ EP and AS unit of measure The food service industry in the United States relies heavily on the abundance and availability of fresh produce. But we have absolutely no control over mother nature. A number of years ago, the entire winter fresh tomato crop from Florida was devastated by freezing temperatures. Prior to the Florida cold spell, a carton of fresh tomatoes was $5.00. After the freeze, a carton of fresh tomatoes was $50.00. That is a 900 percent increase in price: $5 ϩ 5 x ϭ $50

5 x ϭ 50 Ϫ 5 ϭ 45

x ϭ 45 Ϭ 5 ϭ 9

To get the percentage, move the decimal point two places—we multiply by 100 to do this:

9 ϫ 100 ϭ 900%

Every food service operation that used fresh tomatoes had to decide it they could afford to continue to purchase them or if they could eliminate them from their recipes. McDonald’s Corp. decided they did not want to eliminate fresh tomato slices from their sandwiches, so they priced tomatoes on the international market. They found ACCOMPANIMENTS WITH A LOW FOOD COST

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fresh tomatoes from Puerto Rico for $20.00 a carton. The price increase was only 300 percent.

Fresh produce is a valuable commodity to the food service industry. The wise operator uses the term seasonal on their menu items when they describe their fresh produce selections. That way, as the price of an item becomes too costly, another less expensive item can easily take its place.

Frozen Produce

Frozen produce is commonly used when fresh

produce is out of season. Vegetables freeze better than fruits. The quality of a frozen vegetable, in terms of color and texture, is much higher than that of frozen fruit. When fruit is frozen, it tends to discolor and to lose its texture.

Frozen vegetables can be served heated up, while frozen fruits are better used as a recipe-ready ingredient in cooking or baking.

Frozen vegetables are available in units of 10 or 12 ounces, and 1, 2, 2.5, 3, or 5 pounds. Frozen fruits are available in units of 5, 10, or 12 ounces, and 1, 6, 6.5, 25, or 30 pounds.

The admirable quality of a frozen fruit or vegetable product is the yield. All of the trimming necessary to bring the product to its EP state is done before the product is frozen. Therefore, with frozen fruits and vegetable:

EP ϭ AS

and

AP price per unit ϭ EP and AS price per unit and

AP weight ϭ EP and AS weight

Frozen orange-juice concentrate is a frozen fruit product.

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