Recipe cards: what to include and how to make your own

A recipe card (also called a technical card) is a document that records what a dish is made from and in what quantities. It isn't just for inspections: without a recipe card you can't calculate cost, keep portions consistent or understand where your ingredients are going.

Why you need a recipe card

• Cost price. You can't calculate it without an exact list of ingredients.
• Consistent portions. The dish comes out the same no matter who's on shift.
• Stock control. Recipe cards show how much product should have been used for what you sold, and you can compare that with reality.
• Training. New staff learn the menu faster.

Recipe card vs. TTK

In Russia, dishes taken from official recipe collections get a technological card (TK). New and signature dishes that aren't in those collections get a technical and technological card (TTK). Requirements for these documents are set out in GOST 31987-2012. If you're preparing for an inspection, check the current edition of the standard and the requirements for your type of business.

A TTK usually includes:

• the name of the dish and its scope of use;
• a list of ingredients with gross and net quantities;
• the yield of the finished dish;
• the cooking method;
• requirements for presentation, serving, storage and shelf life;
• quality indicators and nutritional value.

For stock control and costing, a working recipe card is enough: ingredients, quantities and units of measure. But the quantities themselves have to be honest.

Gross, net and yield

Gross is the weight of a product before prep, as it sits in your storeroom. Net is the weight after cold prep: peeling, trimming, washing. Yield is the weight of the finished dish or semi-finished item after cooking.

Take potatoes: peeling removes a noticeable share of the weight, and the loss depends on the season — it's lower for new potatoes and higher for old ones by spring; recipe collections put it at roughly 25 to 40%. If you list 100 g gross for 100 g of peeled potatoes, both your cost and your stock usage will be understated.

Cost is calculated from the gross weight: you pay for the product before prep, not after.

How to make a recipe card in your own kitchen

1. Cook the dish several times with a scale. Weigh every ingredient before and after prep, and the finished dish too. Three to five runs are usually enough to see the averages.
2. Record gross and net. Work out the loss percentage from your own measurements, not someone else's tables: it depends on the supplier, the season and your equipment.
3. Add everything that goes into a portion. Sauces, frying oil, packaging, toppings.
4. Photograph the plating. A photo does a better job than any description of keeping portions consistent.
5. Calculate the cost and check that it fits your target food cost.
6. Keep it up to date. New supplier or new recipe — update the recipe card.

Common mistakes

• gross equals net — prep losses aren't accounted for;
• the “small stuff” is forgotten: oil, spices, packaging;
• the recipe card was written once and nobody knows where it is;
• the recipe card says one thing, and the kitchen does another.

That last one shows up in your stock count: if more product is used than the recipe cards say, someone is over-portioning.

Recipe cards in Crumble

In Crumble, a recipe card is a list of stock items with quantities and units of measure. It's used to calculate the cost price automatically, and every sale deducts the ingredients from stock. If you change a recipe card, past sales keep the old ingredients and the new version applies to new sales — so reports for past periods don't shift.