Culinary

Math

The heart of many

chefs
in the kitchen
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What Is Culinary Math?
The same as any other
math
Used in the culinary
world to make
databases and
spreadsheets,
calculate yield
percentages, and
figure menu prices,
labor costs, business
costs, and profit and
loss statements
Involves fractions,
ratios, and decimals

2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ

07458. All Rights Reserved.
Whole Numbers
Whenever something is
complete or entire
Have a place value that allows
us to indicate a large number
Placed in specific sequence to
produce the right number
Referred to as Ones, tens,
hundreds, thousands, etc.
During operation like
subtraction, addition,
multiplication, and division, the
place value gives the value of
each number to get the correct
answer.

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Addition, Subtraction,
Multiplication and Division
Two basic functions for combining
numbers are addition and
multiplication
Subtraction and division are used to
deduct numbers
Functions can be written out using words,
but it is more common to use symbols to
write out a problem, which sometimes
referred to as an equation
+, -, x, *, , /

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
 Multiplicand the number to be multiplied
Product the answer that results from
multiplying numbers
Divisor the number divided into another
number
Dividend the number that is divided
Quotient the answer of the division
problem
Whenever the quotient is a whole number
when nothing is left over, it means that the
number in the dividend place was divided
evenly.
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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Fractions
Fractions are numeric symbols of the
relationship between the part and the whole.
When a whole number is divided into pieces,
each of those pieces represents only a part or a
fraction, of the original whole.
The number on top (numerator) is the
fraction
The number on the bottom represents the
whole (denominator)
The line separating the two numbers
represents the basic math function of division.

2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ

07458. All Rights Reserved.
So the fraction
represents 1 piece out of the 4
pieces that make up the whole.
Common kitchen fractions used:
1/8, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4
3 out of 5 slices of pie could be
represented by 3/5. (3 is the
part, 5 is the whole amount)

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Types of Fractions
Proper (Common) Fraction.
Where the numerator is lower than the
denominator. For example: or
Improper Fraction
Where the numerator is greater than or equal to the
denominator. For example: 28/7, 140/70, 28/28
Mixed Number
Contains both a whole number and fraction. For
example: 4 3/8
Lowest Term Fraction
The result of reducing a fraction so that the
numerator and denominator no longer have any
common factors. For example: 14 = 14 14 = 1
28 28 14 2

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Converting Fractions
To convert a whole # to a fraction,
simply place the whole number over 1.
For example: 5 = 5
1
Converting improper fractions to mixed
numbers: Divide the Numerator by the
Denominator. The answer will be the
whole # and the remainder (if any) will
be place over the denominator of the
original improper fraction to form the
fractional part of the mixed number.

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Calculations
Common denominator
Reducing fractions
Common fraction
Improper fraction
Mixed numbers

American Culinary Federation: Culinary

Fundamentals.

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
 Fractions that are going to be added or
subtracted together must have a common
denominator.
Addition/Subtraction
Example: + = ?
Multiplythe values of numerator and
denominator on one side of the equation
by the denominator of the other: 1 2
= 2, 3 2 = 6
Repeat the process using the original
denominator
1 3 = 3
2 3 = 6
Rewrite the equation, add the fractions,
come up with the answer
2/6 + 3/6 = 5/6

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Multiplication
This process is done by simply:
Multiply the Numerator x Numerator
Multiply the Denominator x Denominator
Carry the numbers across for the new
numerator and denominator.
Example: Multiplying is a form of adding
11=1
2 3 = 6
Common denominator is not needed for this
operation
Multiplying whole numbers must be
converted into improper fractions
After practice, this is very easy, as you will
do it for every recipe

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Dividing
Dividing is a form of subtraction
Mixed numbers converted to
improper fractions
Reverse the numerator and
denominator
Or, invert the fraction
Example must be rewritten
as
4/3 = 4/6

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Reducing Fractions
To determine the reduced fraction, find
the largest whole that will divide evenly
into both the numerator and the
denominator.
Example: 4/6 . Both fraction can be
divided by 2.
The new fraction , 2/3 is now reduced to
its lowest term; in other words, there is
no other number, besides 1, that will
divide evenly into the numerator and
the denominator.

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
 Ratios
Chefs rely upon common ratios to make their
work simpler.
There are ratios for thickener to liquid so that
light soups or more heavily bodied sauces can be
made from the same basic set of ingredients.
There is also a standard ratio for vinaigrette.
Knowing and using standard ratios helps the chef
keep the ingredients properly balanced when
significantly modifying a recipe.
A fraction is a ratio
Vinaigrette: 3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar is the most
common ratio for this dressing
A fraction of would be expressed as 1 part to 2
parts: 1-1 would be 50/50 or equal amounts
2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ
07458. All Rights Reserved.
 Many are standard throughout the
industry
2/3 would be 2 parts to 3 parts
Basic rice pilaf calls for 1 part rice, 2
parts hot stock, or ratio
Also, 4 parts to 6 parts can be reduced
to 2 parts to 3 parts
Unlike fractions, ratios can express the
relationship of more than two elements
Example: 1 part carrots, 1 part celery, 2
parts onion would be written as 1:1:2

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Decimals and Percents
Numbers to the left of a decimal point
are whole numbers
Numbers to the right of the decimal
point are parts of a whole number
Numbers to the right are also called
decimals and/or fractions
To
perform calculations, you must
perform the operations of :
Decimals to fractions
Fractions to decimals

American Culinary Federation: Culinary

Fundamentals.

2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ

07458. All Rights Reserved.
Converting
To change a fraction to a decimal;
divide the numerator by the
denominator:
1/8 is 1 8 = 0.125
To change a decimal to a fraction; use
the decimals place value to determine
the correct denominator, remove the
decimal point and use the remaining
number as the numerator, then reduce
the fraction to its lowest term.

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 To change 0.125 into fraction:
- the decimals place value determines
the denominator for the fraction. For a
decimal with three figures to the right of
the decimal, the place value is 1000; with
two figures the place value is 100; with
one figure the place value is 10.
To express the numerator as a whole
number, change the decimal into a whole
number by multiplying it by the decimals
place value (1000)
.125 1000 = 125

American Culinary Federation: Culinary

Fundamentals.

2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ

07458. All Rights Reserved.
 Writethe decimal as a fraction by
placing the numerator over the
denominator :
125/1000
Reduce this fraction to its
lowest terms by dividing both the
numerator and the denominator
by the numerators value:
(125 125)/(1000 125) =
1/8

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
Decimals
.1 = One Tenth
.01 = One Hundredth
.001 = One Thousandth
.0001 = One Ten-Thousandth

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Percentages
A percent (%) is part of 100
100 percent means all of something
A percent less than 100 means how many
out of that whole
35 percent is 35 parts of 100 parts
75/100 = 75%

.75 = 75%

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
To Calculate a Percent
Begin with a decimal
Move the point two places to the right
Add the word or symbol for percent (%)
To use this to calculate, turn it back to a
decimal; divide the % by 100 or move
the decimal point two places to the left
Drop the word and/or symbol

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 To use a percentage in calculations
( convert it back to a decimal)
Divide the percent by 100
To change 80% to a decimal:
Write 80% as 80
Divide by 100
80100 = .8
You can also simply insert a decimal
point two places to the left of the
percent symbol.
Drop the symbol for the percent and use
the result in your calculation.
Example: 65% ; .65

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
 One of the most obvious applications of math in
the kitchen is working with recipes.
Chef must be able to read and understand the
numbers contained in the recipes as part of their
instructions.
Calculating Food Cost
You will either increase or decrease recipes
Involves multiplication or division
Applying Math in the
May involve fractions, decimals, ratios
Kitchen
Goal is to generate a profit

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07458. All Rights Reserved.
 The food service industry is a business,
which means that your goal is to
generate a profit.
That way, restaurants make money is to
sell food for more than it costs to
produce the food.
To get accurate information about
individual dishes on the menu, chefs
determine the specific costs for each
recipe, which include every element
from the main ingredient to the garnish,
a process often referred to as costing
out a recipe.

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 Recipe costs are based upon the costs
of all ingredients used to cook and serve
a single dish.
To get the most accurate information
when costing out a recipe, you must be
able to convert information from one
system of measurement into another.
For example, if you purchase an
ingredient by the pound, but use it by
the cup, you need to determine what 1
cup of that ingredient weighs.
Then you can determine how much you
need by weight.

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Factors to Account for
Salaries, rent, utilities, advertising,
insurance
Controlling these costs is crucial
Cost of specific recipes includes
every element needed to serve
the dish
Must have knowledge to convert
from one measurement to another

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Determining Yield
Percent
This is commonly a pitfall that is
unaccounted for
It is how much of an ingredient is available
to use after trimming, cooking, carving
The lower the yield percent, the more the
food actually costs to serve your guests
Relatively inexpensive can be deceiving
after preparation
Without this information, setting menu
prices becomes an exercise in
guestimating and your food cost percent
becomes a constant, unpleasant surprise.

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Food Cost Percentage
Most kitchens have established
food cost percentages
Total food cost is all the food and
drink purchased to produce all the
menu items
Calculated to a predetermined
schedule
Useful as a monitoring tool for the
kitchen as a whole

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 It can alert the chef to food loss so that
he or she can track down the exact
reason for the loss and fix the problem.
The person or the chef responsible for
purchasing can use the information to
determine when and how to change
purchasing practices.
It is a helpful tool that can improve more
than the bottom line.
Improves bottom line and efficiency

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Food Cost Calculation
Formula
Probably one of the most important
formulas in the industry
Divide the total cost of food by the total
sales
50,000 200,000 = 25% food cost

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07458. All Rights Reserved.