How to Write a Standardised Recipe Card for a Commercial Kitchen

A standardised recipe card is a written document that specifies exactly how to produce a menu item every single time — the same ingredients, quantities, method, yield, and portion size, regardless of who's cooking. To write one properly, you need eight core components: dish name and ID, yield and portion size, a fully weighted ingredient list, clear method steps, plating instructions, allergen information, cost per portion, and a photo. Get those right and you lock in both consistency and accurate costing.

Here's exactly how to build one.

Start With the Header: Identify the Recipe

Every card needs a clear identity so kitchen staff can find and follow it fast.

• Recipe name — use the exact name as it appears on the menu.
• Recipe number or code — helpful once you have dozens of cards and want to cross-reference them with your ordering or POS system.
• Menu category — starter, main, sauce, prep component, etc.
• Date created and last revised — recipes change as suppliers and prices change. Version control matters.
• Author/approved by — the head chef signs off so there's one authoritative version.

This sounds like admin, but it's what stops three slightly different versions of the same béchamel floating around your kitchen.

Define Yield and Portion Size Precisely

This is where consistency and costing both live, so be exact.

• Total yield — how much the full recipe produces. State it in a measurable unit: 4.5 litres, 24 portions, 2.2 kg finished weight.
• Portion size — the exact amount served per plate: 180 g, 220 ml, 2 pieces. "One ladle" is not a portion size unless you specify the ladle volume.
• Number of portions — total yield divided by portion size.

Weight-based portioning beats "eyeballing" every time. A cook who plates 200 g of pasta instead of 180 g is quietly destroying your food cost across hundreds of covers. Specify the portioning tool too — a 6 oz ladle, a #12 scoop, a specific serving spoon.

Build the Ingredient List by Weight

This is the single most important section for both consistency and costing.

Use weights, not volumes, wherever possible. "1 cup of flour" varies by how it's scooped; "120 g of flour" does not. Weight is repeatable and it maps directly to what you buy and pay for.

List each ingredient with:

• Exact quantity in a consistent unit (grams, kilograms, millilitres, litres).
• Preparation state — "onion, diced 5 mm" or "butter, softened." The prep state affects both the result and, sometimes, the usable yield.
• Ingredient specification — if the dish needs a particular grade or brand (00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes), name it. Substitutions change taste and cost.

Order the ingredients in the sequence they're used in the method. It reads like a checklist and reduces missed steps.

Account for Yield and Trim Loss

Raw ingredients rarely all end up on the plate. A whole onion loses skin and root; a beef fillet loses trim; herbs lose stalks. To cost accurately you need the yield percentage — the usable portion after prep.

If you buy 1 kg of carrots at £1.20 and 15% is lost to peeling and trimming, your usable 850 g effectively costs £1.41 per usable kilo. Ignore this and every dish looks cheaper on paper than it actually is.

Write the Method as Clear, Numbered Steps

The method turns your ingredient list into a repeatable process.

• Number every step and keep each one to a single action.
• Include specifics: temperatures, times, pan sizes, mixing speeds. "Cook until done" means nothing; "sear 2 minutes per side over high heat, then roast at 180°C for 12 minutes" is teachable.
• Note critical control points — internal temperatures for food safety, cooling times, holding limits.
• Flag equipment needed so the station is set up before service.

The test: could a competent cook who has never made this dish produce it correctly from the card alone? If not, add detail.

Add Plating and Presentation Instructions

Consistency isn't just flavour — guests notice when the same dish looks different on two tables.

• Describe the plate or bowl used.
• Specify component placement, garnish, and sauce quantity.
• Include a photograph of the finished, correctly plated dish. One good photo eliminates a hundred questions.

Include Allergens and Dietary Information

List all allergens present, following your local regulations (in the UK and EU that's the 14 named allergens). Note whether the dish can be made vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free and how. This protects guests and protects you legally, and it belongs on the card so front-of-house has a single source of truth.

Cost the Recipe Card

Now the numbers. This is what separates a recipe from a standardised recipe.

Step 1 — Cost each ingredient line. Take your purchase price, adjust for yield, and multiply by the quantity used.

Step 2 — Total the recipe cost. Add every ingredient line to get the full batch cost.

Step 3 — Divide by yield to get cost per portion. Batch cost ÷ number of portions = your plate cost.

Step 4 — Calculate food cost percentage. Portion cost ÷ selling price × 100. Most commercial kitchens aim for a food cost of roughly 25–35%, but the right target depends on your concept.

Step 5 — Set or check your selling price. If a dish costs £4.20 to produce and you want a 30% food cost, your minimum price is £14.00 (£4.20 ÷ 0.30).

Record the cost date. Prices move, so revisit costings quarterly — or whenever a key supplier price jumps.

Make It Scalable

A good card scales cleanly. Because everything is weight-based, doubling a batch is simple arithmetic. Keep the ratios documented so a recipe built for 24 portions can be pushed to 100 for an event without a cook re-inventing the seasoning.

Store, Standardise, and Maintain

• Use one consistent template for every recipe so staff know where to look.
• Keep a master copy the head chef controls, plus laminated or digital station copies.
• Review regularly — after menu changes, supplier changes, and price rises.
• Test before you finalise — cook the recipe from the card exactly as written and confirm the yield and result match.

Bring It Together

A standardised recipe card is only as valuable as the discipline behind it: exact weights, honest yields, and costings kept current. Do that consistently and you'll cut waste, protect margins, and produce the same quality dish whether your head chef or a new commis is on the pass.

If you'd rather not build all the costing maths by hand, try the free food cost calculator at getprepsheet.com/calculator to price a dish in minutes, and browse the ready-made Excel costing templates in the shop to start standardising your recipes today.