The Book of Yields Workbook

The Book of Yields Workbook is a FREE companion publication to either the CD or print version of the Book of Yields. You must already have a copy of the Book of Yields in order to make use of the Workbook.

The Workbook is organized into 3 sections:

• Section 1 contains current Wholesale Food Prices and Packs
• Section 2 contains Food Cost Breakdown Worksheets and a Recipe “Card”
• Section 3 contains Food Purchasing Worksheets and related Purchasing Forms

The Costing Workbook begins with an Introduction to Instructors. Students should also read this Introduction. It explains how to get the best use of the entire Workbook.

Before working on Food Purchasing exercises, please read the Intro to Purchasing.

Please complete this request form to download the Book of Yields Workbook.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Workbook

Why have a Workbook?
The Book of Yields contains a wealth of Food-Measurement Information, Food Costing Examples and Food Purchasing Formulae. We publish the Workbook so you can instantly and easily make full use of The Book of Yields. The Workbook comes in three sections: A Food Price List, Costing Worksheets and Purchasing Worksheets.

The Workbook will enable you to more successfully teach the logic and the math involved in Food Costing and Purchasing… even to students who lack math skills or are slow to grasp the reasoning underlying these essential Food Service Skills.

How can Chef Desk make such a claim?
We do so with confidence because each and every Workbook Page (a Worksheet) is a self-contained lesson in costing or purchasing. The exact instruction for completing every step is printed right there at that step. So, anyone using any Worksheet will automatically follow the logic and do the math as it is laid out right in front of them. By repeating these exercises students will eventually learn to think through the Food Costing and Purchasing process and see that the math is actually rather simple… when taken step by step.

Why are there so many Worksheets?
The number of Worksheets reflects the many ways there are to measure food ...coupled with the fact that certain foods are measured in their own particular ways. Some Worksheets can be used with a variety of foods. The “Quick Guides” to using the Costing and Purchasing Worksheets name the various Worksheets and state what foods they work with. The Costing Worksheets include a “Recipe Card” that also has its own simple instructions. The Purchasing Worksheets include forms that enable you to combine ingredients from different recipes, convert Recipe Units to Purchase Units, compare amounts needed to stocks on hand and to par levels … and then make out a Food Order.

What about the Food Price List?
This spreadsheet (Excel) is based on current wholesale prices provided by major food distributors to the Food Service industry. Each food shows a wholesale price for a particular wholesale pack. The list of foods is not exhaustive but will give you a very good start at providing your students with the pricing and pack information they need to calculate Recipe Unit Costs or Purchase Unit Costs. Since it is in Excel, you can modify the list very easily if you find that you need to add a food or change a price. If you don't have Excel, the price list is also available as a static PDF file.

Why is The Book of Yields Workbook distributed online and via diskette?
Because it’s cheaper! You’ll use certain Worksheets many times and others less often. For instance, it is very likely that you will perform cost breakdowns on fresh vegetable items many times but do a costing exercise on a “Brewed Beverage” like Iced Tea less frequently. Since you will be copying these frequently-used pages again and again, it makes more sense to provide a “master copy” electronically and have you (or your students) print them, and only them, as needed.