Consumables, techniques and smallwares: setup and cost

How do consumables, techniques and smallwares differ?

All three help prepare an item with the right resources, but their relationship with cost differs:

• Consumables: materials used up, such as boxes, cling film, vacuum bags or labels. They have prices and can be allocated to a final preparation.
• Techniques: working procedures documented with a description, difficulty and, if needed, a video link.
• Smallwares: tools or utensils needed for preparation. Their records have a name, category and description.

Techniques and smallwares are linked to preparations as working information. Selecting them does not automatically add labor, purchase price or amortization to the costing.

How do I create a consumable and its price?

1. Under Kitchen → Consumables, open a new consumable.
2. Enter its name and, if relevant, category.
3. Choose a manual or supplier price.
4. Describe the purchase format, its contents, units per format and the base unit you will use in records. For manual pricing, enter the format’s price excluding VAT.
5. Check the conversion to price per base unit and save.

You can define waste rates for the consumable. If buying by box or pack, check the contents: the box price is not the price of one unit. Format handling is similar to ingredients and prices.

The built-in catalog can be a starting point. Customizing one of its consumables saves your own copy.

How do I add packaging or other expenses to final cost?

In a final preparation record, use Consumables, disposables & other costs. It supports two kinds of line:

• Catalog consumable: selection, quantity, unit and optional waste rate. Cost is calculated from its price and the gross quantity needed.
• Free-text expense: a description and amount allocated to the whole batch. It does not create a catalog consumable.

The subtotal is added to product cost to obtain total cost, then spread across the preparation’s sale units. It contributes to the cost used for suggested price and margin. Food cost % uses edible product only; consumables are shown separately.

An unpriced consumable contributes zero and triggers a warning. Incompatible units make the line uncostable: correct the unit before treating the subtotal as complete.

What about consumables in an intermediate preparation?

In an intermediate preparation, the consumables selector is a process checklist: it does not ask for quantities or amounts and does not cost them. It lists what should be ready to hand.

To include that expense in cost, allocate it in the relevant final preparation’s block. Check usage quantities to avoid counting the same expense twice.

How do I create techniques and smallwares and use them in a record?

Under Kitchen → Techniques, open a new technique and enter its name, difficulty, description and optional video URL. Save and select it in the preparation’s techniques block.

Under Kitchen → Smallwares, open a new record and enter its name, category and description. Then select it in the preparation’s smallwares block. Your own records can be completed with media files; customizing a built-in technique or utensil saves your own copy.

A technique’s difficulty or a tool’s presence does not calculate a cost by itself. To allocate an expense, use an explicit amount in the final preparation; creating a tool does not spread its purchase price across uses. Continue with spec sheets to document the working steps too.