As-Purchased (AP)
As-purchased (AP) refers to the weight, volume, or quantity of an ingredient in the exact form it is received from the supplier, before any trimming, peeling, cleaning, or preparation. It is the starting point for all yield and cost calculations in professional kitchens.
Try Cucinovo freeAs-purchased (AP) refers to the weight, volume, or quantity of an ingredient in the exact form it is received from the supplier, before any trimming, peeling, cleaning, or preparation. It is the starting point for all yield and cost calculations in professional kitchens.
As-purchased (AP) vs edible portion (EP)
| As-Purchased (AP) | Edible Portion (EP) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The ingredient as delivered, before any prep | The usable amount left after trimming and cleaning |
| When measured | At receiving, straight off the invoice | After fabrication (butchering, peeling, trimming) |
| Used for | Ordering, invoicing, receiving checks | Recipe costing and portioning |
| Cost basis | Invoice price divided by AP quantity | AP cost divided by the yield percentage |
Understanding As-Purchased (AP)
Every ingredient arrives at a restaurant in its as-purchased state: a whole salmon with head and bones, a case of unwashed lettuce with outer leaves, a bag of onions with skins intact. The AP weight is what appears on the supplier invoice and what the restaurant pays for. But the AP weight is not the amount of usable product: after fabrication (butchering, peeling, trimming), the usable quantity is always less. The difference between AP weight and edible portion (EP) weight is the foundation of accurate recipe costing.
Receiving procedures should verify that the AP weight matches the invoice. If an invoice lists 10 kg of chicken breasts but the scale reads 9.4 kg, the restaurant is overpaying by 6%. Consistent AP weight verification at receiving is one of the simplest cost-control measures available, yet it's frequently skipped in busy kitchens. The discrepancy may be ice glaze (common with frozen seafood), excess packaging included in the weight, or simply a short delivery.
For costing purposes, AP cost per unit is the invoice price divided by the AP quantity. But this number alone is misleading for recipe costing because it ignores waste. A whole pineapple at $3.50 per kg AP might seem cheaper than pre-cut pineapple at $6.00 per kg, but if the whole pineapple has a yield of only 52% (skin, core, and eyes removed), the EP cost is $3.50 / 0.52 = $6.73 per kg, actually more expensive than buying it pre-cut.
Example: Comparing Chicken Purchasing Options
A restaurant uses 30 kg of boneless chicken breast per week. Option A is whole chickens at $4.80/kg AP, with a breast yield of 28% (the rest is legs, carcass, and trim). Option B is pre-portioned boneless breasts at $11.50/kg AP with 95% yield (minimal trim). For Option A: 30 kg EP breast requires 30 / 0.28 = 107 kg whole chicken at $4.80 = $514. For Option B: 30 / 0.95 = 31.6 kg at $11.50 = $363.
Despite the higher per-kilo AP price, pre-portioned breasts are $151 cheaper per week for the breast meat alone. However, if the restaurant also uses the legs, thighs, and makes stock from carcasses, Option A may still be more economical overall. The AP-to-EP calculation reveals the true cost, preventing decisions based on misleading sticker prices.
Why As-Purchased (AP) Matters
Purchasing decisions based solely on AP price per kilo are one of the most common costing mistakes in restaurants. Two suppliers may offer the same ingredient at different AP prices, but the one with the higher price might deliver a better-trimmed product with higher yield, making it cheaper per usable kilo. Without understanding the AP-to-EP relationship, operators choose the supplier with the lower invoice price and unknowingly pay more for the usable product.
Accurate AP tracking also feeds into food cost variance analysis. If the kitchen reports using 50 kg of AP salmon this week, but the theoretical usage based on recipes sold should have been 42 kg, the 8 kg gap represents either waste, over-portioning, or unrecorded usage. AP measurement at receiving creates the data trail needed to investigate these discrepancies.
Food Waste Tracking
Cucinovo tracks yield percentages for your ingredients, helping you understand the true relationship between as-purchased weight and edible portion. Set waste factors per ingredient to get accurate EP costs in every recipe.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between AP and EP?
As-purchased (AP) is the weight you receive and pay for. Edible portion (EP) is what remains after trimming and cleaning. AP is always larger than EP, and the gap between them is the trim loss.
How do you calculate AP cost per unit?
Divide the invoice price by the as-purchased quantity. For recipe costing, convert it to EP cost by dividing the AP cost by the yield percentage, which accounts for the trim you paid for but cannot serve.
Why does as-purchased weight matter for costing?
Costing a recipe on the AP price understates the true cost, because you pay for trim you never plate. A lower AP price can actually cost more per usable kilo once yield is factored in.
Related Terms
Edible Portion
Edible portion (EP) is the usable amount of an ingredient that remains after all trimming, peeling, deboning, and preparation waste has been removed. The edible portion cost is the true cost of the ingredient as it appears in the finished dish.
Yield Percentage
Yield percentage is the ratio of the usable (edible) portion of an ingredient to the total amount purchased, expressed as a percentage. It quantifies how much raw product is lost to trimming, peeling, deboning, or cooking shrinkage.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is the total cost of all food and beverage ingredients consumed during a specific period. It represents the direct material cost of producing the dishes a restaurant sells.
Edible Portion Cost (EP Cost)
Edible portion cost (EP cost) is the true cost per unit of usable ingredient after accounting for trim waste, peeling, butchering, or other preparation losses. It is calculated by dividing the as-purchased cost by the yield percentage.
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