Recipe costing FAQs

How do I create a recipe costing?

It is very easy! Here is the step-by-step guide for creating recipe costings.

How do I add ingredients to a recipe costing?

Click "New dish" or "New preparation", go to the tab at the bottom called "Ingredients", and click "Add ingredient" 🥕

By default you can add products; if you need a preparation, switch to "Preparations". Save the changes and review the updated cost in real time 💸.

How do I edit an ingredient?

To delete or edit ingredients in a recipe costing, you have to click the pencil icon on the right side of the ingredient. You can only edit the net quantity and waste. The system will automatically calculate the gross quantity needed based on the configured waste.

How do I edit a recipe costing?

To edit the information in a recipe costing (name, dish type, selling price, VAT, and/or expected margin), just open the recipe costing and click Edit.

How do I add preparations to my recipe costings?

Yes, you can do it from where ingredients are added, by switching to preparations. When adding an ingredient, change the type to "preparation", choose yours, and enter the quantity the dish uses. Magic! The cost is automatically pulled from that preparation 🧪➡️🍽️.

Can I add a preparation inside another preparation in haddock?

Yes, you can add preparations inside preparations. For example, you can create the "truffle oil" preparation and use it in the truffle and mushroom sauce.

The system automatically prevents circular references, so you will not be able to create a preparation that uses itself indirectly (for example, preparation A that uses preparation B, which in turn uses preparation A).

In a preparation, when it asks "what quantity do you produce?", should I enter only the weight of the main ingredient or the total yield?

Enter the quantity of the total yield you produce 🥣➡️📏. For example: "10 croquettes" or "2.5 kg of finished marinated pork belly". Then add ingredients and quantities; the cost is distributed per portion/batch.

I added grams of a preparation to a dish but the cost does not look right. What should I check?

Check the net quantity added to the preparation. If you entered the wrong weight/volume there, the cost per unit will be off. Fix it and the dish cost updates immediately 🧰✅.

How do I create the recipe costing for a drink? 🍹

Create it the same way as a dish: add ingredients (liquor, soft drink, ice, waste...) and select the drink category in "Dish type". That way you will see the cost per portion and margin as usual ✅.

How do I calculate the cost of drinks/cocktails with preparations? I have forgotten the process 🙃

Create the cocktail the same way as a dish: add the base preparation (for example, "cocktail mix") and then the ingredients with their quantities; that way you will see the cost per portion and the margin automatically 🍹📊.

Is creating a cocktail the same as creating a dish?

Yes ✅. In haddock, cocktails are created as "dishes", and in "Dish type" you can label them as "cocktail" to keep them organized better.

I created a base coffee preparation and want to make recipe costings for espresso, coffee with milk, etc. How do I set them up?

In "Dishes and drinks", create each drink (espresso, coffee with milk...). Add the base "coffee" preparation ☕ as an ingredient, and add the extras (milk, sugar, syrup) with their quantities. That way each variant has its real cost and you can compare them easily 📊✨.

Can a dish be turned into a preparation directly?

Not at the moment 🔒. There is no "convert" button; you need to recreate it as a preparation from scratch. Tip: open the original dish in another tab to copy ingredients and quantities without getting lost 🧷🧪.

What is waste?

It is the loss of product as a result of preparation: potato skins, fish bones... even the weight loss of a frozen product.

How do I calculate waste?

Theoretically, the waste calculation is the weight of the waste divided by the total purchased weight of the product. Then we multiply it by 100 to get the percentage. However, there are charts that give you a preset value for certain foods. Download our waste guide to find out.

If I enter 160 g net of an ingredient that has 63% waste per kilo in a dish, what waste should I enter? Where does the gross quantity come from?

Waste represents what is lost from gross to net. You enter the net quantity of the dish (160 g) and, with the waste configured on the product, the system automatically calculates the corresponding gross quantity you need to buy 🔄📐. Adjust the product waste to match your kitchen reality so the calculations are accurate.

Can cooking times, cuts, or labor be included in the recipe costing?

The recipe costing only calculates ingredients, quantities, and waste per portion. Indirect costs (labor, electricity, gas) are better handled separately: add notes to the recipe and adjust your selling price with the margin you want ✍️🔥.

How can I cost a draft beer if I buy in kegs?

You have two simple ways to do it:

1. By configuring the product: Define that 1 purchase unit equals 30 L (or your keg capacity). Then, in the draft beer recipe costing, enter the exact consumption in liters (for example, 0.36 L per draft beer) 🍺.

2. By portions: In the recipe costing, indicate that the keg yields "80 portions" and add 1 keg unit as an ingredient.

Both options allow haddock to deduct stock correctly and calculate the exact cost per draft beer ✅.

How do I convert to the base unit?

It is very simple! Here is the guide where we explain it in detail.

Unit equivalencies have changed and now the system is calculating several recipe costings incorrectly. How do I fix it?

Check the "base unit" and "purchase format" for each product (for example, 1 box = 60 units). Make sure the reference price is calculated from invoices (if you have them) and not from delivery notes/tickets, so the unit cost is correct 🧪➡️📦.

If a product's purchase price goes up, is it updated automatically in recipe costings?

Yes, recipe costings in haddock are dynamic: the cost is recalculated automatically every time you view the recipe costing, using the latest purchase price recorded 🔄.

If you buy the same product (for example, sugar) from different suppliers and have them grouped as equivalents, the system always uses the price of the latest purchase, regardless of the supplier, so your costs are always up to date 🧠.

How are recipe costings linked to POS items?

haddock reflects the items you have in your POS. To link an item to its recipe costing:

1. Go to POS items.
2. Find the item you want to link (for example, a drink or a dish).
3. Click Select and, in the window that opens, choose Products to associate the item with the ingredients or preparations in your recipe costing.

Once linked, each sale will automatically update costs, margins, and theoretical stock in the platform 📈. The information syncs daily, although you can force it with the Refresh sales button 🔄.

Does the integration allow you to link item by item after creating the recipe costings?

Exactly ✅. After integrating the POS, you can link each sales item to its recipe costing so the cost and margin update automatically with your latest purchases.

Does the recipe costing selling price sync with the POS price?

Yes 😊. When you connect the recipe costing with the POS, the selling price is pulled from the POS and in recipe costings you see it without VAT (keep that in mind when comparing). If something does not add up, we will review the specific case with you and fine-tune it 🔍.

I can't see my POS items to use in recipe costings. What should I do?

Check that your POS integration is active and syncing correctly in the Integraciones section. Once connected, wait for the initial catalog import; after that, you will be able to see the available items to create recipe costings 🍴.

I created/updated items and menus in my POS but they do not appear in haddock. How do I sync?

Use "Refresh sales" and choose the period (for example, from January to today). After the refresh, wait a few hours for everything to update. If you still do not see the changes, let us know and we will review it with you 🚀.

If someone forgets to mark an item in the POS, can I enter manual sales to balance purchases/sales?

You can register a manual "New sale" (individual or aggregated) 🧮📝. Note: these sales are not assigned to POS items; if you want them to count by item, correct/add the sale in the POS and let it sync with haddock.

Can I download or duplicate recipe costings?

Of course! You can download a PDF with the recipe costing so you always have it handy. Here we explain how.

To duplicate a recipe costing, it is super easy:

1. Select the recipe costing you want to duplicate.
2. Click the three dots next to the dish name.
3. Select the Duplicate option.

You can also download the recipe whenever you need it (for example, to share it with the kitchen).

💡 Tip: If you download a recipe costing that includes a preparation, the PDF will automatically include all the details of that preparation (ingredients, quantities, etc.), so there is no need to download each preparation separately 😎.

Can I export recipe costings in bulk?

For regular users, export is individual: you can download each recipe costing individually in PDF from the three dots (yes, one by one) 🧾➡️📄. Open the recipe costing/menu and use the three dots > "Download PDF".

If you need to export multiple recipe costings at once, contact our support team to review your case and see whether we can enable this feature for your account.

How do I create new tags for my recipe costings?

Open the recipe costing card → Add → type the new tag and save it 🏷️➕. Then you can filter by it to organize your recipes.

Do you have an allergen template? 🙋

We do not have our own template, but you can register the predefined allergens (gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulfites, lupin, and molluscs) directly in products and also in recipe costings 🧠✅.

Can I create or edit recipe costings from my phone?

On mobile you can check and view recipe costings, but creation and editing are only available from the web version on desktop. If you need to create or modify a recipe costing, access haddock from your computer browser 🖥️.

From mobile, you can view recipe costings and download them as PDFs from the three dots 📱💡. On a tablet in horizontal mode, you will see the desktop version and can create and edit them without any problem 📱➡️🖥️.

Why don't I see the option to create recipe costings on mobile even though I have permissions?

This is not a bug 🤗

Even if you have permissions, the option to create recipe costings is not available on mobile. You can view and download them from mobile, but to create or edit them you must use the web version on desktop ✅. This limitation is intentional to ensure the best experience when working with recipe costings, since they require precision in the data.

I'm getting a blank screen. How do I load the recipe costings and categories so they appear?

First clear your browser cache 🧹 and reload. Then check: 1) that each dish has its assigned category and a recipe costing with valid ingredients, 2) that sales are synced (you can force a refresh), and 3) that you do not have date or tag filters hiding data. If you still see everything blank, try another browser or a private window. ✨

Do you offer a service to create/load recipe costings?

Yes 🚀

haddock offers a full loading service where we create recipe costings from your files: we will ask you for the recipe costings, with dishes, preparations, ingredients, and quantities, preferably in Excel format. We can create your recipe costings, but we need you to send us a document (Excel if possible) with the recipes and preparations detailed with the ingredients we add to each one. 🥕

You should send us this document by email or through this same chat so we can give you a quote and upload them to the platform 🧾✨. Once that is done, we send you a fixed quote and, if we agree, we get started 🚀.

What documentation do I need to send for the recipe costing service?

Share the recipe costings with ingredients, quantities, and units in Excel. With this information we calculate the work time and send you a fixed quote before starting 👌. Then we import the data into our template, estimate the time, and give you a fixed price before we start ✅. You can attach them in this chat or by email.

How do I send the files for the recipe costing service?

You can attach the Excel file directly in this chat. If you prefer, you can also send it by email; we will review it and confirm the fixed price through that same channel so we can start the work ✅. You can also share the Excel file directly in this chat. If you prefer, you can also send it to us by email; we will review it and confirm it through that same channel so we can get started as soon as possible 📩.

I have a pending recipe costing service. What is missing to continue?

If the quote is already prepared but we have not received the correct Excel file, the service is on hold until those files arrive. As soon as they do, we will review them and confirm by email/chat so we can begin the import and process the payment according to the agreed quote 📥➡️⚙️. If there is already a quote but we have not received the correct Excel file, the service is waiting for that file. As soon as we receive it, we review it, confirm by email/chat, and process the payment to get started 🚀.

Can you also manage payment for the recipe costing service?

Yes, once the files have been reviewed and the quote accepted, we can process payment through support and leave everything ready to begin without delays 💳 🚀.

Updated on: 23/04/2026