Before You Start
Before creating a recipe, make sure you have a few things in place:
- At least one category — recipes require a category. Go to Categories in the sidebar to create one (e.g., Appetizers, Main Courses, Desserts).
- Some ingredients — you will need ingredients to add to your recipe. Go to Ingredients in the sidebar to add them with their name, unit, and price.
If you just registered, Cucinovo may have created sample ingredients and a category for you during onboarding. You can use those to try out the recipe form right away.
Step-by-Step Creation
Click Recipes in the sidebar, then click the New Recipe button at the top of the page.
Type a name for your recipe in the Name field. It must be at least 2 characters long.
Choose a category from the Category dropdown. This helps organize your recipes and makes them easier to find with filters.
Enter the output quantity and unit. For example, 4 pc means the recipe makes 4 servings, or 500 g for a recipe that produces 500 grams of product.
In the Ingredients section, search for an ingredient and select it from the dropdown. Then set the quantity, unit, and optionally the waste percentage.
If you have sub-recipes (like a sauce or dough), add them in the Sub-Recipes section below ingredients. This feature requires the Starter plan or higher for restaurants.
Click Advanced Options to expand additional fields: selling price (for margin calculation), prep time (for labor costing), and notes (for plating instructions or chef notes).
When you are done, click Save. Your recipe is now available in the recipes list and ready to be used in shopping lists.
Adding Ingredients in Detail
Each ingredient line in the recipe form has the following fields:
- Ingredient — search and select from your ingredient library. Start typing the name and pick from the dropdown.
- Quantity — how much of this ingredient the recipe uses. For example, 200 for 200 grams of flour.
- Unit — the measurement unit (g, kg, ml, L, pc). This should match how you measure the ingredient when cooking.
- Waste % — optional. Accounts for preparation loss like peeling, trimming, or evaporation. Enter a percentage (e.g., 10 for 10% loss).
The cost for each ingredient line is calculated automatically based on the ingredient price, quantity, and waste percentage.
Tips
Waste % accounts for preparation loss. If you set 10% waste on 200g of an ingredient, Cucinovo calculates that you actually need 220g to end up with 200g after prep. The cost is based on 220g, not 200g.
If you use the same component in multiple recipes (a tomato sauce, a pastry dough, a stock), create it as a sub-recipe. Then add it to any recipe that needs it. When ingredient prices change, the cost updates everywhere automatically.