55%

Asparagus yields 55%

You buy asparagus by its whole weight, but you only plate 55% of it. That 45% loss is real cost the invoice never shows — here's the math.

Yield is the fraction of an ingredient that actually reaches the plate after you clean, peel, and trim it. What you pay is the AP (as-purchased) price; what it costs on the plate is the EP (edible-portion) price.

The woody base is the loss. Snap or trim where it gives, and the rest plates.

Say your invoice shows $3.50 per lb of asparagus (an example AP price).

At 55% yield, your real cost is $6.36 per lb EP — because $3.50 ÷ 0.55 = $6.36.

AP price is illustrative; the EP figure is computed (AP ÷ yield). Use your real invoice price below.

Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion