45%

Lemon yields 45%

You buy lemon by its whole weight, but you only plate 45% of it. That 55% 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.

You buy the whole fruit but plate only the juice or segments. Yield is low, so cost per usable ounce runs high.

Say your invoice shows $0.40 per each of lemon (an example AP price).

At 45% yield, your real cost is $0.89 per each EP — because $0.40 ÷ 0.45 = $0.89.

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