raw usable lb = raw lb × (1 − trim %)cooked lb = raw usable lb × (1 − shrinkage %)servings = cooked lb × 16 ÷ cooked ounces per servingcost per cooked serving = package price ÷ servings
Planning ranges
| Assumption | Scenario band | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Trim or non-edible share | 0–40% scenario band | Enter what you will discard, not every bone or scrap automatically; useful stock or rendered fat can be counted separately. |
| Cooking shrinkage | 15–40% scenario band | A stress-test range for planning, not a claim for every cut or method. Replace it with weighed results when possible. |
| Cooked main portion | 4–8 oz scenario band | Choose by meal role, sides, appetite, and leftovers. The tool accepts 2–24 oz rather than prescribing one serving. |
| Freezer packing density | 30–40 lb per cu. ft. | A rough compact-package planning range already used by the freezer-capacity calculator; cabinet layout and access reduce usable space. |
What is entered, derived, and not claimed
Total package price and labeled raw weight come from the package or quote.
Trim, cooking shrinkage, cooked portion, meal size, and packing density are scenarios.
Cooked pounds, complete servings, meals, cost, freezer packs, and compact volume follow the formulas.
Safety, exact thaw time, live prices, cabinet layout, appetite, and cut quality are not inferred.
Rounding and edge handling
Complete servings and complete household meals round down. Freezer packs round up only after complete servings are known. Blank, malformed, non-finite, negative, zero-denominator, and out-of-range inputs fail closed rather than being coerced into results.
Official source boundary
- Freezing and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; supports freezing, packaging, thawing, refreezing, freezer temperature, and quality-time boundaries; accessed 2026-08-24.
- Refrigeration and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; supports refrigerator temperature, containment, storage, and handling context; accessed 2026-08-24.
- Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature — FoodSafety.gov; supports current minimum-temperature and rest-time boundaries by food type; accessed 2026-08-24.
- Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; supports federal label-term context and limits on interpreting package claims; accessed 2026-08-24.
- Beef Cuts — Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner; supports beef cut identity and cooking-method context; accessed 2026-08-24.
Official sources support handling, storage, label, temperature, and cut context. They do not endorse the calculator, scenario bands, portion choices, or value conclusions.
Version and updates
Methodology version purchase-to-portions-1.0; updated ; source pages accessed 2026-08-24. Check linked official pages for changes. Prepare a correction.
Use the planner · return to the planning hub · all sources and methodology.