Real-Life Math
You might think that a great chef doesn't need any recipes at all
-- that they know instinctively how much of each ingredient to use in a dish.
Well, that's a myth!
Take, for example, the following recipes, which
set proportions (such as one-half) and volumes (such as 2 cups) along with
ingredients.
Usually, recipes are designed to produce a certain number
of servings, for example, 12 muffins or four side dishes. Sometimes you might
want 24 muffins or only two side dishes, so you have to convert the recipe
to give you the servings you want.
In addition, you must estimate how
many portions a certain quantity of food will make. You also have to convert
the occasional imperial measurement to metric. (Some recipes are written in
imperial, and others are in metric.) Also, since chefs order food from suppliers
they must be familiar with different weights and measurements.
Your
restaurant is hosting a meal for the delegates of an international conference.
There are 120 delegates, and you must put together a dinner for them. You
decide prime rib and vegetables will be on the menu.
You order the
meat in large cuts, weighing 8 kilograms apiece. You know that every 18 pounds
of meat makes 20 portions, so how many large cuts of meat will you need to
order?
Note: You will have to convert pounds into kilograms to order.
Hint:
2.2
pounds = 1 kilogram
1 pound = 0.454 kilograms
Next,
you know that you use 5 pounds of vegetables for every 20 dishes. How many
pounds of veggies will you need?