SOUS VIDE SAVES UP TO 30% VS SCRATCH COOKING
See how sous vide compares vs scratch cooking and other pre-cooked options.
REDUCE KITCHEN COSTS WITHOUT SACRIFICING QUALITY
SCRATCH COOKING
PRE-COOKED MEAL
SOUS VIDE
RAW INGREDIENT COST
$0.75
$1.14
$1.38
Buying from scratch is generally 1.4–2x cheaper than sous vide, while sous vide is generally about 10–20% higher in cost than other fully-cooked, ready-to-heat methods (e.g. grilled).
PREP LABOR*
$0.09
$0.02
$0
*Assumes a prep time of 1 hour for scratch cooking across 120 plates, whereas sous vide requires zero prep time.
COOK LABOR
$1.33
$0.37
$0.37
• Cooking times are at least 50% less when using traditional pre-cooked dishes or sous vide ready-to-heat products.
• Additional labor savings result from the fact that reheating can be done by a line cook/non-chef vs scratch cooking which requires a chef.
WASTE/YIELD LOSS
$0.38
$0.15
$0.08
• Trimming/butchering during scratch cooking can result in up to 30% loss of a product’s original weight
• Scratch or other fully cooked methods result in 20% yield loss due to shrinkage. Sous vide reheating only presents a 10% loss.
SPOILAGE WASTE
$0.04
$0
$0
• Restaurants see 3-5% spoilage on fresh meat.
• Spoilage for sous vide and traditional pre-cooked are negligible.
TOTAL COST
(to consumer per plate)
$2.60
$1.70
$1.80
Sous vide is comparable in cost to other traditional fully cooked ready-to-heat products but stands out subjectively on:
• Flavor, texture, and consistency.
• Safety and contamination risk.
• Upfront kitchen CapEx savings if reheating can be done in a hoodless kitchen.
“We went out in search of the industry experts and really found the pioneers of sous vide. Our teams totally clicked… it was science and culinary brought together. We had an amazing process that created innovation.”
“It’s about adding the cook that you don’t have in the kitchen…the products that just make a difference in terms of quality, texture, flavors—really efficiency on so many levels. We are essentially changing the way we are operating.”
“It’s about finding solutions for the challenges that we have in the kitchen. Cuisine Solutions has become our prep cook, our production, our commissary, our educators.”
Click below to download the cost breakdown PDF.
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