Define 'yield' in recipe planning.

• A. The number of servings produced by a recipe after scaling and portioning
• B. The time required to cook the dish
• C. The total cost of ingredients
• D. The number of ingredients used

Answer: (D)

Yield in recipe planning is the amount of edible product a recipe produces, typically expressed as servings or total weight/volume after cooking and portioning. It tells you how many portions you can serve from a batch and guides how you scale recipes to meet a desired output. When you adjust a recipe, you must consider the yield to ensure the final number of servings matches your needs, since cooking losses, evaporation, trimming, or moisture changes can affect the actual yield. This is different from cook time, which is how long the dish takes to cook; from cost, which is the total price of ingredients; or from the number of ingredients used, which is simply ingredient count. So yield is about the final output in servings or units after planning and portioning.