Entering a pack size: type it the way the label reads

Quick answer: In a recipe’s ingredient row, type the pack size just as it’s printed on the packet, for example 500g, 1kg, 6 x 500g or 12 pack. Open Pantry converts it into the recipe’s unit and tells you what it read.

Where to find it

1. Open a recipe in Menu Costing and click EDIT RECIPE.
2. In the ingredients table, find the Pack Size column (“type it as the label reads”). Each product row reads like 1 bag = [   ] g. That’s the product’s container, then a box, then the recipe’s unit.
3. Type the pack size, then press Enter or click away.
4. Click Save changes.

The question is simple: how much is in one pack, in the recipe’s unit? A 500 g bag of oregano in a gram recipe is 500.

What it understands

• Weights and volumes: 500g, 1kg, 12.5 kg, 2L, 750 ml. Same-kind units are converted for you, and the row says what it did, such as “Read 1 kg as 1,000 g”, plus the cost per 100 g.
• Multipacks: 6 x 500g or 12x1L are multiplied out (“Multipack read as 3,000 g”).
• Counts: 12 pack, 30 pcs or 1 dozen, for recipes measured in each.
• Plain numbers: 500 or 1,000, already in the recipe’s unit.

When it needs your help

• A container with no size (such as “1 bag”): a blue note asks how much is in one bag. Check the label or weigh one, then type the amount in the small box and click Save.
• Weight vs volume (such as 1.4 kg for a recipe in ml): Open Pantry won’t convert weight to volume by itself. The note asks how many ml the pack holds.
• Just “1” in a gram or ml recipe: an amber note asks if you meant 1 kg (1,000 g). Choose Use 1,000 or Keep 1. Nothing is costed from that row until you answer.
• Text it can’t read: a red note asks for a number and a unit, such as 500g, 1kg or 12 pack.

You can’t save the recipe while a pack size is still waiting on one of these notes. Answer the note or press Enter in the box first.

Shortcuts

• Use … chip: if the box is empty and the product’s own label already gives the size, a chip like Use 500 g appears under the box. Hover over it to see the label text, and click it to fill the box in one go.
• AI fill: this estimates the pack size for you. If it can’t find one, the row says so and puts your cursor in the box so you can type what’s on the packet.

Why it matters: every plate cost is worked out from the pack size. A 1 kg bag entered as “1” makes that ingredient look 1,000 times dearer. See Purchase unit size and the AI suggest button for more.