A recipe calls for 2 pounds peeled carrots. With a yield of 80%, how many pounds must be started to obtain 2 pounds finished?

• A. 2.5
• B. 3.0
• C. 1.5
• D. 2.0

Answer: (A)

Yield describes how much of the starting ingredient remains after prep. If peeling carrots leaves 80% of the original weight, then finished weight = starting weight × 0.80. To get 2 pounds finished, solve for starting weight: 2 ÷ 0.80 = 2.5 pounds. Check: 2.5 × 0.80 = 2.0 pounds finished. The other starting amounts would give different finished weights (for example, 3.0 starts would yield 2.4 finished, 1.5 would yield 1.2, 2.0 would yield 1.6). So you need about 2.5 pounds to start.