Prep overview
Rinvy has two ways to record prep: ad-hoc prep (one recipe at a time, recorded whenever you make a batch) and prep lists (a planned shift with multiple recipes and Rinvy-recommended batch counts). They share the same underlying execution — when you log a batch, ingredients are deducted from stock and the output product is added. The difference is workflow.
Both live on the Prep page: Run one-off starts an ad-hoc prep, New prep list starts a planned shift, and any open prep lists are grouped by day.
Ad-hoc prep
The right mode for unplanned or one-off prep — somebody made a batch of marinara, you want to record it.
Go to Prep and tap Run a one-off recipe.
- Search for and pick the recipe you made.
- Set Batches to how many you completed (e.g.,
2). - Optionally add a note.
- Tap Execute prep to record it.
Two batches of marinara at a yield of 4 quart add 8 quart of marinara stock and deduct the ingredient quantities for two batches.
Half batches and short stock
Batches takes decimals to two places, so a half batch is 0.5. Rinvy scales every ingredient by the same factor.
When an ingredient's stock is lower than the batch needs, Rinvy still logs the prep. A warning names the ingredient, the amount the batch needed and the stock on hand. The ingredient's balance can then go below zero. Rinvy keeps the negative number, because it points at a delivery nobody logged or a count to check.
When an ingredient's recipe unit can't convert to the unit you count it in, Rinvy refuses the prep and names the product. Add the conversion on the product, then run the prep again.
Log a prep after the fact
If someone made a batch on an earlier day and nobody logged it, you can still log it on the right day.
- Open Run a one-off recipe and pick the recipe.
- Set Made on to the day the prep happened.
- Set Batches, then tap Log prep.
Rinvy logs the prep at noon on that day. It uses the recipe as it was on that day, and the ingredient readout shows the stock you had then. Counts taken since that day don't change. The prep only explains the difference between those counts, so reports show the usage in the right period. You can't pick a day in the future.
The real day matters on the shelf too. The FDA Food Code, a model code that the FDA writes for state and local food regulators, calls for a date mark on ready-to-eat food that needs temperature control and is held cold for more than a day. The hold time counts from the day the food was made. Log the batch on that same day, and your label and your record agree.
Available on every plan. Any role with canExecuteRecipes (Owner, Manager, Staff) can record ad-hoc prep.
Prep lists
The right mode for planned prep shifts — typically the morning or evening prep block where you bang out several recipes in one go. Rinvy looks at current stock, burn rate, and target stock, then recommends how many batches of each recipe to make. A manager approves the list, staff execute, the system records prep logs.
Standard and Pro. Suggestions from a sales forecast need Pro. Full walkthrough — the DRAFT → APPROVED → COMPLETED workflow and batch tuning — is in prep lists workflow.
Should I use ad-hoc prep or a prep list?
Use a prep list for planned, repeating prep shifts, and ad-hoc prep for everything else.
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Someone made an unplanned batch of sauce | Ad-hoc prep |
| Recording yesterday's prep retroactively | Ad-hoc prep |
| Tuesday morning prep shift with 8 recipes to make | Prep list |
| Catering order — make a one-time large batch | Ad-hoc prep |
| Recurring weekly prep cycle | Prep list |
Most kitchens use both. Ad-hoc covers the exceptions; prep lists cover the routine.
What gets recorded behind the scenes
Whether ad-hoc or prep-list, every batch logged:
- Deducts ingredient quantities from inventory (using the recipe's ingredient list, scaled by batches completed).
- Adds output product to inventory (using yield × batches completed, or the actual yield you enter). The variance report also uses the actual yield when you enter one.
- Creates a prep log entry attributed to the user who recorded it.
Prep logs show up in the activity history and feed into burn rate, variance, and product reports.
Enter Actual yield when a batch came out bigger or smaller than the recipe says, for example after heavy trim or a long reduction. Rinvy then adds the amount you entered to stock. For a reference point on a new recipe, the USDA Food Buying Guide lets you compare yield information across foods.
If a product is counted in more than one storage area, the prep sheet also shows Take … from and Store … in pickers. Pick where the ingredients came from and where the batch went. See count a product in more than one place.
Fix or remove a logged prep
Open Prep history and tap the prep. In Edit prep log you can change Batches completed, Actual yield and Notes. Any role that can run prep can edit. Rinvy redoes the prep on its original day, with the recipe as it was on that day, even if you have edited the recipe since.
Owners and managers also see Delete log. A delete puts the ingredients back in stock, takes the output back out, and reopens the prep-list item that the prep completed. If that list was already complete, it goes back to Approved. You can't undo a delete.
Common mistakes
Logging prep before it's actually done
Prep execution deducts ingredients immediately. If you log "2 batches" and then only make 1, you've over-deducted. Wait until the batch is actually in the container before recording.
Using ad-hoc when you should use a prep list
If your team runs the same prep cycle every Tuesday, a prep list takes 30 seconds to approve and gives Rinvy data to recommend better batch counts. Ad-hoc works but misses the planning win.
Recording batches in the wrong unit
The Batches field counts whole batches, not the recipe's output units. If the recipe yields
4 quarts per batch and you enter 4, that's four batches = 16 quarts, not 4 quarts.