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Add ingredient densities to mix weight and volume

Add a density in g/mL to an ingredient you buy by volume but use by weight in recipes, or the other way round. Then its Bill of Materials lines can use either unit. FourFoxes can suggest a value from USDA FoodData Central, and Admins can fill in many at once with Add missing densities.

A density, in grams per millilitre, lets FourFoxes convert one ingredient between weight and volume. Add one when you buy an ingredient by volume but measure it by weight in your recipes, or the other way round. Without a density, a Bill of Materials (BOM) line has to use the same kind of unit the ingredient is bought in.

When you need a density

Every ingredient is bought and counted in its Unit of measure. A BOM line can use any unit in the same family: weight units for an ingredient bought by weight, volume units for one bought by volume. Say you buy honey by the gal but your recipe calls for grams. Without a density, the BOM line shows an error that names the ingredient and links to Add a density to it. With a density, you can enter the line in grams.

The density only converts. Stock, purchases, and lots stay in the ingredient's own unit. Lot draws, batch cost, and the ingredient order on a recipe nutrition label all use the converted amount.

Add a density to one ingredient

  1. Open Ingredients (in the account menu, under Sourcing) and click the pencil (Edit) button on the ingredient. For a new ingredient, click Add Ingredient.
  2. Enter the Density (g/mL). It must be between 0.2 and 3.0, with up to four decimal places. Water is 1.0. A supplier spec sheet is a good source.
  3. If the ingredient is matched to a USDA food, a Suggested density shows under the field, with the USDA FoodData Central record and the portion it comes from. Click Use suggested to fill the field.
  4. Click Save Changes (or Create Ingredient for a new one). Nothing is saved until you do.
Edit Ingredient form with a suggested density The Edit Ingredient form for Wildflower Honey, bought in gal. Under the empty Density (g/mL) field, a suggested density of 1.4329 g/mL from a USDA FoodData Central portion has a Use suggested button. Save Changes is at the bottom. Edit Ingredient: Wildflower Honey Review and save updates for Wildflower Honey. Name* Wildflower Honey Unit of measure* gal Description Raw, unfiltered. 5 gal pails. Density (g/mL) | Density converts between weight and volume. Add one if you buy this ingredient by volume (gal, L) but use it by weight in recipes (g, lb), or the other way round. Suggested density: 1.4329 g/mL (USDA FoodData Central #169640, 1 cup = 339 g) Use suggested 3 Is active Save Changes Cancel 4
Shown only for a USDA-matched ingredient with no density. Nothing saves until you click Save Changes.

The suggestion appears only on the edit page, only for an ingredient matched to a USDA food, and only while it has no density saved. To match one, open the ingredient and, under Nutrition Data (FDC), click Search Foods, then Select Food on the right result. If USDA data cannot be reached, no suggestion shows and you type the value yourself. Check a suggestion against your own product: a USDA portion is a general figure, not your supplier's spec.

Fill in many densities at once

Admins and Owners can click Add missing densities on the Ingredients list. The Set ingredient densities page lists every active ingredient that has no density.

  1. Rows for ingredients matched to a USDA food load a suggested value with its source. Change any value you want to. A row showing No suggestion or Suggestion unavailable needs a value typed in.
  2. Tick Save on each row you want to keep.
  3. Click Save selected. Unticked rows are not saved, even if they have a value.
Set ingredient densities page The Set ingredient densities page listing four active ingredients with no density. Two are ticked with suggested values from USDA FoodData Central, one shows Suggestion unavailable, and one has no USDA match and links to its detail page. A Save selected button sits below the table. Set ingredient densities Back to ingredients Density converts between weight and volume. Add one if you buy this ingredient by volume (gal, L) but use it by weight in recipes (g, lb), or the other way round. Save Name Density (g/mL) Apple Cider Vinegar 1.0102 (USDA FoodData Central #173469, 1 cup = 239 g) Wildflower Honey 1.4329 (USDA FoodData Central #169640, 1 cup = 339 g) Mango Puree Suggestion unavailable Ghost Pepper Mash Link an FDC food on the detail page Save selected 2 3
Only ticked rows are saved. Change a suggested value before saving if your supplier's spec differs.

If any ticked value is outside 0.2 to 3.0 g/mL or has more than four decimal places, nothing is saved and the error shows on that row. An ingredient with no USDA match has no Save box; it shows Link an FDC food on the detail page instead. Match it to a USDA food first, or add its density on its own edit page.

Change or clear a density

When you change a density, FourFoxes recalculates every BOM line for that ingredient that was entered across weight and volume, so the amount you typed on the line stays the same. Lines in the ingredient's own unit family are not touched. A recipe label built from an affected BOM shows BOM changed until you refresh it.

You cannot clear a density while BOM lines depend on it. The edit page shows Density is needed by mass/volume lines on followed by the BOMs. Change those lines to the ingredient's own unit family first, then clear the density.

Use a density, not a new unit

Once an ingredient is on a BOM or has purchases recorded, its Unit of measure cannot be changed. Respellings such as lbs to lb are still accepted. To weigh a liquid in recipes, add a density instead. To really switch units, create a new ingredient and swap it into your BOMs.

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