Tare weight is the weight of an empty container or vessel. In hospitality, this is often dishes, serving platters or storage containers in the kitchen and restaurants. When you weigh ingredients or portions, you subtract the tare weight to get the true weight of the food.
Knowing tare weight is key to accurate portion control, recipe consistency and inventory management in hospitality. By knowing the tare weight of your containers, you can measure ingredients accurately, serve uniform portions and control food cost. This will help you deliver quality to your guests and manage your budget.
Let’s say you’re a chef in a busy restaurant. You’re preparing a signature salad that needs 200g of mixed greens. You put your salad bowl on the scale and it reads 300g. You know the tare weight of the bowl is 100g so you add greens until the scale reads 500g. Now you know you’ve added exactly 200g of greens and your salad is perfectly portioned every time. By using tare weight, you maintain consistency in your dishes, control your food cost and deliver the quality your guests expect.'