How to Replace an Ingredient Across Hundreds of Recipes in Seconds

A few weeks ago, Chris, Head of Procurement at a restaurant chain with 83 locations, called me.

“We finally locked in a deal for olive oil,” he said. “One supplier, better price, and they can deliver to all our outlets.”

A smart move. Olive oil prices had surged, hitting food costs hard. By negotiating a bulk deal, Chris solved two problems at once:

• Lower food costs, higher margins.
• Better cost control—no more juggling regional suppliers.

Before, locations sourced olive oil from different suppliers. It made cost control a mess. 

Now, with one supplier for all 83 outlets, procurement would be simpler, more scalable, and predictable.

But then reality hit.

“I have to update every single recipe and procurement list,” Chris sighed. “This will take all week.”

“No, it won’t,” I told him. “You can do it in seconds with Apicbase.”

He raised an eyebrow. 

I showed him how it works.

Why Updating One Ingredient Can Feel Like a Full-Time Job

Updating a single ingredient should be simple. But for large restaurant operations, it’s a logistical nightmare.

Chris listed everything that needed updating:

• Dozens of recipes needed manual edits.
• Menu costings had to be recalculated.
• Allergen and nutritional data needed verification.
• Purchasing lists had to reflect the new supplier and packaging size.

“Even if I delegate some of it, we’ll be at this for days,” he groaned.

He was right. Most restaurant groups lack an easy way to make mass ingredient updates. Instead, someone (or multiple people) spends hours clicking through recipes, checking calculations, and hoping they don’t miss anything.

I shared my screen. “Watch this.”

How to Replace an Ingredient in Every Recipe Instantly

I went to Ingredients in Apicbase and clicked ‘Replace’. 

Step 1: Select the Ingredient to Replace

I found the old Extra Virgin Olive Oil (3L).  

Step 2: Choose the New Ingredient

I selected Extra Virgin Olive Oil Blend (5L) from FlavourFiesta. Apicbase shows available package sizes, helping Chris choose the most cost-effective option.

“That’s handy,”  Chris said. “Normally, I’d have to dig through a separate spreadsheet for that.”

Step 3: Bulk Update Recipes

Apicbase pulls up every recipe using the old ingredient.

Chris now had two choices:

• Replace all recipes at once.
• Deselect specific recipes where he wants to keep the old ingredient.

I updated all recipes with one click.

Chris stared at the screen. “Wait… That’s it?”

I nodded. “Check your recipes.”

He clicked through a few. Every single one had been updated.

There’s More: Costings, Allergens, Purchasing Lists–All Updated

Chris still looked sceptical.

“Okay, the ingredient changed. But we still have to redo all the costings and allergens manually, right?”

I shook my head. “Nope, Apicbase does it for you, instantly.”

Recipe Costings – No surprises, no manual recalculations.

Every affected recipe reflects the correct supplier price instantly.

That means cost control stays accurate, without someone having to open spreadsheets, punch in new numbers, and double-check calculations.

Allergens & Nutrition – Compliance without the headache

If the new ingredient has different allergen info, Apicbase adjusts every record automatically.

That means:

✅ No risk of incorrect allergen info reaching customers.

✅ No compliance surprises down the line.

For example:

• Swapping full-fat cream for semi-skimmed? Nutritional values adjust instantly.
• Replacing beef with beetroot in a veggie carpaccio? Allergen data updates automatically.

Purchasing Lists – No more ordering the wrong ingredient.

Procurement lists updated immediately with the new product, supplier, and packaging size.

All information is managed centrally, so when restaurant managers place their next orders, there’s no risk of buying the wrong product or disrupting stock levels.

“This eliminates so much human error,” Chris said. “So… no back-and-forth emails? No chasing down chefs to update order sheets?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s already done.”

It doesn’t matter if your restaurants use:

• Set procurement lists, 
• Manual ordering,
• Order-to-par, or 
• Demand forecasting. 

“Apicbase ensures every outlet is ordering the right ingredient at the right price.”

From Admin Overload to Seamless Procurement

What would have taken Chris and his team a full week took just five minutes.

Instead of clicking through recipes for hours, Chris can focus on strategic purchasing, knowing Apicbase handles every operational update behind the scenes.

He leaned back in his chair. “I can’t believe I was going to do this manually.”

Apicbase is full of features like this that save your team hours every day.