Services · By invitation
Contribute field data
Steakpedia publishes yields measured in working kitchens, each number signed with the kitchen that measured it; today they come from one, 279 sheets and 1,604.6 kg between July and October 2026. Contributions are by invitation: the first round is a pilot with a small group of kitchens cutting comparable beef, each publishing its data under its own name.
At a glance
- What
- Butchery yields, measured piece by piece
- Access
- By invitation (pilot)
- Signed
- Kitchen name, period, number of sheets
- Averaged across kitchens
- Never
- Cost
- Free
One kitchen is a data point; several, a range
A yield figure from one kitchen is a data point; figures from several kitchens, each with its own specification, show the real range of a cut. Today the field data on Steakpedia comes from one kitchen, the Steakpedia Field Kitchen: 279 sheets and 1,604.6 kg between July and October 2026. The reference becomes more useful, for every kitchen, as others add theirs.
For the contributing kitchen, it is a public, sourced record of how it works: its name on the cut pages of a neutral reference, with its period and sample size, cited by anyone who uses the numbers.
One sheet per piece, on a checked scale
Butchery sheets from the kitchen's own records, one per piece: the weight of the piece before cutting (net of packaging and purge) and the weight of every output after (portions, sub-cuts, usable trim, fat, bone, waste). The cut, the date and, if known, the breed and origin. Records can come from any system, a spreadsheet or paper sheets, as long as each piece is weighed on a checked scale and each output is recorded separately.
Same definitions, never averaged
- Same definitions for everyone. Portion yield = steaks ÷ meat in. Usable yield = steaks + sub-cuts + usable trim ÷ meat in.
- Only balanced sheets. Sheets where more came out than went in are excluded, not corrected.
- The specification is stated. The box on each cut page says how the kitchen trims and portions the cut.
- Signed. Every box carries the kitchen's name, the period, the number of sheets and the compile date. Small samples are flagged.
- Never averaged across kitchens. Each kitchen's numbers appear separately, side by side.
- Regenerated, not edited. Numbers are recalculated from the records when they are updated; nobody edits them by hand.
How the pilot works
There is no open form for now. The first round is a pilot with kitchens that buy comparable beef, so that the first comparisons are between pieces cut to similar specifications; the invitation will widen once the method has been tested with them. Contributing is free and does not require any particular software, although kitchens that use Steakpedia's software for kitchens can export their sheets directly.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Invitation | Steakpedia invites the kitchen and agrees which cuts it will measure and how it records them |
| Sample | The kitchen sends a sample of sheets; format and definitions are checked together |
| Review | The kitchen sees exactly what will be published under its name before it goes live |
| Publication | The kitchen's box appears on the cut pages, signed; it can be updated or withdrawn |
Prices, suppliers and butchers stay out
Purchase prices, supplier names and individual butchers are not published. Only yields, sample sizes, periods and the cutting specification appear, with the kitchen's name. Contributing data does not give a kitchen any say over the articles: the editorial policy applies to contributors as to everyone else.
Frequently asked questions
Who can contribute field data to Steakpedia?
For now, invited kitchens only, in a pilot with kitchens that buy comparable beef and weigh each piece before cutting and every output after.
Does it cost anything?
No. Contributing is free and does not require any particular software.
Are prices or suppliers published?
No. Only yields, sample sizes, periods and the cutting specification appear, signed with the kitchen's name.
Sources
2
- North American Meat Institute. The Meat Buyer's Guide, 8th ed. Washington, DC, 2014.
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef. 2017. www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/carcass-beef-grades-and-standards
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