Managing Recipe Versions When You Reformulate
Why to keep the old formula when you change a recipe, which changes force a new label, and a simple naming and change-log habit.
Recipe Version Control for Food Businesses
KitchenSync is recipe development software with version control. New version makes a linked copy of a recipe that you can change freely, the original stays as it was, and the version you choose is marked primary.
New version
A new version is a linked copy
Open a recipe, open its options menu and choose New version. KitchenSync copies the version you have open and links the copy to it. Change anything in the copy: an ingredient, an amount, a step. The version you started from is not touched, so you can try as many variations as you like without overwriting the original.
Primary
One version is the primary
The primary version is the one the Recipes list shows and the one that opens by default. When a test version wins, open Manage versions and choose Make primary. The earlier versions stay where they were, so the recipe you sold last season is still there to open.
One row
All versions share one row
A recipe and its versions take one row on the Recipes list, however many versions you make. On the recipe page, one dropdown lists them all, and picking a name opens that version. The list shows one row per product, not a row for every copy you made while testing.
Experiments
Each version has its own numbers
A version is a complete recipe. Try a different fat, cut the sugar or swap in an ingredient from another supplier, then open that version to read its own batch cost and its own Nutrition Facts label. The original keeps its numbers while you decide which version to sell.
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Frequently asked questions
Does a new version overwrite the original recipe?
No. New version makes a separate, linked copy. Edits to the copy stay in the copy, and the version you started from keeps its ingredients, amounts and instructions.
Can I go back to an earlier version of a recipe?
Yes. Every version stays in the dropdown on the recipe. Open an earlier version to read it or keep working on it, or choose Make primary to make it the version that opens by default again.
Do recipe versions count toward my recipe limit?
Yes. Each version is a recipe of its own, so it counts toward the number of recipes your plan lets you keep. Versioning itself is on every plan, including Free.
Related documentation
Test a change, keep the original
Make a new version, try the change and mark the winner primary. The original stays as it was. Start free.
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