Pho Master User Guide — How to Use the Pho Broth Calculator
Use Pho Master to turn a known batch quantity into a preparation plan, target broth weight and production workflow. Start with the quantity you know, check the resulting ingredient list, then use SOP Process to review the stages.
The main calculator uses kilograms for batch inputs and grams for smaller ingredient quantities. Its estimates do not measure the broth in your pot. Record actual production results separately unless you are entering measurements in the dedicated Professional pressure-cooker section.
What is Pho Master?
Pho Master is a pho broth calculator and production system for serious home users, pho enthusiasts, small restaurant operators and people preparing to open a pho business.
Developed from the creator’s real food-business and pho-production experience, it focuses on scaling, repeatability, preparation and cost awareness. It provides a structured batch plan rather than an open-ended recipe editor.
The two main tabs are Calculator and SOP Process. SOP means standard operating procedure: the ordered production steps used to carry out the plan.
Quick start
- Open the Pho Master Calculator and select Calculator if needed.
- Select By Bones & Meat.
- Enter your combined bone and meat weight in Bones & Meat Total, in kg. For a first Free batch, 3 kg is within the supported range; Free supports up to and including 5 kg.
- Finish editing the field and check Bones & Meat, Total Water and Target Broth. Wait for the results to match your input before using them.
- Review Mixed Beef Bones, Brisket, Aromatics & Vegetables, 7-Spice Blend and Broth Seasoning.
- Select Copy Prep List to copy the current preparation quantities, or Kitchen Work Order for a checkable sheet.
- Open SOP Process, confirm Batch Overview and expand each stage to read its instructions and warnings.
Measure what your kitchen actually produces. Target Broth is the net broth weight you aim to finish with after straining, filtering and removing surface fat — it excludes bones, other solids and the pot, and it is not a confirmed finished weight.
Free Home Mode
Free Home Mode supports a total bone plus meat weight of 5 kg or less, including exactly 5 kg. The limit concerns the combined weight, not bones alone and not finished broth weight.
The Free input limits depend on which starting point you select:
| Selected input | Minimum | Free maximum | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bones & Meat Total | 1 | 5 | kg |
| Cold Water | 1 | 8.5 | kg |
| Target Broth | 1 | 6.8 | kg |
These are three ways to describe a batch within the same bone-plus-meat allowance. They are not three different entitlements. The main dashboard rounds its results, so the visible target-input precision may differ from the dashboard’s one-decimal display.
Within this allowance, Free provides the basic water and yield results, bone/brisket breakdown, aromatic quantities, individual spice weights, baseline seasoning quantities and detailed normal-pressure SOP stages. Copy Prep List and Kitchen Work Order are also available for those permitted results.
The Cost & Profit module, Fish Sauce Brand Calibration and Pressure Cooker 4h Cost-Saver SOP remain Professional tools, including for a batch at or below 5 kg.
What happens above the Free limit?
The Free input is capped. If you type more than the current maximum, the effective calculation is limited to that maximum and the field is corrected when you leave it. A message explains that larger batches require Pro.
Free is not an unrestricted commercial-batch calculator. Do not assume a typed number above the limit has been accepted; check the final field value and dashboard.
What do the badges mean?
Free or Pro indicates access status. Home Mode or Commercial Mode describes the calculated batch size. A Pro user can still see Home Mode for a small batch.
Professional Mode
Professional access unlocks larger supported main-calculator batches, their detailed ingredient and normal-pressure workflow results, fish sauce brand calibration, cost estimation and the separate pressure-cooker workflow.
The current main-calculator input maxima are 60 kg for Bones & Meat Total, 120 kg for Cold Water and 100 kg for Target Broth. Each input has its own range; these numbers are not pressure-cooker capacity recommendations. Switching starting points can produce an equivalent value outside another input’s editable range, so check the accepted input and results after switching or editing.
Pro also adds Cost Summary (Pro) to the main Kitchen Work Order. It does not provide a complete restaurant profit calculation, automatic kitchen measurements or a historical batch-management system.
Activate or recover Pro
Open Upgrade to Pro using the access badge or a locked section. Use the purchase option shown there for current pricing and terms.
After purchase, the interface directs you to retrieve the license key from the receipt email or My Orders, return to Pho Master and:
- Fill Enter license key and select Next.
- Enter Email, select Send code, and enter the 6-digit code received.
- Select Verify & Activate.
For recovery, choose New device? Recover license, enter the email associated with the license, request and enter the verification code, then select Recover on this device. Never include a license key or verification code in a public screenshot.
Input fields explained
Main batch inputs
Choose one starting point at a time. The selected input drives the rest of the main plan; the three starting points are not independent constraints you can set simultaneously.
| Exact UI name | What to enter | How to use it | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Bones & Meat → Bones & Meat Total | Combined bone and meat weight, kg. | Start here when the ingredient quantity is known. | Entering bones only, or entering grams as kilograms. |
| By Cold Water → Cold Water | Starting main-cook water weight, kg. | Start here when planning from a water quantity. | Entering blanching water or finished broth weight. |
| By Target Broth → Target Broth | Intended finished broth quantity, kg. | Build a main batch plan around a desired yield. | Treating it as a measured-yield field that changes only seasoning. |
Use Drag slider or type. The slider makes larger steps; typing allows finer entries. Finish editing and inspect the accepted value, especially near the Free limit.
Switching starting points normally carries across the equivalent result from the last completed calculation. This does not create a second batch record.
Fish Sauce Brand Calibration — Pro
Choose the applicable entry in the Fish Sauce Brand Calibration dropdown. The current list contains Tai Yuan Premium Fish Sauce (baseline 1.0), Phu Quoc 40°N Artisan (high salt) and Three Crabs / Viet Quang (sweet).
The choice updates the main calculator’s seasoning plan. These are the product’s named presets, not a laboratory measurement of your bottle. Check the actual product used and do not assume every bottle with similar wording is interchangeable. Free uses the baseline preset.
This dropdown does not change the separate pressure-cooker seasoning calculation. Record your actual fish sauce in your kitchen notes.
Cost inputs — Pro
The cost module works from measured results and an ingredient price library, not from a single flat estimate. Enter the batch's actual outcome, then maintain the ingredient prices used to cost it.
| Exact UI name | Unit | What to enter and watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Actual final broth (L) | Liters | The usable broth you actually recovered after straining and filtering. This drives the serving count. |
| Broth per bowl (ml) | Milliliters | Broth served in one bowl, excluding noodles and toppings. Default 420. |
| Actual sellable bowls | Bowls | The number of whole bowls you can actually sell from this batch. |
| Selling price ($) | Dollars per bowl | Your selling price, used for the margin comparison. |
Ingredient prices are held separately in the Ingredient Cost Library, opened with Manage ingredient prices. It groups ingredients into broth (bones, brisket, onion, ginger, daikon, fish sauce, salt, rock sugar, MSG), spices (the seven dry spices), bowl (noodles, beef, brisket, tendon, meatballs, scallion, cilantro, onion, bean sprouts, lime, chili, herbs) and packaging (bowl, box, lid, bag, utensils). Each item has a price, a specification (the quantity that price buys) and a unit.
Use one currency consistently. The English interface displays $; it does not convert currencies. Default values are editable examples, not verified supplier prices. A price stored in the library applies to whatever batch uses it, so update prices when your supplier or pack size changes.
Pressure-cooker inputs — Pro
This section has its own batch inputs. Changing the main calculator does not automatically replace them with the main batch’s bone and brisket weights.
| Exact UI name | Unit | What to enter and when |
|---|---|---|
| Beef bones (kg) | kg | Bones for this pressure-cooker batch, excluding brisket. |
| Brisket (kg) | kg | Brisket for this separate workflow. |
| Measured final broth (kg) | kg | Net finished broth at final calibration, used for this section's seasoning result. Replace the provisional target with your actual measurement. |
In the current workflow the bones stay with the broth into the normal-pressure stage, so there is no separate "extracted broth" weighing step. Enter the final measured broth weight after straining and filtering to calibrate the seasoning result.
Changing bone or brisket inputs resets the final-yield override. Recheck the measurement field whenever beginning another batch; an old value is not a measurement of the new batch.
Understanding your results
Main dashboard and preparation quantities
| Output or section | Meaning | Action in the kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Bones & Meat | Combined planned bone and meat quantity, kg. | Check against the intended batch. |
| Total Water | Planned starting main-cook water, shown as kg ≈ L. | Measure the water separately from blanching water; treat liters as an approximation. |
| Target Broth | Net broth weight you aim to finish with after straining and filtering, shown as kg ≈ L. | Compare with the measured yield your kitchen actually produces. |
| Basic Water-Bone Ratio | Summary of the standard water/yield relationship. | Read alongside the outputs; it is not an editable equipment calibration. |
| Mixed Beef Bones and Brisket | Planned component quantities, kg. | Weigh separately; the main calculator does not let you freely edit the split. |
| Aromatics & Vegetables | Charred Yellow Onion, Charred Ginger and Daikon, in g. | Follow the preparation notes and mark prepared items if useful. |
| 7-Spice Blend | Total and individual spice weights in g, with proportion indicators. | Weigh the displayed individual amounts for this batch rather than extrapolating a fixed percentage. |
| Broth Seasoning | Fish Sauce, Sea Salt, Rock Sugar and MSG (optional), in g. | Check the broth basis and selected main-calculator brand before use. |
| Batch Overview | Main batch summary in SOP Process. | Confirm it matches the prep plan before following stages. |
The 7-Spice Blend lists Star Anise, Cassia Cinnamon, Black Cardamom, Fennel Seeds, Coriander Seeds, Dried Tangerine Peel and Cloves. Individual rounding can make the sum of displayed weights differ slightly from the displayed blend total. Use the individual weights for weighing; do not invent a balancing correction.
The main seasoning display follows the target broth
The main calculator's seasoning quantities follow its Target Broth value. The main workflow does not have a separate measured-final-yield input of its own; the measured-yield entry lives in the Pro pressure-cooker section.
If actual yield differs from the target, do not assume those quantities have automatically adjusted. Measure the finished broth, and if it is above or below the target, bring it to the target before seasoning — the SOP describes reducing or topping up to reach the target, then seasoning. The main By Target Broth control recalculates the whole plan, including other ingredients; it is not a seasoning-only adjustment.
Pressure-cooker results
Bone + brisket confirms the combined quantity in this separate section. Pressure cooker water is its planned initial water charge, added all at once at the start of the pressure stage. Target yield is its current target broth weight.
The section also shows charred onion, charred ginger and the individual spice quantities. Its final Seasoning output gives fish sauce, salt, rock sugar and MSG amounts based on Measured final broth (kg), or the provisional target until you replace it.
Calculated quantities do not establish that your pressure cooker has sufficient safe capacity. Check the fill level against your cooker's safety line and scale down proportionally if needed.
Production workflow
Normal-pressure workflow
Use Calculator to prepare quantities, then open SOP Process. The current stage order is:
| Exact stage title | Operational purpose and current instructions |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 · Thorough Blanching | Start with cold water, blanch, remove and scrub the bones and meat. The displayed stage specifies a 15-minute hard boil and emphasizes removing residue. |
| Stage 2 · 12-Hour Gentle Simmer | Begin the main cook with the planned cold water, skim and maintain a gentle simmer with the lid ajar. The displayed process calls for checking and removing brisket at hour 3. |
| Stage 3 · Spice Sachet Activation | Prepare the calculated spice sachet. The stage specifies low-heat dry-toasting for 3 minutes and adding it for the final 2–3 hours; avoid scorching or adding it at the beginning. |
| Stage 4 · Sterilization & Ice Bath | This is the current UI title for removing solids, reboiling and cooling. Read the clarification below; the title is not a verified sterilization claim. |
| Stage 5 · Seasoning & Scallion Beef Fat (Nước Béo) | Prepare the aromatic beef-fat finish, dissolve the listed seasoning in hot broth and finish with the fat. The displayed stage specifies a further 10-minute simmer. |
Stage 3 takes place within the final part of the main simmer, rather than adding another full cooking cycle after it. Read the expanded stages together before starting.
The interface gives 500W / 90°C as equipment guidance and also tells users to adjust times and temperatures to their equipment. Do not assume a power setting is a measured broth temperature or that the same setting produces the same simmer on every appliance.
Charred Yellow Onion, Charred Ginger and Daikon are all added together at the very start of the main simmer (Stage 2) and remain in the pot for the whole cook — they are not removed partway through. The onion and ginger are charred before they go in, so their displayed weights refer to the charred (prepared) ingredients. The daikon is added raw; its displayed weight is for the raw, peeled daikon.
Cooling and the transition to seasoning
Stage 4 removes the solids and reboils the broth, then the ice bath cools the whole broth quickly. The ice bath is for rapid cooling, not sterilization — read the Stage 4 title "Sterilization" as "reboil"; a brief reboil does not make broth sterile or shelf-stable.
A brief reboil does not establish commercial sterility or make broth shelf-stable. Do not treat cooling below a single temperature as a complete cooling procedure. Follow the validated food-safety procedure applicable to your kitchen; this calculator does not monitor cooking, cooling, storage or reheating. In the US, the FDA Food Code is a model for retail food-safety controls; applicable local requirements still need to be established.
The intended transition into Stage 5 is: after the ice bath, refrigerate the broth overnight. The next day, skim the solidified fat from the surface and strain out the residue. Then reheat the broth and season it while hot, which is Stage 5. The brisket removed at hour 3 is cooled and refrigerated the same way, then sliced and served; reheat both broth and brisket to a proper serving temperature before use.
Professional pressure-cooker workflow
Open Pressure Cooker 4h Cost-Saver SOP within SOP Process. Enter its separate bones and brisket quantities. Its displayed sequence is:
- Stage 1 · Pressure-extract bone collagen (hold 2.5h): pressure extraction at full pressure for 2.5 hours, then natural release — open only after full release. The bones stay in the broth; do not strain or discard them.
- Stage 2 · Keep bones, transfer to stockpot, add brisket (T 0h): transfer the bones and broth together to the stockpot, add the brisket and aromatics, and begin the normal-pressure simmer.
- Stage 3 · Spice sachet in (T +1.5h): add the prepared sachet at the specified point in the stockpot stage.
- Stage 4 · Pull meat & final calibration (T +4.0h): remove meat and other solids, then complete the endpoint operations described in the section.
- Replace Measured final broth (kg) with the actual final weight and review this section's seasoning output.
The title’s “4h” describes the stockpot stage. It is not a verified four-hour total from raw ingredients to finished broth; pressure extraction, release and preparation add time. Do not infer a guaranteed labor, energy or flavor outcome from “Cost-Saver.”
This workflow is designed for standard pressure cookers and does not require a specific brand or model; use your appliance's default high-pressure setting and follow its manufacturer's fill and release instructions. During the pressure stage, only the beef bones go into the pressure cooker — do not add the brisket. After the pressure is fully released, transfer the bones and broth together to the stockpot and add the brisket, then continue at normal (atmospheric) pressure for 4 hours. Test the brisket for doneness by piercing it with a chopstick; it is done when a chopstick slides through easily.
This section’s measured yields, seasoning and ingredient quantities do not replace the main calculator’s results, cost estimate, prep list or work order. Keep a separate record for the pressure-cooker batch.
Prep lists, work orders and Reset
Copy Prep List copies the main batch quantities as text. Paste the result into your own notes or message to check that it copied successfully.
Kitchen Work Order opens Standardized Kitchen Work Order, with ingredient rows that can be checked off. Generate Image creates a preview that mobile users can long-press to save; Print opens the browser’s print function. Pro includes the main cost summary on this sheet.
These are main-calculator outputs, not a complete production log or a pressure-cooker report. They do not store actual finished yield, employee performance or a batch history.
Within Aromatics & Vegetables, use individual checkboxes or Select all; the latter changes to Deselect all. Checkmarks are working aids, not proof that a quantity was measured, and can reset when results redraw.
Reset returns the main input to By Bones & Meat, using 3 kg for Free or 10 kg for Pro, and clears the aromatic checkmarks. It does not reset every cost, brand or pressure-cooker entry. Review those separately before starting a new batch.
The product can retain some settings in the same browser. Do not rely on that as an archive or as guaranteed persistence of every pressure-cooker edit. Save the records you need outside the calculator.
Cost calculation
The Cost & Profit module costs the batch from the ingredient price library and your measured results. It multiplies each planned ingredient quantity by its library price to get the batch ingredient cost, then spreads that cost across the bowls you can actually sell.
| Exact output | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Cost / Bowl | The batch ingredient cost per sellable bowl, including broth, spices, bowl items and (for takeout) packaging. |
| Selling Price | Your entered selling price, shown for the margin comparison. |
| Gross Profit / Bowl | Selling price less the cost per bowl. |
| Gross Margin | Gross profit per bowl as a percentage of selling price. |
| Theoretical / loss bowls | Portions from the entered actual broth divided by broth per bowl, compared with the sellable bowls you entered. |
The module uses the Actual final broth (L) and Actual sellable bowls you enter to count portions and loss. It does not measure your pot or count your sales automatically. Enter the measured result after production to get a realized cost.
The margin is limited to the included ingredient and packaging categories. It is not full-bowl gross profit or restaurant net profit. The module does not automatically deduct waste, labor, rent, utilities, gas, equipment, commissions, marketing or taxes.
Brisket purchase cost is included in full; no automatic allocation is made between broth production and recovered slicing meat. Avoid counting that same cost twice when preparing your own complete bowl costing.
See How to Calculate Pho Broth Cost per Bowl for a worked example of turning usable yield into a serving cost.
Troubleshooting
Why is my broth stronger or weaker than the previous batch?
Measure final yield first, then compare the actual bone/meat and water quantities, cooking sequence and seasoning. Check execution before changing the recipe. Use the batch consistency guide for the full sequence.
Why is actual broth yield different from Target Broth?
The result is a planning target, not a guaranteed finished weight. Equipment, simmer behavior, water additions and collection losses can change the actual result. The main calculator does not receive a measurement from your kitchen.
What if I enter the wrong quantity?
Select the correct starting point, correct the value and unit, leave the field, and wait for the dashboard to update. Recreate any prep list or work order generated from the wrong input. Editing the calculator cannot undo ingredients already added to a pot.
Why is a feature locked even at 5 kg?
The Free limit unlocks the basic normal-pressure workflow. Cost calculation, brand calibration and the pressure-cooker method still require Pro. Confirm that you are looking at the appropriate section.
Why does Try Free mention upgrading for spice weights?
The current brief Try Free message has older wording. Eligible Home Mode batches do provide individual spice weights and baseline seasoning quantities; cost and brand calibration remain Pro features. Use the accepted batch input and displayed results to check your current batch.
Why does the spice subtotal differ from the displayed total?
Individual quantities are rounded. Use the displayed individual weights rather than deriving a new recipe from the total or the nearby explanatory percentage text.
Why are results unchanged after I edit a value?
Calculations require a working connection to the calculation service. Check the accepted input and allow the results to finish updating. If they remain inconsistent, reload when connected and recheck before cooking; previous numbers may still be visible after a failed update.
What does “Pro check failed — please re-activate” mean?
The pressure-cooker section could not confirm access. Check connectivity, then use the displayed activation or recovery flow. Calculation service unavailable, try again later indicates that the result could not be retrieved; it is not a completed calculation.
Frequently asked questions
Is exactly 5 kg free?
Yes. Exactly 5 kg of combined bones and meat is within Free Home Mode. Above that allowance, larger main batches require Pro.
Can I enter pounds or ounces?
The current English fields use kg and g. Convert before entry; there is no pounds/ounces unit switch in this interface.
Is MSG required?
The main result labels it MSG (optional). There is no dedicated MSG toggle; record whether you used it when comparing batches.
Can I edit the main bone-to-brisket split?
The main calculator supplies its standard split as an output. It is not a pair of independently editable ingredient inputs. The Pro pressure-cooker section has separate bones and brisket entries.
Can the app read my scale or remember every batch?
No connected-scale reading or historical batch-log workflow is present in this version. Enter supported measurements yourself and save production records separately.
Is the User Guide a replacement for kitchen food-safety procedures?
No. It explains the product and its limits. The calculator does not verify food temperatures, safe equipment operation or storage conditions.
Related guides
- How to Scale Pho Broth for a Restaurant: plan a larger batch and compare the actual result.
- How to Calculate Pho Broth Cost per Bowl: connect usable yield with serving costs.
- Why Does My Pho Broth Taste Different Every Batch?: check execution before changing the recipe.
Ready to prepare your next batch? Open the Pho Master Calculator and start with the quantity you know.