Guide
How to scale a recipe up or down (and what not to multiply)
Scaling looks like simple multiplication, and for most ingredients it is. The problems come from things that don’t scale in a straight line: pan size, cooking time, seasoning and leavening. Here’s how to get a halved or doubled recipe to taste like the original.
Worked example: doubling a 4-serving recipe to 8
| Original (4 servings) | Scaled ×2 | Adjust? |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 lb chicken thighs | 3 lb | Brown in two batches so it sears instead of steaming. |
| 3 cups broth | 6 cups | Start with 5 1/2 cups; a wider pan loses less to evaporation per serving. |
| 1 tsp salt | 2 tsp | Add 1 1/2 tsp, then taste at the end. |
| 1/4 tsp cayenne | 1/2 tsp | Start with a heaping 1/4 tsp; heat builds as quantities grow. |
| 12-inch skillet | Two skillets or a roasting pan | Never just pile food deeper in the same pan. |
Rules that keep a scaled recipe working
- Change the pan, not the depth. If food sits twice as deep, it cooks differently. Doubling a 9-inch square brownie recipe fits a 9×13 pan (about the same depth). Halving a 9×13 recipe fits an 8- or 9-inch square pan.
- Time doesn’t double. A doubled casserole in a bigger pan usually needs only 10–25% longer. Check early and use a thermometer or the doneness cue in the recipe.
- Season at the end. Salt, chili, garlic and strong spices can taste stronger in big batches. Scale them to about 75% at first, then taste.
- Be careful with baking. Baking powder and baking soda can be scaled for double batches, but tripling cakes or quick breads often gives a domed, uneven bake. Make two separate batches instead.
- Eggs: when halving and you land on half an egg, beat one egg and use about 2 tablespoons (roughly 25 g).
Tricky fractions
Halving 1/3 cup gives 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons. Halving 3/4 cup gives 6 tablespoons. Two-thirds of 1/2 cup is 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon. The scaler rounds results to the spoons and cups you actually own, so you don’t have to do this by hand.