How to Double a Recipe

Posted on Nov 16 2016 - 12:08pm by Liz E.

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Being frugal is all about saving money. And, while things like making food from scratch and buying in bulk are more obvious ways to save, one thing that most people overlook is cooking more than you need. Whenever I plan out a meal, I always make sure that I make enough to have leftovers so that I can either stretch it across multiple days or take it for lunch and save myself some money and time.

Depending on what you’re making and how many people you are cooking for, an easy way to do this is to double the recipe. But, there’s a bit more to doubling a recipe than you might think. Here are some tips for doubling a recipe:

1. Double some ingredients, but not all…

Obviously you’re going to be doubling the basic ingredients, but there are a few you won’t want to. For example, spicy ingredients should only be multiplied by 1.25. Herbs, salt, pepper, and alcohol should only be multiplied by 1.5. And, if you’re cooking the recipe in any kind of fat, you likely won’t need to double that.

2. Do the calculations before you start

While doubling is not something most of us need a calculator for, trust me, you do not want to be trying to do the math on 1.25 of 1 tsp while you’re in the middle of measuring things. Figure it all out and write it down beforehand. And, while you’re at it, pull out all the ingredients and make sure you have enough to double everything.

Here’s a quick chart for doubling common measurements:

Original                     Doubled              1.25                            1.5        
1/4 tsp . . . . . . . . . . . 1/2 tsp . . . . . . .  1/3 tsp . . . . . . . . . 1/3 tsp
1/2 tsp . . . . . . . . . . . 1 tsp. . . . . . . . . . 2/3 tsp . . . . . . . . .  3/4 tsp
3/4 tsp . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1/2 tsp. . . . . .  1 tsp . . . . . . . . . . .  1 1/8 tsp
1 tsp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 tsp. . . . . . . . .  1 1/4 tsp . . . . . . . .  1 1/2 tsp
1 Tbsp . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Tbsp. . . . . . . .  1 Tbsp 1 tsp . . . .  1 Tbsp 1 1/2 tsp
1/4 cup . . . . . . . . . . 1/2 cup. . . . . . . . 1/3 cup . . . . . . . . . 1/3 cup
1/3 cup . . . . . . . . . . 2/3 cup. . . . . . . . 1/3 cup . . . . . . . . .  1/2 cup
1/2 cup . . . . . . . . . . 1 cup . . . . . . . . . 2/3 cup . . . . . . . . . . 3/4 cup
2/3 cup . . . . . . . . . . 1 1/3 cup . . . . . 3/4 cup . . . . . . . . .  1 cup
3/4 cup . . . . . . . . . . 1 1/2 cup . . . . . 1 cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1/8 cup
1 cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 cup . . . . . . . . 1 1/4 cup . . . . . . . . . 1 1/2 cup

3. Be precise

When you’re doubling ingredients, it’s especially important to be precise with your measuring. This is doubly true if you’re baking. (See what I did there?)

4. Adjust your temperature

It might be tempting to simply double your cooking time when you double a recipe, but instead, I recommend you keep the same cooking time and simply raise the temperature by 25 degrees. Be sure to keep an eye on it though!

5. Not all recipes should be doubled

As you might be able to guess, the more complex a recipe is, the more difficult it will be to double it. If you’re making a new recipe or are unsure of how to double a step, sometimes your best bet is to simply make two batches.

What other tips do you have? Tell me in the comments below!

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