The recipe serves four, the wedding 120. Enter the ingredients with amount and unit, choose the new number of portions, and the calculator scales every ingredient, switches from grams to kilos where it makes sense and rounds sensibly. Copy or print the finished list for the kitchen.
How the scaling works
The calculator divides the desired number of portions by the portions of the original recipe. It multiplies every ingredient by this factor. 250 g of flour for 4 portions becomes 2.5 kg for 40 portions.
It converts large amounts in grams and millilitres to kilos and litres, and small amounts in kilos and litres the other way round. Pieces such as eggs are rounded up to half pieces so there is never too little, spoons and pinches to one decimal place.
What to watch out for when scaling up
Not every ingredient grows in a straight line. With large batches, start spices, salt and chilli at about two thirds and then season to taste. Raising agents and gelatine are sensitive too, a test run pays off here.
Cooking times depend on the size of the pot or tray, not on the number of portions. If you bake four tins at once instead of one, it often takes a little longer. And check whether your equipment can handle the amount: a 20-litre pot fills up quickly.
For catering, banquets and mise en place
In catering, scaling is everyday work: a recipe is developed for the tasting and then produced for 80 or 300 guests. With a clean list per recipe you plan purchasing and prep and avoid running short in the evening.
For buffets, plan a buffer of about 10 % more portions than guests registered. The scaled amounts also help with ordering: copy the list and send it straight to your supplier.
From amount to price
Once you know how much produce a recipe needs, you can price it. Enter the ingredient costs in the menu price calculator to get the food cost per portion and the right selling price.
That way you have both for every dish: the amounts for the kitchen and the price for the menu or the catering offer.