You’ve probably wondered if you can turn a recipe that makes four meals into two dinners or a feast for eight. It seems to be a matter of arithmetic until you start cooking the dish and find out that double chicken thighs cannot fit in the same pan, or that dividing the ingredients in the sauce in half made it too thin or too thick.
So when the New York Times engineers directed a generative artificial intelligence model to scale our recipes, I worked with them to address common questions that math alone couldn’t answer and create flexible rules for a variety of situations. (How do you split three whole eggs in half?) Our recipe editors, all with decades of experience, then reviewed the recipes with the scales, and the engineers incorporated that feedback into their model to help ensure the best results.
Clicking the drop-down menu for the scale feature allows you to choose from options to halve or double the recipe (or return it to the original).Credit…New York Times Cooking
After extensive updates, the New York Times Cooking app now offers the option to automatically repeat and reduce all of its recipes (over 25,000 and counting) with a simple tap. Measured recipes, unlike real ones, have not been tested to ensure successful results as they are written, so they will require more attention from you in the kitchen. You’ll need to taste and season as you go and use your other senses (as well as your common sense) to make sure the dish turns out delicious.
When on scale, changes to the recipe appear in orange.Credit…New York Times Cooking
As you cook recipes with scales, keep these tips in mind:
Find the cooking supplies you need.
If some recipes are doubled, you will see a tip noting that you may need to divide the ingredients between two pots or pans. Follow this advice when preparing large-format dishes such as pan meals, holiday roasts or large braises if the ingredients won’t fit in your largest cookware.
Half-baking recipes will automatically include adjusted pan sizes, and doubles usually suggest using two identical pans. If you are an experienced baker with an assortment of bakeware, you can also choose another pan that holds half or twice the capacity of the first one.
If a double recipe calls for a slow cooker, air fryer, wok, pressure cooker or grill, you may need to work in batches. (The same goes for recipes that use a blender, stand mixer or food processor.) For halved recipes, you may need to scrape the bowl more to combine small amounts.
Weigh the eggs for the most accurate results.
Doubling eggs is easy, but halving an odd number of wholes, yolks or whites is difficult. For recipes where eggs are cooked and served whole, simply cook as many as you want to eat. For custards, pancake batter and baked goods such as quiches, cakes and pastries, we have given the weight of the eggs, as well as the range of the number of eggs. For example, a portion of “three large eggs” is listed as “1 to 2 large eggs (about 75 grams).” To get what you need, crack two eggs in a bowl, beat them to combine and weigh 75 grams. Follow the same procedure for egg yolks or whites as needed.
Taste and adjust the seasoning as you go.
For double cooking, think twice about whether you want double the amount of spices such as spices or dried herbs in your final dish, especially if the spices are fresh and therefore very strong. Start with a little more than the recipe calls for (you can always taste and adjust later). Alternatively, if they’re out of date but you still want to use them, go ahead and double them (or go in a bit more)! CATHY THIS
Focus on cooking methods rather than cooking times.
If recipes are doubled, they will usually take longer to cook, while half recipes will usually cook faster. Cooking times remain the same in standard recipes, as any differences cannot be calculated as reliably as ingredient amounts. Pay close attention to doneness indicators (“until golden,” “until puffed up” and the like) in addition to cooking times. In general, check ahead of time for half recipes and note that double recipes may require cooking (or baking) longer. ALEXA WEIBEL
Adjust the stove temperature as needed.
The recipe measuring tool does not adjust the initial stove or oven temperature, as it usually does not need to change. However, sometimes you may need to lower the heat on the stove to get it to boil properly, or increase the heat if the food seems to be smoking instead of heating up. ADINA STEIMAN
Alternate oven racks to ensure even baking.
For double recipes that use two sheet pans or baking dishes or pans, first arrange the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven before heating. The heat in the oven is often uneven, so be sure to rotate the pans between racks during baking to ensure that both pans get an equal amount of heat. ADINA STEIMAN
The module above the recipe reminds you that the recipe has been measured but not tested.Credit…New York Times Cooking
As you can see, measuring recipes (like cooking yourself) is an exact science. The advantage of trying a recipe with a measure, without keeping the number of servings you want, is how much it can teach you: Finding any necessary (and nuanced) changes is a good way to become a good cook. And we are always working to improve this productive aspect of AI. If you come across something that you think should be changed, click the “Send us feedback” email link that appears below the ingredient list on the scale or share your thoughts here.
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