Scale a recipe up or down
Four servings becoming seven, or a halved batch: scale every ingredient quantity at once instead of doing each line in your head.
Tools used in this guide
The job
A recipe serves four and six people are coming. Every quantity multiplies by 1.5 — doing twenty lines by hand invites arithmetic slips, especially with fractions like `1/2 cup`.
Multiplier or servings
Multiplier mode scales directly: `2` doubles, `0.5` halves. Servings mode computes the factor for you — from 4 to 6 servings means every line scales by 1.5.
Only the first number on each line changes, so write lines like `flour 200g` or `2 eggs`. `salt to taste` passes through untouched and is counted so nothing scales silently.
Where math ends
Scaling is linear, but cooking is not always: spices, salt, and leavening often need less than the straight ratio at large factors, and pan size affects bake time. Treat the scaled list as exact arithmetic and season to taste.