I cannot afford to use a co-packer so I found I kitchen to rent. I know that to scale a recipe you don't just multiply it out....you end up with an unedible pot of goooooh!!!! Do I convert all my measurements to weights (grams) due to the fact everything weighs different i.e. 1 cup of flour=125g where as 1 cup of salt=273g and multiply that out?
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Scaling a recipe....
- Thread starter Dyce51
- Start date
salsalady
Business Member
yes, and keep in mind that even though some things are the same they aren't the same. Granulated garlic is not the same as garlic powder.
Sea Salt has larger granules than regular table salt. 100grams of sea salt should have more volume than 100 grams of regular salt.
Get a GOOD gram scale, and measure out your ingredients as you've been measuring them for your recipes using the same measuring cups as you've always used. A friend of mine had a recipe for peanut brittle made by her father, and it literally used the same china coffee cup her dad used to measure the sugar and nuts etc.
Salt tends to scale up heavy so when making larger batches, go a little light on the salt, taste it and add a skosh more if needed. (nod to LDHS for that tidbit~)
And weigh out everything to the gram including liquids.
Glad to hear you've found a place to work! That's a great step forward.
Sea Salt has larger granules than regular table salt. 100grams of sea salt should have more volume than 100 grams of regular salt.
Get a GOOD gram scale, and measure out your ingredients as you've been measuring them for your recipes using the same measuring cups as you've always used. A friend of mine had a recipe for peanut brittle made by her father, and it literally used the same china coffee cup her dad used to measure the sugar and nuts etc.
Salt tends to scale up heavy so when making larger batches, go a little light on the salt, taste it and add a skosh more if needed. (nod to LDHS for that tidbit~)
And weigh out everything to the gram including liquids.
Glad to hear you've found a place to work! That's a great step forward.
Dyce51,
In addition to the salt SL mentioned, there are quite a few other ingredients that do not scale up directly. For me, I use orange zest. Aromatics like zest need to be scaled up with a very light hand. I have ultimately found that I have a tendency to reduce the proportion of vinegar and a couple of other ingredients a bit as well.
Once you scale up your first batch, if it doesn't taste and smell like your smaller batches, don't freak as it's still likely good Use it as your control and make the adjustments on the succeeding ones (I am on my 7th large batch and am still making micro adjustments). They are likely small and your palate sensitive to differences that the majority of folks can't necessarily taste.
Also expect a slightly higher yield and an ever so slightly thinner sauce. The volume to surface area has increased and evaporation is ultimately less than on your smaller batches.
I hope this helps alleviate some of the panic I felt noting these changes the first night in my commercial kitchen.
Good luck.
In addition to the salt SL mentioned, there are quite a few other ingredients that do not scale up directly. For me, I use orange zest. Aromatics like zest need to be scaled up with a very light hand. I have ultimately found that I have a tendency to reduce the proportion of vinegar and a couple of other ingredients a bit as well.
Once you scale up your first batch, if it doesn't taste and smell like your smaller batches, don't freak as it's still likely good Use it as your control and make the adjustments on the succeeding ones (I am on my 7th large batch and am still making micro adjustments). They are likely small and your palate sensitive to differences that the majority of folks can't necessarily taste.
Also expect a slightly higher yield and an ever so slightly thinner sauce. The volume to surface area has increased and evaporation is ultimately less than on your smaller batches.
I hope this helps alleviate some of the panic I felt noting these changes the first night in my commercial kitchen.
Good luck.
Salt is also notorious for not scaling well.
When scaling to 100 gal, I use roughly 60% o the salt in my recipes that I'd use in 2 gallons (proportionally speaking).
Highly recommend making a "test batch" in the kettle - if you've got a 10 gal kettle, make 3 gal of sauce & see how it is. That way you can see what ingredients to tweak proportionally before committing to 10 gal (for example)
Salt's easier than others in that you can add while cooking. I suggest starting with 1/2 the salt of your small batch recipe (proportionally) and adding to taste. Spoon sauce from the kettle into a ramekin, cool, taste - add salt as needed. You can always add more - you cannot take it out.
When scaling to 100 gal, I use roughly 60% o the salt in my recipes that I'd use in 2 gallons (proportionally speaking).
Highly recommend making a "test batch" in the kettle - if you've got a 10 gal kettle, make 3 gal of sauce & see how it is. That way you can see what ingredients to tweak proportionally before committing to 10 gal (for example)
Salt's easier than others in that you can add while cooking. I suggest starting with 1/2 the salt of your small batch recipe (proportionally) and adding to taste. Spoon sauce from the kettle into a ramekin, cool, taste - add salt as needed. You can always add more - you cannot take it out.
My recipe is currently a 2 gallon recipe and the kitchen I found has a 20 gallon kettle. I am going to make a 2 gallon batch here at home and weigh everything out and convert it over....go light on the "bold" flavors (ie salt, vinegar, etc) always can add more but cant remove once added... Thanks so much for the help!
Actually vinegar is one that you can (typically) scale 1:1, and you'll want to cook at hold time/temp with vinegar the entire time. You don't want to add anything fresh to the mix after it's been cooking either. Benign spices like salt, dried peppers, "spices" etc can be added to taste, but nothing fresh once you've started cooking. For a 20 gal kettle you'll probably be making a 5-7 gal test batch. Consult with your kitchen mgr to see what his experience with the kettle is. My test batches run 70-80 CS because it's 150 gal, and reportedly the superheated kettle will scald a sauce if you go much below that qty.
If they think 4-5 gallons won't scald around the edges, you're good to go. With a little luck your sauces will scale well the 1st time and the "test batch" will be a sell-able product!
Good luck!
If they think 4-5 gallons won't scald around the edges, you're good to go. With a little luck your sauces will scale well the 1st time and the "test batch" will be a sell-able product!
Good luck!