Scaling up

[BigBri]

So i have made some small batches of my sauce. Lots of them actually, tweaking and adding a little of this, a smidgen of that. I make maybe a pint or two at a time and give out small samples to friends for feedback. I think I have my recipe where I want it, and I'm ready to scale up. 
Are there certain ingredients that don't scale up well? Can I just multiply all my weights/measurements by 5 or 10 to create larger batches? I am a meticulous note taker, so I have records of all my trials. I am just worried that if I scale up from 2 pints to 5 or 10 gallons, I might blow a batch?
 
Thanks in advance for your input!
 
By the way, Love this forum. Lot's of good advice.

 

[salsalady]

BigBri~
 
If you don't have one already, invest in a good digital scale, I find one that goes up to 4 Lbs, has different units, and especially GRAMS! , works well for small batches.
Make your original small batch using however/whatever measuring unit you currently use, but weigh everything using grams as you add it to the sauce. 
 
For example, if you use 1/2c vinegar, measure out that 1/2 cup using your original measuring cup, then weigh it using grams.
If you use 2 tsp salt, slightly rounded, measure out that same amount of salt then weigh it by grams.
Take those 4 habanero and 6 jalapenos, trim 'em up and then weigh 'em out by grams.  You will want to use the same amount of peppers in each batch and the only way to keep it consistent is by weight.  O'Course, with peppers there will be some variation from chile to chile, but that's just the nature of the beast.  Using powders gives you more consistency for heat, etc.
 
 
It is critical that everythign be measured out by weight when scaling up.  Things like "1 medium onion" does not scale...
 
 
Once you have everything by weight, make a couple more small batches, then try scaling up to a 2 gallon batch before scaling up to 10 gallons.  It may not be practical to weigh out liquids.  Depending on how critical it is to have EXACTLY the right amount of liquids, you can use a good quality measuring cup. 
 
 
 
FYI- gallon jugs of vinegar are usually 1/2c-3/4 more than 1 gallon.  If you get to the point where a batch is calling for 3 gallons vinegar and you just dump the whole jug in, you could have 2-3 cups more than needed.  It's best to pour and measure in a 1 gallon measuring pitcher.
 
Have Fun!  Post Pics~~~
 
we luuv pics!  
 
salsalady
 
PS- remember to Tare whatever measuring cup you are using, or tare 1 and use that to measure everything. 

 

[pepperguy1]

 to THP.

 

[SmokenFire]

Salt, garlic and sweeteners do not always scale up well from small batch to big batch.  If you're using 2 tsp of salt per pint, using 5.3 tbsp per gallon is going to bring the salt way up and will alter your overall flavor profile significantly.  Same if you're using honey or agave to sweeten.  When I'm scaling up a test batch (usually test w 1/2 gallon batches and scale to 5 gallons) I'll add the initial amounts of salt/garlic/sweetener to the larger batch and then fine tune with more salt/garlic/sweetener a tsp at a time till I'm happy with the final balance.
 
Welcome to the site BigBri!     

 

[salsalady]

See the Weights and Measures thread for notes on salt...

 

[BigBri]

Thanks everyone for the advice and the warm welcome. I do have a digital scale. I'm a huge Alton Brown fan, and he is really big on weighing ingredients, especially dry goods. 
 
Time to head to the kitchen. A co-worker liked one of my trial batches, so I will make up a batch tonight. Just Chinese reds in this one as she wants it on the mild side. If I have time this weekend, I may bring out the big guns and go with some habaneros. 

 

[BigBri]

I made a larger batch this weekend, and the recipe scaled really well. I made 3 quarts this time, and only a minor tweak was needed. Thanks to SmokenFire for the advice to increase the size gradually. I took notes and updated my spreadsheet so I can go to 5 gallons next time.
 
Thanks again to all for their input!