If I Double A Recipe Do I Double The Cooking Time?

We have heard a lot of people ask – “If I double a recipe do I double the cooking time?”

Perhaps the recipe you have found is so good, yet it is not enough for the number of people you are making the dish for.

This is why you want to double your recipe. Yet, you are afraid of making a mistake and cooking it for a longer time than you should.

So, what is the verdict when it comes to doubling a recipe? We investigate and present to you these tips.

How To Double Or Triple A Recipe

You want to make bread but then you wonder – do you double baking powder when doubling a recipe?

Before you go ahead and generously add more of the ingredient in question than you should, it is best to err on the side of caution.

Also, you can make use of online calculators, which come in handy when you want to compute just how much of the ingredient you need to add.

Quite frankly, there is no one rule that is designed to work when doubling a recipe.

But the sure thing is that you need to perform your calculations before cooking. Avoid calculating the doubled measurement of ingredients as you prepare for your recipe. Calculate the new amount and then write it down before you begin cooking.

We understand, however, that it is a rather challenging and time-consuming thing to do.

Thus, here are some quick pointers to keep in mind:

1. Double your ingredients.

If the ingredient is measured by its weight, then you can simply double it by multiplying by 2. Easy-peasy. The same goes when the measurement is in cups or number of spoons. Just multiply by 2, and it’s all good.

2. Precision matters.

We cannot stress this one enough – all measurements need to be precise when you double the ingredients. This is why you should make use of a food scale to achieve this goal.

If you are using liquids such as water or broth or solids such as eggs, produce, and meats, simply multiply the original amount by 2, so you can double the recipe.

3. Calculating the amount for seasoning and herbs.

If you want to double the amount of salt, spices, herbs, and pepper, you should multiply the original by 1.5. However, feel free to add more as needed. You can simply adjust the amount based on what it tastes like and how you want the flavor to be.

4. Measure; do not eyeball.

Let’s say you need to increase the amount of alcohol in the recipe. Always measure it and do not eye-ball the amount you want to add. You can go with adding 1.5 of the original amount instead of multiplying by 2.

With spicy ingredients, the situation is different. You need to be very careful when doubling the amount of spicy ingredients such as red pepper flakes, chiles, or cayenne pepper. In fact, it is rare that you should double these ingredients. It is more difficult to reduce the level of heat but easier to add more if you wish.

5. Practice caution with fats.

When you are sauteing or searing, always use the right amount of fat needed. Limit it to the level that is enough to cover a thin layer of the surface of your pan. But if fat is one of the ingredients in the recipe, then you can multiply the amount by 2 if you wish to double the recipe.

Do You Double The Cooking Time?

This is a tricky thing since now you have more ingredients, and you wonder if you should cook it longer, as well.

It is quite rare that the cook time is longer than what the recipe requires for the original amount of ingredients. The most important thing is that you check carefully for doneness once you have reached the time required.

However, you can also check every few minutes to make sure it is not undercooked or overcooked.

The temperature can be increased, depending on how many pans you are using to cook. If you have two pans in the oven at the same time, then you should increase the required temperature by about 25 degrees.

When making baked goods, you should think carefully before doubling the cooking time. Doubling is tricky since you may end up not achieving the result you wanted. This is why we recommend that you prepare your recipe in a single batch at one time.

Simply follow the recipe and just do the next batches when you are done with the first. This way, you can prevent any hassles that can cost you more time, energy and money.

Do you double baking powder when doubling a recipe

Most of the time, baking powder can simply be doubled in your baked goods recipes. Yet, it is tricky since this ingredient does not scale up as nicely as the other ingredients.

If you use too much, the cookies or cake will rise too much then collapse and get much flatter than how you want them to be.

So, if you are using an extra cup of flour, use 1 to 1-1/4 teaspoon of baking powder. If you need to add baking soda, then maintain the original ratio, even if you add more flour.

If I double a rice recipe do I double the cooking time

When cooking rice, there is no need to double the cooking time. As for the amount of water, this depends on the type of rice you use. Some rice follows the 1:1 ratio while others require a 1:2 ratio.

Final thoughts

When doubling a recipe, it is important to follow the right measurements to avoid getting the wrong results. You should consider the tips we have shared above, so you can ensure the best results even if you doubled or tripled your recipe.