doubling a recipe without ruining it
learned most of this the hard way, mostly in a 9x13 pan
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1
Match the pan to the new volume before anything else
doubled brownie batter into the same 9x13 once and got gray edges with a raw middle, needed a bigger pan or two pans
2
Brown meat in batches, don't double it in one pan
crowd the pan and you're steaming, not searing
3
Salt and acid go in at the very end, not doubled upfront
soy sauce and fish sauce especially don't scale 1:1. your tongue is the real measuring cup here
4
Aromatics and chile scale to about 1.5x, not 2x
5
Go easy on the leavening in doubled baked goods
doubling baking soda exactly can leave a soapy edge in a bigger cake. found this out with a very flat, very metallic attempt
6
Add time in small increments, not double the clock
a doubled braise needs more time but nowhere close to 2x, the pot's just deeper
7
Fold or whisk longer, the bigger the batch
8
Taste the sauce before the pasta goes in, not after
9
Chill doubled cookie dough a bit longer before it bakes
an extra 15-20 min in the fridge or it spreads more than usual
10
Write the doubled amounts down before you start (double it)
your mid-cook memory is not to be trusted, i've added the flour twice more than once
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