Doubling a batch of soup
Straying from the printed recipe still makes me a little twitchy, so I ask you, gentle cooks (chefs?):
Can I safely double the cooking time? (In this case, it's a split pea soup, dried split peas - used 2 lbs instead of 1, and doubled everything else)
On a side note, the pot I picked is somewhat undersized for a double batch, as it turns out. The broth is nearly to the lip of the pot. Other than making sure it doesn't boil over during the simmer phase, is this a bad thing?
Best Answer
Kara, you shouldn't need to adjust the cooking time at all. If the recipe says to bring to a simmer and then cook for 45 minutes, it will probably take longer to come to a simmer, but once it is there, you can leave it for 45 minutes.
The best recipes (in my opinion) will give you a time as a guideline, but the real instruction will be some target like "until 160 degrees" or "until peas begin to break down". If your recipe has that, you can look for those cues at roughly the same time the recipe suggests.
edit: I forgot to mention the pot size issue. It shouldn't be a problem. The two issues you could encounter would be:
- boiling over
- temperature variation
The former you're aware of already; the latter issue is that the soup at the top of the pot could be a bit colder than lower down. The two solutions are:
- use a lid (this keeps the heat in)
- stir periodically (this keeps both the heat and the peas better distributed)
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Quick Answer about "Doubling a batch of soup"
Always multiply by 2 the original amount called for in a recipe to calculate the new amount in the doubled recipe. Increasing salt, pepper, dried herbs, and spices. Multiply by 1.5 the original amount called for in a recipe to calculate the new amount in the doubled recipe.How much longer do you cook when doubling?
If you're cooking double the amount in a double sized tin/dish, decrease the temperature by approximately 15 to 25c and increase the cooking time. If you're cooking double the amount in separate tins/dishes/ whatever, (more volume in the oven) increase the temperature by approximately 25c and increase the cooking time.How do you increase the amount of soup?
To make a soup more filling, you can simply add more of an existing ingredient, such as more rice to a bowl of chicken and rice soup or more pasta to minestrone soup. To make soup more of a balanced meal, you can add meat, beans or cheese to a vegetable soup that doesn't already contain these ingredients.Does doubling a recipe work?
It's usually safe to go ahead and simply multiply by two for base ingredients like vegetables, broth, and protein, but for flavor elements (like spices) it's better to start by multiplying by 1.5 and then tasting and adjusting from there, especially if you're not always precise about leveling off measuring spoons.Why does doubling a recipe not work?
Truth is, there's chemistry involved too, and formulas for baked goods are based on specific measurements; so doubling ingredients can disturb this precision and yield a supersized amount of something you can't enjoy (via MyRecipes).Tip of the Day: Double Batch of Soup
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