Batch Cooking Calculator

How the calculator works

Batch cooking is one multiplication, one division and one rounding.

portions needed = people x meals

batches = portions needed / servings per batch, rounded up

portions left over = batches x servings per batch - portions needed

You cannot cook a third of a batch as a separate event, so the calculator always rounds up to a whole one and tells you what the rounding leaves you with.

It also shows the exact multiplier: portions needed divided by servings per batch, not rounded. That is the figure to use if you would rather make one large pot of exactly the right size than several standard batches with some left.

Worked example

A household of four wants dinner covered for the five weeknights, all from one chili recipe that serves 6.

1. Portions needed: 4 x 5 = 20.
2. Batches: 20 / 6 = 3.33. Round up to 4.
3. Portions made: 4 x 6 = 24.
4. Left over: 24 - 20 = 4.

So four batches gives you the week plus one extra dinner for the four of you. If you would rather have nothing left, the multiplier is 3.33: take the recipe’s ingredient list and multiply each line by 3.33.

There is usually a third option that the numbers point to. Three batches makes 18 portions, which is 2 short of 20. If one night can be something else, three batches is less work and less shopping. The calculator gives you the figures. Which of the three you pick is a judgment about your week.

Meals means meals of this dish

The middle box is how many times each person will eat this recipe, not how many meals are in the week. If you are cooking two dishes for five nights and alternating, each dish covers two or three nights, not five.

Work out each dish on its own:

• Chili, 3 nights, 4 people: 12 portions. A recipe for 6 is exactly 2 batches.
• Curry, 2 nights, 4 people: 8 portions. A recipe for 4 is exactly 2 batches.

Planning this way also shows you where recipes line up neatly with your household. A recipe that serves 6 is awkward for four people (one and a half dinners) and tidy for three (two dinners) or two (three dinners).

Batches or one big pot

The calculator gives both answers because both are valid.

Separate batches follow the recipe exactly as written, so the timings and the pan sizes in the recipe still hold. This is the safer route for anything baked, where the depth of the batter in the pan decides how it cooks.

One scaled-up pot is quicker for soups, stews, sauces and curries, as long as the pot is big enough. Before you multiply a recipe by 3 or 4, check the volume. A recipe that fills a 4 quart pot will need 12 to 16 quarts at that scale.

Not everything in a recipe scales in a straight line. The recipe scaler on this site flags the lines that need a second look when you multiply: eggs, yeast, salt and spices, along with baking times and pan sizes. Seasoning is the common one. Taste a scaled-up pot before you add the full multiplied amount of salt and spices.

Portion size is the hidden variable

Every figure here depends on what the recipe calls a serving. “Serves 6” from one cookbook can be a generous bowl, and from another a small plate that assumes side dishes.

Before you plan a week around a recipe, check its serving size against how your household eats. If a recipe that claims 6 servings usually feeds your family of four once with a little over, then for you it serves about 4.5, and that is the number to enter. Using the real figure matters more than any of the arithmetic.

The same goes for mixed households. If two of your four eat half portions, enter 3 people, not 4.

Costing the batch

Once you know how many batches you are cooking, you know your shopping list: the recipe’s ingredients multiplied by the number of batches. Two other tools on this site pick up from there.

The recipe cost calculator works out what one batch costs from the price and size of each package. The meal prep cost calculator divides your grocery spend by the number of meals made and compares it with buying the same meals.

Tips and common mistakes

Count portions, not people. Four people for five nights is 20, and it is easy to shop for 4.

Check the pot before you scale. The multiplier tells you how much food. It does not tell you whether it fits.

Count your containers. Twenty four portions need twenty four spaces, or six containers of four.

Label what you store with the dish and the date.

Use the leftover figure on purpose. Four spare portions is a planned extra dinner. Do not let it become four forgotten boxes.

Re-run the numbers when the head count changes. One guest for two of the five nights adds 2 portions, which can tip you into another batch or use up the spare.