Multiplying Recipes

On Tue 31 May 2005 01:01:33p, Dan Abel wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

We went on a church retreat this last weekend. There were about 50
people attending, and my wife and another guy did most of the cooking,
although they had many helpers. For lunch on sunday, my wife made
minestrone and split pea soups, along with some other food. Our usual
family recipe for split pea soup involves potatoes and chipotle peppers.
The other cook brought a small can of chipotle peppers (8 oz net
weight?) and my wife brought a larger one (16 oz?). The recipe called
for two peppers, cut into pieces. My wife made 8 recipes worth, so
needed 16 peppers. The small can contained a little less than that.
The big can didn't specify serving size by the each, but by weight.
This was of no help, but I figured that since the big can had twice the
net weight, it would have twice as many peppers. Besides, the contents
are just an average anyway, as it depends on the size of the peppers. I
suggested to my wife that she either make do with the peppers in the
small can (there were many small children there, who probably didn't
want something spicy hot) or else use the correct number of peppers from
the large can and serve the rest in a bowl so that those of us who like
very spicy food could add to taste. Apparently that went in one ear and
out the other. Later she was complaining that the soup was inedible,
because it was too hot. I tasted it, and it was just right, for my iron
mouth. I asked her, and she admitted to putting the whole of the large
can in! My wife refused to put the soup on the serving table, claiming
that it was inedible. I made it my job to steer selected people over to
the stove to the hot soup. Quite a few people really liked it. For a
true chilehead, it wasn't really that hot.

So, my question for this group from my wife, is whether when muliplying
recipes, the hot stuff should by multiplied by the same amount as the
other ingredients. This was a massive amount of soup, 8 pounds of split
peas.

There's probably more than factor to be considered. First, the relative
heat from one can of peppers may not be same from another can or brand.
Tasting as you add smaller amounts would be your best guide. Second, in
this case the soup was being served to as many as 50 people whose
individual taste may vary greatly. Cooking for the average palate or less
than average is something to consider.

Even when cooking the normal recipe amount, the variations in peppers may
dictate different amounts.

Bear in mind that making soup is not like baking a cake where chemical
formulations need to be followed.

I had a similar experience years ago when I gave a dinner party at which a
shrimp curry was the centerpiece. I normally used a domestic curry powder
blend, but this time I had an opportunity to use a curry blend imported
from India. I used the same amount of curry powder that I normally used
and the curry was so hot that even I had trouble eating it. The only way
to repair it was to make another batch of the curry, omitting the curry
powder, then combining the batches. It was just right.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Dan Abel wrote:
(snippage)

Quoted message said:

So, my question for this group from my wife, is whether when
muliplying recipes, the hot stuff should by multiplied by the same
amount as the other ingredients. This was a massive amount of soup,
8 pounds of split peas.

As has been demonstrated here, not everyone likes hot and spicy. Me, I love
it. My LLL (long lost love) can't tolerate it. I think the peppers should
not be multiplied in a communal setting where you don't know what you're
dealing with, tastebud-wise. Allow people to season at the table whether it
be adding more chillies, dashes of hot sauce, cayenne pepper, whatever. I
do the same with salt; I love salt but I use the bare minimum in anything I
cook to be served to other people. Just my 2 cents.

Jill

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

<big snip>

Chili Head, an euphemism for zero IQ... with enough hot

Quoted message said:

pepper you can tell them elephant turds are shredded wheat and they'd
love every bite.

Sheldon

ROTFLMAO.

Dimitri

Dimitri said:

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Chili Head, an euphemism for zero IQ... with enough hot

Quoted message said:

pepper you can tell them elephant turds are shredded wheat and they'd
love every bite.

ROTFLMAO.

Sorta makes me glad that I don't eat hot foods. LOL!

Carol

--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States:
http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International:
http://www.thehungersite.com/

Dan Abel said:

We went on a church retreat this last weekend. There were about 50 people
attending, and my wife and another guy did most of the cooking, although
they had many helpers. For lunch on sunday, my wife made minestrone and
split pea soups, along with some other food. Our usual family recipe for
split pea soup involves potatoes and chipotle peppers. The other cook
brought a small can of chipotle peppers (8 oz net weight?) and my wife
brought a larger one (16 oz?). The recipe called for two peppers, cut
into pieces. My wife made 8 recipes worth, so needed 16 peppers. The
small can contained a little less than that. The big can didn't specify
serving size by the each, but by weight. This was of no help, but I
figured that since the big can had twice the net weight, it would have
twice as many peppers. Besides, the contents are just an average anyway,
as it depends on the size of the peppers. I suggested to my wife that she
either make do with the peppers in the small can (there were many small
children there, who probably didn't want something spicy hot) or else use
the correct number of peppers from the large can and serve the rest in a
bowl so that those of us who like very spicy food could add to taste.
Apparently that went in one ear and out the other. Later she was
complaining that the soup was inedible, because it was too hot. I tasted
it, and it was just right, for my iron mouth. I asked her, and she
admitted to putting the whole of the large can in! My wife refused to put
the soup on the serving table, claiming that it was inedible. I made it
my job to steer selected people over to the stove to the hot soup. Quite
a few people really liked it. For a true chilehead, it wasn't really that
hot.

So, my question for this group from my wife, is whether when muliplying
recipes, the hot stuff should by multiplied by the same amount as the
other ingredients. This was a massive amount of soup, 8 pounds of split
peas.

I've not found multiplying or dividing to always work well with herbs,
spices, etc. But, your problem with the chiles is probably due to the
varying amounts of heat found in the same species. I always "taste
test" my chiles as I'm chopping in case I run into a "zinger". (Same
thing can happen with onions if it's to be served raw.)
Add slowly....and taste often!

Bubba

--
You wanna measure, or you wanna cook?

Bubba said:

Quoted message said:

(clipped subversive thinking about hot peppers)
Sheldon

Wrong on all counts.

Yeehaa Bubba, you tell'em. Making a batch of Peach Habenero Jam today. It's
fabulous stuff.
Edrena

The Joneses said:

Bubba said:

Quoted message said:

(clipped subversive thinking about hot peppers)
Sheldon

Wrong on all counts.

Yeehaa Bubba, you tell'em. Making a batch of Peach Habenero Jam today. It's
fabulous stuff.
Edrena

Sounds good. I've never been much of a sweet eater, but started playing
with "Sweet Heat" and really like it!

Bubba

--
You wanna measure, or you wanna cook?

As a cook/ baker/ dining facility manager in the Marine Corps, I was
used to upscaling batches of whatever we were making. Food in military
kitchens is usually made from scratch, using off the shelf raw
ingredients where economically suitable. Recipes were never made
intentionally hot spicewise, as this can wreak havoc on a battlefield.
A balance of flavors was the norm.

Our recipes were always in batches of 100 portions, and the quantities
were always by WEIGHT.This was doubly important for spices &
seasonings, not just because of the flavor but because of the cost. The
spices for a batch of chili cost significantly more than say, a batch
of spaghetti sauce. Some dishes (like mashed potatoes) got very little
seasoning, perhaps salt & a little paprika on top of the pan. Not
following the recipe cards would get you in BIG trouble with the brass,
and they could often tell by the taste if it was made correctly. Any
doctoring of recipes had to be made on authority of the chief cook.

A couple rules of thumb that we always had about salt, spices and
especially peppers. First was that all spices for a recipe were weighed
out individually, combined, the thoroughly mixed. This was done before
they went into the kettle. Next one was that three quarters of the
spice mixture was added at the appropriate time marked on the recipe
card. Any hot items were always added near the beginning of cooking, so
they had time to mellow out in the cooking process. Tasting was part of
the process, woe be the Marine who didn't. Any remaining seasonings
went in near the very end, perhaps 20 minutes before serving. A final
tasting right before serving was usually done by the chief cook.
Hope it helps a bit. FYI, these techniques work the same for 10
portions as they do for for 10,000. I've been on hand for both ends of
that spread, and lots in between.

Jim

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue 31 May 2005 01:01:33p, Dan Abel wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

We went on a church retreat this last weekend. There were about 50
people attending, and my wife and another guy did most of the
cooking,
although they had many helpers. For lunch on sunday, my wife made
minestrone and split pea soups, along with some other food. Our
usual
family recipe for split pea soup involves potatoes and chipotle
peppers.
The other cook brought a small can of chipotle peppers (8 oz net
weight?) and my wife brought a larger one (16 oz?). The recipe
called
for two peppers, cut into pieces. My wife made 8 recipes worth, so
needed 16 peppers. The small can contained a little less than
that.
The big can didn't specify serving size by the each, but by weight.
This was of no help, but I figured that since the big can had twice
the
net weight, it would have twice as many peppers. Besides, the
contents
are just an average anyway, as it depends on the size of the
peppers. I
suggested to my wife that she either make do with the peppers in
the
small can (there were many small children there, who probably
didn't
want something spicy hot) or else use the correct number of peppers
from
the large can and serve the rest in a bowl so that those of us who
like
very spicy food could add to taste. Apparently that went in one ear
and
out the other. Later she was complaining that the soup was
inedible,
because it was too hot. I tasted it, and it was just right, for my
iron
mouth. I asked her, and she admitted to putting the whole of the
large
can in! My wife refused to put the soup on the serving table,
claiming
that it was inedible. I made it my job to steer selected people
over to
the stove to the hot soup. Quite a few people really liked it.
For a
true chilehead, it wasn't really that hot.

So, my question for this group from my wife, is whether when
muliplying
recipes, the hot stuff should by multiplied by the same amount as
the
other ingredients. This was a massive amount of soup, 8 pounds of
split
peas.

There's probably more than factor to be considered. First, the
relative
heat from one can of peppers may not be same from another can or
brand.
Tasting as you add smaller amounts would be your best guide.
Second, in
this case the soup was being served to as many as 50 people whose
individual taste may vary greatly. Cooking for the average palate
or less
than average is something to consider.

Even when cooking the normal recipe amount, the variations in
peppers may
dictate different amounts.

Bear in mind that making soup is not like baking a cake where
chemical
formulations need to be followed.

I had a similar experience years ago when I gave a dinner party at
which a
shrimp curry was the centerpiece. I normally used a domestic curry
powder
blend, but this time I had an opportunity to use a curry blend
imported
from India. I used the same amount of curry powder that I normally
used
and the curry was so hot that even I had trouble eating it. The
only way
to repair it was to make another batch of the curry, omitting the
curry
powder, then combining the batches. It was just right.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

I had a similar problem when I made chili in the UK. I used the same
amount of chili powder I used at home. What I didn't know what this
was straight powdered chilis not the chili powder I get at home and as
with you it was almost inedible. Even after I doctored it up a bit it
was way hot! I bring my own chili powder when I go home now.

Helen

parrotheada1a said:

I've been on hand for both ends of
that spread, and lots in between.

Hehe...you roue you...you DIRTY bird ;=p

--
Best
Greg

"Dan Abel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We went on a church retreat this last weekend. There were about 50 people
attending, and my wife and another guy did most of the cooking, although
they had many helpers. For lunch on sunday, my wife made minestrone and
split pea soups, along with some other food. Our usual family recipe for
split pea soup involves potatoes and chipotle peppers. The other cook
brought a small can of chipotle peppers (8 oz net weight?) and my wife
brought a larger one (16 oz?). The recipe called for two peppers, cut
into pieces. My wife made 8 recipes worth, so needed 16 peppers. The
small can contained a little less than that. The big can didn't specify
serving size by the each, but by weight. This was of no help, but I
figured that since the big can had twice the net weight, it would have
twice as many peppers. Besides, the contents are just an average anyway,
as it depends on the size of the peppers. I suggested to my wife that she
either make do with the peppers in the small can (there were many small
children there, who probably didn't want something spicy hot) or else use
the correct number of peppers from the large can and serve the rest in a
bowl so that those of us who like very spicy food could add to taste.
Apparently that went in one ear and out the other. Later she was
complaining that the soup was inedible, because it was too hot. I tasted
it, and it was just right, for my iron mouth. I asked her, and she
admitted to putting the whole of the large can in! My wife refused to put
the soup on the serving table, claiming that it was inedible. I made it
my job to steer selected people over to the stove to the hot soup. Quite
a few people really liked it. For a true chilehead, it wasn't really that
hot.

So, my question for this group from my wife, is whether when muliplying
recipes, the hot stuff should by multiplied by the same amount as the
other ingredients. This was a massive amount of soup, 8 pounds of split
peas.

Yes, indeed - one just keeps the proportions the same, increasing the
amounts equally.

Shaun aRe - Bet I woulda loved that soup - my kinda accident ',;~}~

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

I used the same amount of curry powder that I normally used

Quoted message said:

and the curry was so hot that even I had trouble eating it. The only way
to repair it was to make another batch of the curry, omitting the curry
powder, then combining the batches. It was just right.

Heh - done that, done it with heat, sugar, salt, heheheheheh...

Shaun aRe

"FREECYCLEMOM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:1117587425.4dadb531121f2e109cfe876d720462dd@teranews...

Quoted message said:

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I had a similar experience years ago when I gave a dinner party at
which a
shrimp curry was the centerpiece. I normally used a domestic curry
powder
blend, but this time I had an opportunity to use a curry blend
imported
from India. I used the same amount of curry powder that I normally
used
and the curry was so hot that even I had trouble eating it. The
only way
to repair it was to make another batch of the curry, omitting the
curry
powder, then combining the batches. It was just right.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

I had a similar problem when I made chili in the UK. I used the same
amount of chili powder I used at home. What I didn't know what this
was straight powdered chilis not the chili powder I get at home and as
with you it was almost inedible. Even after I doctored it up a bit it
was way hot! I bring my own chili powder when I go home now.

Helen

Use less and add cumin and oregano = better than pre-blended IME ',;~}~

Shaun aRe

"The Joneses" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bubba said:

Quoted message said:

(clipped subversive thinking about hot peppers)
Sheldon

Wrong on all counts.

Yeehaa Bubba, you tell'em. Making a batch of Peach Habenero Jam today.

It's

Quoted message said:

fabulous stuff.
Edrena

OMG - yet to try this myself, but I've used peach and habs together in a hot
sweet salsa before - a match made in heaven! Net friend of mine claims to
have made orange hab and peach ice-cream too, that was said to be delicious
',;~}~

Shaun aRe - Hab's go well with mango too, really well...