Cooking Q&A: Cut A Recipe In Half? (2024)

FAQs

What happens to the cooking temperature when you cut a recipe in half? ›

If you're sautéing or searing a halved recipe, keep the heat and cook time the same but size down your pan. If you're cooking a halved recipe in the oven, keep the oven temperature the same but size down your cooking vessel and reduce the cook time by 1/3 — but check on it as you go.

Do not cut the cooking time in half just because your recipe is halved. However, you may need to reduce it slightly. For something like cookies, muffins, or items being cooked in separate dishes (small ramekins, for example), the cooking time can usually be kept the same.

Your best bet is to lightly whisk the whole egg in a small bowl until incorporated and then measure out half the amount. Generally, half a large egg is 2 tablespoons (or if you have a scale, a vastly more accurate 25g).

If a recipe calls for 3 eggs and you want to divide the recipe by 1/2, you'll need 1 1/2 eggs. The "one" part is easy—it's right there at your fingertips. The 1/2 egg can be measured out by whisking another egg and using only 1/2 of it, or by using 2 tablespoons.

When the liquid in the pot is the same height as your halfway mark, you've reduced that liquid by half.

Can you boil half and half? No: there isn't enough fat for the mixture to stay hom*ogenized, and you'll end up with curdles. It's best to add the half and half as the last ingredient when your soup or sauce is finished. Then heat it gradually to a simmer to ensure that the half and half doesn't curdle.

By adding melted butter, which is around 80% fat, to the liquid, you can increase that fat content. For this substitution, you'll want to combine ¾ cup of half-and-half with ¼ cup melted unsalted butter—this will replace 1 cup of heavy cream.

How does half-and-half compare with heavy cream and coffee creamer? To substitute for 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream, combine 7/8 cup (232 grams) of half-and-half with 1/8 cup (29 grams) of melted butter. This substitute works in virtually any recipe, including those that require whipping.

Cut in. To mix a cold fat (such as butter) with flour or dry ingredients by hand until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This can be achieved by using a pastry blender or two tableware knives.

Half-and-half is simply a mixture of half whole milk and half cream. It's what you use when you need something richer than milk, but not quite as thick as cream.

How do you make a recipe call for milk I have half and half? ›

Half and half can easily be used in place of whole milk with the addition of a little water. Combine ¾ cup half and half and ¼ cup water for every cup of whole milk you're substituting. 1 cup whole milk: combine ¾ cup half and half and ¼ cup water.

Break It Down

Half of 1 cup is 1/2 cup, half of 1/2 cup is 1/4 cup, and half of 2/3 cups = 1/3 cup.

Both yogurt and buttermilk are good substitutes for eggs. It's best to use plain yogurt, as flavored and sweetened varieties may alter the flavor of your recipe. You can use 1/4 cup (60 g) of yogurt or buttermilk for each egg that needs to be replaced. This substitution works best for muffins, cakes, and cupcakes.

Double yolks are usually about half the size of a single yolk, so you count it as one. If, for some reason, they're the same size as a regular yolk, you can count them as two, but if you're planning to use the egg whites, you'll need extra, as that additional volume had to come from somewhere.

"Cutting in" means working a solid fat into a flour mixture with a pastry blender (or two knives) until the fat is evenly distributed in little crumbs with a few larger, pea-sized pieces. The smaller crumbs act as a tenderizer for your dough and the larger pieces are what make the pastry flaky.

Never brown or partially cook meat or poultry to refrigerate and finish later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially cook meat and poultry in the microwave or on the stove only if the food is transferred immediately to the hot grill to finish cooking.

Half-and-half can be incorporated in recipes, but because of the lower fat content, it cannot be used to make whipped cream since it won't hold its peaks. It also won't thicken a sauce the way that heavy or whipping cream does. Half-and-half is commonly used as a coffee creamer.

Generally, tender cuts of meat are cooked minimally using dry-cooking methods, including grilling, sautéing, or roasting. In contrast, tough cuts are cooked with moist heat methods like simmering, stewing, and braising. Poultry, including chicken and turkey, are relatively tender and are also cooked in similar ways.