What is cooking the ratio?

Cooking ratio is a method of food preparation based on relations of the number of ingredients to each other than to measure specific ingredients commonly used in recipes. Instead of cups and tablespoons or milliliters and cubic centimeters, the ingredients used in cooking the ratio are defined in the "parts" that are in quantity. For many foods prepared according to this cooking method, ingredients are divided into weight rather than volume. Therefore, a scale is needed for accurate measurements.

The cooking ratio is best to be explained by example. The standard biscuits recipe could require two cups of flour, four tablespoons of butter or shortening, and one cup of buttermilk and baking soda and salt. In the cooking conditions, the ingredients would be defined as three parts of flour, one part of the fat and two parts of the liquid, plus the baking soda and the salt or the 3: 1: 2 ratio. Also allows forBreaks evenly increase or reduce the recipe yield according to individual needs. Cooking the ratio can be applied to any food, although it is particularly useful for baking and sauces.

One of the leading authorities of cooking is the American chef and cook author Michael Ruhlman. In his book ratio: Simple codes behind the craft of everyday cooking , Ruhlman distilled the concept of a ratio of up to 33 basic formulas. The book also explains in detail all aspects of this cooking method. It also contains recipes based on the ratio and for extensive diversity of basic food and classic meals.

Despite the focus on the ratio of cooking as a recent trend in food preparation, this is not a new concept. The basic version of this method has been used for centuries. Chefs in ancient cultures and developing countries today estimated, eye and measured ingredients according to traditions that were handed overy from one generation to another.