Sauces & ratios
Most sauces are a ratio rather than a recipe. Get the ratio right and the quantity looks after itself.
6 calculators in this section
- Roux and Sauce Thickening CalculatorButter and flour for any quantity of liquid, at the thickness you want.
- Béchamel and Cheese Sauce CalculatorMilk, butter, flour and cheese for lasagne, macaroni cheese or cauliflower cheese.
- Stock Cube and Water CalculatorHow many cubes, pots or spoons of powder for the stock you need.
- Marinade Quantity CalculatorHow much marinade for the weight of food, and how long to leave it.
- Salad Dressing Ratio CalculatorOil and vinegar quantities for vinaigrette and other dressings.
- Simple Syrup CalculatorSugar and water for simple, rich or light syrup, by finished volume.
Why ratios beat recipes
A roux is equal butter and flour. A vinaigrette is three parts oil to one of acid. Ganache is chocolate against cream. Once you know the ratio you can make any quantity you like without hunting for a recipe that happens to match the number of people you are feeding.
Everything here scales
Each calculator takes the amount you actually need, the liquid in the pan, the people at the table, the weight of meat in the dish, and gives you the quantities in grams and millilitres. Nothing is rounded to a convenient packet size, because that is what leaves you short.
Marinating safely
Marinades sit against raw meat and fish, so they need the same care as the food itself. Marinate in the fridge rather than on the worktop, keep raw meat covered on the bottom shelf, and boil any marinade for a couple of minutes before using it as a sauce.
What a ratio actually promises
A ratio fixes the proportions, not the outcome. Flour thickens more when the sauce simmers longer, cream from different brands sets ganache slightly differently, and one person's "sharp" dressing is another's "about right". Use the figure as a reliable starting point, then taste and adjust. That is cooking, not arithmetic.
Questions and answers
Common questions about sauce and ratio calculators
Why do sauces work by ratio rather than a fixed recipe?
Because the ratio of key ingredients (flour to butter in a roux, oil to vinegar in a dressing, sugar to water in a syrup) determines the texture and strength, whatever quantity you are making. Once the ratio is right, the quantity can be scaled to whatever volume you need.
How do I scale a sauce recipe up or down?
Keep the ratio between the main ingredients fixed and scale every ingredient by the same factor. Enter the total volume or weight you need on the relevant calculator above rather than trying to scale a recipe by eye.
What is the difference between a roux and a béchamel?
A roux is the butter-and-flour base on its own; a béchamel is that base loosened with milk into a finished pouring or coating sauce. The béchamel calculator adds the milk quantity and, where relevant, cheese on top of the roux ratio.
How much oil to vinegar should a salad dressing have?
Three parts oil to one part vinegar is the standard vinaigrette ratio, adjusted sharper or milder depending on what the salad is served with.
How is a marinade different from a dressing?
A marinade is designed to sit on raw food for a period of time before cooking, so timing and food safety matter as much as the ratio of oil to acid. A dressing is added at the point of serving and is about taste and texture rather than timing.
Is it safe to marinate meat for a long time?
Always marinate raw meat, poultry or fish in the fridge, covered, rather than at room temperature, and never reuse marinade that has touched raw meat unless it has been boiled first.
How do I know how much stock, syrup or dressing a recipe needs?
Enter the volume the recipe calls for on the relevant calculator rather than guessing, stock concentrates, syrup strengths and dressing styles all convert differently, so the right quantity depends on which one you are using.