Doubling a batch of soup
Straying from the printed recipe still makes me a little twitchy, so I ask you, gentle cooks (chefs?):
Can I safely double the cooking time? (In this case, it's a split pea soup, dried split peas - used 2 lbs instead of 1, and doubled everything else)
On a side note, the pot I picked is somewhat undersized for a double batch, as it turns out. The broth is nearly to the lip of the pot. Other than making sure it doesn't boil over during the simmer phase, is this a bad thing?
(1)1 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
Kara, you shouldn't need to adjust the cooking time at all. If the recipe says to bring to a simmer and then cook for 45 minutes, it will probably take longer to come to a simmer, but once it is there, you can leave it for 45 minutes.
The best recipes (in my opinion) will give you a time as a guideline, but the real instruction will be some target like "until 160 degrees" or "until peas begin to break down". If your recipe has that, you can look for those cues at roughly the same time the recipe suggests.
edit: I forgot to mention the pot size issue. It shouldn't be a problem. The two issues you could encounter would be:
boiling over
temperature variation
The former you're aware of already; the latter issue is that the soup at the top of the pot could be a bit colder than lower down. The two solutions are:
use a lid (this keeps the heat in)
stir periodically (this keeps both the heat and the peas better distributed)
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.