1-4 Kitchen Connections

Welcome to the “Kitchen Connections” section, where we transition from theory to practice. Over the past few weeks, we’ve delved deep into proportional reasoning, ratios, and percentages. Now, it’s time to apply those concepts hands-on in the kitchen. This section will guide you through adjusting a recipe based on the weight of the main ingredient, putting your culinary math skills to the test.

In professional kitchens, adjusting recipes by weight is a fundamental skill, especially when scaling up or down based on available ingredients. Understanding how to accurately adjust a recipe ensures consistency, flavor balance, and cost control—critical components in any culinary operation.

For this exercise, we’ll be making a fire-roasted salsa. Tomatoes will be our primary ingredient, serving as the 100% by weight. Every other ingredient will be adjusted proportionally to the weight of the tomatoes. Whether you have 500 grams or 2 kilograms of tomatoes, you’ll be able to scale the recipe precisely.

Here’s the original recipe for 1,000 grams of tomatoes:

• Tomatoes (100%): 1,000 grams
• Serrano Peppers (21.2%): 212 grams
• Yellow Onion (34.3%): 343 grams
• Garlic (7.5%): 75 grams
• Lemon Juice (3.5%): 35 grams
• Kosher Salt (1.5%): 15 grams
• Black Pepper (0.3%): 3 grams
• Ground Cumin (0.5%): 5 grams
• Ground Yellow Mustard Seed (0.5%): 5 grams

Adjusting the Recipe:

To adjust this recipe based on the amount of tomatoes you have, follow these steps:

1. Determine the Weight of Your Tomatoes: Weigh the tomatoes you have available. For example, if you have 750 grams of tomatoes, that will be your new 100%.
2. Calculate the Proportional Weights: Use the percentages listed next to each ingredient to calculate the new weight needed for the adjusted recipe. Multiply the weight of your tomatoes by the percentage for each ingredient.
   • For 750 grams of tomatoes:
     • Serrano Peppers: 750 grams × 0.212 = 159 grams
     • Yellow Onion: 750 grams × 0.343 = 257 grams
     • Garlic: 750 grams × 0.075 = 56 grams
     • Lemon Juice: 750 grams × 0.035 = 26 grams
     • Kosher Salt: 750 grams × 0.015 = 11 grams
     • Black Pepper: 750 grams × 0.003 = 2 grams
     • Ground Cumin: 750 grams × 0.005 = 4 grams
     • Ground Yellow Mustard Seed: 750 grams × 0.005 = 4 grams
3. Prepare the Salsa: Once you’ve calculated the adjusted quantities, follow the recipe as usual. Fire-roast the tomatoes, serrano peppers, and garlic until they’re charred and smoky. Blend all the ingredients together, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed.

Hands-On Practice:

Now it’s your turn to step into the kitchen. Start by weighing the tomatoes you have, then use the percentages to adjust the other ingredients. This exercise will reinforce your understanding of proportional reasoning and help you become more comfortable with scaling recipes accurately—a skill that’s invaluable in any kitchen.

Through this process, you’ll see how mathematical principles like ratios and percentages directly influence the culinary world, ensuring that each dish you prepare is consistent, delicious, and cost-effective. This is where the art of cooking meets the precision of math, and it’s a connection you’ll use throughout your culinary career.