How recipe scaler works
Two ways to set the scale: enter current and desired servings (4 → 6 gives a factor of 1.5), or type a raw factor directly — 0.5 to halve, 2 to double, 1.75 for a potluck batch. Paste your ingredient list one item per line and each line is scaled independently.
Each line's leading quantity is parsed as a decimal (0.75), a plain fraction (3/4) or a mixed fraction (1 1/2), then multiplied by the factor. Everything after the number — the unit and the ingredient — passes through untouched, so "1 1/2 cups flour, sifted" scales to "2 1/4 cups flour, sifted". Lines with no leading number, like "Salt to taste", pass through unchanged.
Scaled quantities come back as readable kitchen fractions rather than awkward decimals. The formatter tries denominators 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32 and 64 and picks the smallest one that stays within 2% of the exact value — so 2.6667 renders as 2 2/3, 1.375 as 1 3/8, and 1.05 as 1 1/16 instead of an unmeasurable string of digits.