Are you a by the book cook? There’s nothing wrong with that, really. It’s the simplest, easiest way to not screw up a meal. But sometimes we all have to get a little experimental. Maybe it’s because you’re bored with the regular choices. Maybe it’s because you only have so many ingredients in the house. Whatever the case, you’ll have to figure out how to adjust other ingredients if you alter the amount of one of them. Thankfully for the experimenters out there, Michael Ruhlman, author of the book Ratio, has released an Android app that will help prevent you from screwing up too badly.
The app actually complements shopping list and recipe apps well. While those will tell you what you need, Ratio will tell you how much — no matter how greatly you want to alter the recipe. It covers 30 fundamentals (he uses cakes and brine as examples), and with it you can determine how much you can make with a certain amount of ingredients, or how much you need to make a certain number of servings. The video demo lays this out pretty well.
If you’re a frequent cook, you might want to give this one a look. It comes with high recommendations (especially from ESPN author and unabashed foodie Keith Law). It does cost $4.99, but frequent cookers shouldn’t find that price prohibitive.
