When you want to make your favorite dish for a big group of people, understanding ratios can really help. Ratios make sure the taste and look of the dish stay the same, even when you use more ingredients.

Why Ratios Matter

1. Same Flavor: Keeping the original ratio of ingredients helps the taste stay the same, no matter how many servings you make.

2. Scaling Up: If a recipe is for 4 people and you need to feed 20, you need to multiply the ingredients by 5. That’s because $20 \div 4 = 5$.

Example Calculation

Let’s say your recipe calls for:

• 200g of pasta
• 100g of cheese
• 50g of sauce

If you need to serve 20 people, here’s how to find the new amounts:

• Pasta: $200g \times 5 = 1000g$
• Cheese: $100g \times 5 = 500g$
• Sauce: $50g \times 5 = 250g$

Final Ratio

The ratio for the bigger recipe will still be 4:2:1 compared to the original (pasta:cheese:sauce). For every 4 parts of pasta, you need 2 parts of cheese and 1 part of sauce. This keeps the dish the same, no matter how much you make.

Conclusion

Using ratios makes it easier to adjust your recipe. It saves time and ensures your dish will taste just as yummy for a big crowd as it does when you make it for just a few people.