A simple tomato pasta serves four, but six people are coming. The desired-to-original factor is 6/4, reduced to 3/2. The example uses four manual rows so every source quantity and result is visible. RecipeScale changes only the quantity field; the cook keeps the unit/name wording and remains responsible for the method, seasoning, pot size, and doneness.
Enter the four source rows
Set original servings to 4 and desired servings to 6. Add 250 with “g dry pasta,” 400 with “g chopped tomatoes,” 2 with “tbsp olive oil,” and 1/2 with “tsp salt.” The unit/name text is deliberately ordinary and stays opaque to the calculator. Do not paste a recipe paragraph or put both a can count and its package weight into the quantity field. If the source says “salt to taste,” keep that instruction in the method rather than inventing a scalable number.
Apply 3/2 to every quantity
The calculation gives 375 g dry pasta, 600 g chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp olive oil, and 3/4 tsp salt. The first three results are straightforward multiplications. The last remains an exact fraction because 1/2 × 3/2 = 3/4; there is no reason to shorten it to a rounded decimal. The copied result preserves the same four-row order, making it easy to compare against the source. It does not convert tablespoons to millilitres or decide that a different salt type has the same strength.
Check the pan, seasoning, and final portions
The list is now proportional, but the meal still needs a cooking review. Confirm that the pot holds the larger volume and that the pasta can move in enough water. Taste the sauce before committing to all the scaled salt, especially if the tomatoes or stock already contain sodium. Keep the source temperature and timing method unless trusted instructions say otherwise, and portion the finished dish consistently if six equal servings matter. The calculator cannot observe evaporation, package yield, appetite, or food temperature, so those decisions remain with the cook.