How Ratios Work
What a cooking ratio is
A ratio is the relationship between ingredients. Pancakes are 100 : 120 : 50 — for every 100 parts flour, use 120 parts milk and 50 parts egg. The parts can be grams, ounces, or any consistent unit — as long as you don’t mix them.
Weight vs volume
Baking uses weight because it’s accurate: 100g of flour is 100g of flour, whether it’s scooped, sifted or shovelled. Rice and pasta use volume because that’s how they’re cooked in most kitchens. Every page here labels the basis explicitly, so you know before you scale.
Why flour is 100 in baker's percentages
Bakers set flour at 100% and express everything else relative to it. A 65% hydration dough uses 65g of water per 100g of flour. It scales trivially — double the flour, double every other percentage.
Why rice ratios vary
Long-grain, medium-grain and short-grain rice absorb different amounts of water. The calculator lets you pick the type. Some brands are packaged for a specific ratio; when the packet disagrees with us, trust the packet.
Eggs and small quantities
A large egg without shell weighs roughly 50g. The calculator scales the ideal egg weight, then translates that into whole or half eggs where possible. When the result lands awkwardly, it shows a beaten-egg weight with the closest whole-egg equivalent. Salt, yeast and baking powder are shown with decimals when useful.
Ratios are a starting point
Kitchens are variable. Flour, milk, humidity, pans and palates all differ. Use the ratio to get 90% of the way there — then adjust based on what you taste.