How do I work out steaming times?

January 23, 2013 2:04 AM

Scaling a steamed pudding recipe up or down: how do I work out the adjusted cooking time?
posted by monkey closet to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

Without more details, I'd say you just have to keep checking it. Smaller things will cook faster, larger ones will take longer. What recipe are you using? What do you mean by pudding, is it a custard cooked in a water bath/bain marie or something you close up entirely and can't look at easily?
posted by hungrybruno at 7:16 AM on January 23, 2013

Response by poster: Probably the latter - and the question isn't for a specific recipe at the moment. I'd like to have an idea so I can plan timings.

I'm guessing the variance in time depends more on the distance to the part of the pudding furthest from the surface, rather than the volume/weight.
posted by monkey closet at 8:00 AM on January 23, 2013

Best answer: Yes, I think you're probably right - spread some cake batter super thin on a sheet pan and it'll bake in 6 or 7 minutes, but the same amount in an 8" round cake pan it'll take 25, so surface area to volume ratio certainly plays a part. My general rule for timing things if I haven't had a chance to test them is to guess, and then add 20-30 minutes to allow for things taking longer or for final sauce making or resting or what have you. As long as you're not making a souffle, your pudding should survive a delay.
posted by hungrybruno at 8:40 AM on January 23, 2013