Pasting an ingredient list saves typing, but it does not remove the need to read it. A line may contain a quantity, a unit, an ingredient, a preparation, and a comment. It may also contain two different quantities that mean different things.
BatchLadle uses limited rules to identify straightforward lines. When a line needs a decision, keep the original text beside the proposed fields and make that decision yourself.
Start with a straightforward line
Consider “1½ cups all-purpose flour.” There is a mixed-number quantity, a cup unit, and an ingredient name. The quantity is 1.5, but a cup-to-gram result still needs a matching measuring reference. Recognizing the text is only the first part of the job.
A line can be ready for same-unit scaling while a cross-unit conversion remains unresolved. Keeping those decisions separate avoids making a density choice look like a harmless spelling correction.
Keep ranges as ranges until you decide
“1–2 tablespoons milk, if needed” is not the number 1, the number 2, or the number 12. It is a range with a condition. A parser must not pick one end silently or discard the note after the comma.
Review the line and choose a definite amount, keep it unmeasured, or move the original text to notes. BatchLadle does not automatically scale both ends of a range. Preserve the conditional wording; choosing one amount is your recipe decision, and retaining a note does not turn the maximum into a required quantity.
An instruction can be a valid ingredient row
“Salt to taste” contains no fixed quantity. It can still belong in the recipe and shopping list. Keep it as an unquantified item rather than turning it into 0 g or removing it because there is nothing to multiply.
The same approach applies to an unresolved custom ingredient. You may know what the words mean even when the tool has no public conversion record for them. Preserve the text and enter a measured quantity only when you have one.
Two numbers may describe different things
A line such as “1 can (400 g) tomatoes” includes a package count and a stated package mass. It does not say, by itself, whether 400 g is the amount used, a net weight, or a weight before another preparation step.
Check the recipe and packaging, then decide which quantity to enter. If you use a gram amount, keep the package information as a note. If you need a count, retain it without pretending that every can has the same contents. The tool should not multiply whichever number happened to appear first.
| Original line | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| 1½ cups all-purpose flour | Which cup and measuring reference apply? |
| 1–2 tbsp milk, if needed | Choose a definite amount, keep it unmeasured, or retain a note? |
| Salt to taste | Keep it unquantified. |
| 1 can (400 g) tomatoes | Which quantity describes the amount you will use? |
Do not lose preparation words
Words such as chopped, packed, sifted, or softened belong with the row. They may distinguish the ingredient state used by a conversion reference, or explain how the ingredient is used in the recipe. They are not decorative text to remove during cleanup.
Preparation order can matter as well. An amount measured before chopping does not necessarily describe the same volume as an amount measured after chopping. If the wording leaves the order unclear, keep that uncertainty visible until you can resolve it.
Finish the review before relying on the result
Read the parsed fields against each original line. Confirm the quantity and unit, select an ingredient where the match is clear, and preserve notes. Check that no line has disappeared. Then set the original and target servings and inspect the new amounts.
If the result is useful, save the editable recipe and keep a backup when needed. The original text is valuable context, especially when you later revisit a decision about a range, package, or measuring method.