33 answers · 7 topics
What ratio of…
Foundational kitchen ratios — baker's percentages, brine strength, vinaigrette, dry brine percentages. Math-grounded answers backed by King Arthur, Modernist Cuisine, and pro-baking references.
Every answer here cites at least three sources, with a note on what each one adds.
Cooking
- What is the right salt percentage for a brine?
Brine salt percentages vary by application: 5–6% for wet-brining meat · 2–4% for pickling vegetables · 2.5% for fermenting kraut/kimchi…
- What is the right ratio of fat to flour for a roux?
Classic roux is 1:1 fat-to-flour by WEIGHT (not volume). 1 oz butter + 1 oz flour = 2 oz roux thickens ~1 quart liquid.
- What is the classical mirepoix ratio?
Classical French mirepoix is 2:1:1 by weight — 50% onion + 25% carrot + 25% celery. White mirepoix swaps carrot for leek/parsnip.
- What is the right ratio of salt to pasta water?
Canonical: 4 quarts (3.8 L) water + 2 Tbsp kosher salt per pound of pasta. Salt level ~1% by water weight — should taste like the sea.
- What is the right ratio of stock to water?
Concentrated stock to dilute for soup: 1:4 to 1:6 ratio. Standard home stock (already brewed): use straight or diluted 1:1.
- What is the right ratio of oil to vinegar in vinaigrette?
Classic French vinaigrette: 3:1 oil-to-vinegar by volume (3 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp vinegar). Italian-style: 2:1. Asian-style: 1:1 or sweeter.
- What is the right water to rice ratio?
Standard white rice: 1:2 ratio (1 cup rice + 2 cups water). Long-grain (jasmine, basmati): 1:1.5 to 1:2. Short-grain (sushi rice): 1:1.25 to 1:1.5.
- What is the ratio of vinegar to oil in salad dressing?
Classic vinaigrette: 1 part vinegar (or acid) to 3 parts oil (1:3). For tangier dressings: 1:2 (more vinegar). For milder dressings: 1:4.
- What is the ratio of salt to meat for dry brining?
Standard chef ratio: 1% salt by meat weight (López-Alt). Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal): 1 tsp per pound. Morton kosher: 3/4 tsp per pound.
- What is the ratio of rice to water?
White long-grain (basmati, jasmine): 1 cup rice : 1.5 cups water. Brown: 1 : 2-2.25. Short-grain (sushi, arborio): 1 : 1.25. Wild rice: 1 : 3.
- What ratio of salt to sugar for gravlax cure?
Classic gravlax: 1:1 ratio salt:sugar by weight. For 1 lb (454g) salmon: 60g salt + 60g sugar + 1 bunch fresh dill + 1 tbsp crushed white peppercorns.
- What ratio of meat to binder for meatballs?
Classic meatball: 4-5 parts ground meat to 1 part binder (by weight). Per 500g meat: 100-125g binder (breadcrumbs + egg + milk + parmesan).
- What ratio of salt to water for chicken brine?
Wet brine for chicken: 5–6% salt by weight (1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt per cup water) for 4–24 hours. Add 3% sugar (1 Tbsp per cup) for browning.
- What ratio of salt to water for turkey brine?
Wet turkey brine: 5–6% salt by weight (1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher per cup water) + 3% sugar, 12–24 hours cold.
Baking
- What is the right hydration ratio for sourdough bread?
Standard sourdough hydration is 70–80% (water-to-flour weight). Beginners: 65–70% (easier to handle). Open-crumb artisan: 75–85%.
- What is the basic flour to water ratio for bread?
Standard yeasted bread is ~5:3 flour to water by weight (60-65% hydration). Lean bread (no oil/eggs): 65-70% hydration.
- What is the ratio of yeast to flour in bread?
Standard ratio: 1% yeast by flour weight (bakers percent). For 500g flour: 5g instant yeast (~1.5 tsp) or 6g active dry.
- What is the ratio of butter to flour in pastry?
Shortcrust: 1:2 (1 part butter to 2 parts flour). Pie crust: 1:1.5 to 1:2. Biscuits: 1:3 to 1:4. Roux: 1:1 (equal parts). All-butter croissant: 1:2 by weight.
- What is the ratio of water to flour for bread?
Standard sandwich bread: 65% hydration (65g water per 100g flour). Most artisan loaves: 70-75%. Ciabatta + high-hydration breads: 80-85%.
- What is baker's percentage and how do I use it?
Baker's percentage: flour = 100%, everything else as percentage of flour weight. Standard bread: 100% flour, 60-75% water, 2% salt, 1% yeast.
- What ratio of flour, water, and yeast for bagels?
Bagels: 100% bread flour, 56% water, 2% salt, 1% yeast, 4% malt or sugar. For 500g flour: 280g water + 10g salt + 5g yeast + 20g malt syrup.
- What baker's percentage for pizza dough?
Neapolitan pizza: 100% 00 flour + 60% water + 2% salt + 0.5% yeast (or 20% starter).
- What ratio for pretzel dough?
Soft pretzels: 100% bread flour + 50-55% water + 2% salt + 1% yeast + 2% sugar + 4% butter.
Business and SaaS
- What ratio of customers churn for healthy SaaS?
Healthy B2B SaaS: 5-7% annual logo churn / 0.5-1% monthly. Best-in-class: <5% annual. Consumer SaaS: 30-60% annual churn is normal (lower-stickiness).
- What ratio of CAC to LTV is healthy?
The canonical SaaS health benchmark is 1:3 (David Skok, Bessemer). Below 1:1 = burning money. 1:2 = marginal. 1:3 = healthy.
- What ratio of R&D spending to revenue is normal?
R&D-to-revenue ratio varies by sector. SaaS typical: 25-50% in growth stage, dropping to 15-25% at maturity. Pharmaceuticals: 15-20%. Hardware tech: 6-10%.
- What ratio of sales to marketing spend should you target?
The Magic Number — net new ARR added / total Sales+Marketing spend — measures growth efficiency.
Drinks
- What is the right ratio of coffee to water?
Standard filter coffee: 1:15 to 1:18 ratio (e.g., 18g coffee to 270-324g water). Espresso: 1:2 (18g in → 36g out).
- What is the ratio of water to coffee?
SCA Golden Ratio: 1:15 to 1:18 by weight (60g coffee per 1000mL water). Pour-over (V60/Chemex): 1:15-17. French press: 1:12-15 (stronger).
Fermentation
- What is the right ratio of starter to milk for yogurt?
Standard yogurt starter ratio is 2 tablespoons (30g) of active yogurt per quart (1 liter) of milk — about 3% by weight.
- What ratio of salt for olive brine?
For brined olives: 10% salt brine by weight. Per 1 L water = 100g salt. Submerge olives 4-6 weeks (cracked olives) to 6-9 months (whole olives).
Personal finance
- What ratio of income should you save?
The widely-cited savings benchmark is 20% of gross income (Elizabeth Warren's 50/30/20 rule). Conservative target: 15-25%. Aggressive (FIRE movement): 50-70%.
Sleep and fitness
- What ratio of protein to bodyweight do you need?
Protein needs are expressed in grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day.