Sizu Riatto
Vegan Meal Prep Math · Chapter 2

Scaling to the Pot

A pot is a cylinder: π r² h. Fill it to the line you can stir below, and the batch either fits or it needs two pots.

Home › Calculators › Scaling to the Pot

Opens on the book's Freezer Month. Change any number to your own and press Calculate.

Or measure the inside of the pot

The batch

Enter the pot and the batch, then press Calculate.

The formula

  • Volume of a cylinder = π × radius² × height (inside measurements; cm³ = mL)
  • Usable = volume × fill % (a stockpot about 80 %; a pressure cooker ⅔, ½ for beans and grains)
  • Batch volume = batch weight ÷ density (a stew is about 1 g per mL: 1 kg ≈ 1 L)
  • Pots needed = batch volume ÷ usable volume, rounded up. 1 US qt = 946.35 mL
The book's worked example, Chapter 2. The soup's 4,606 g is about 4.6 L. The book's 20 qt stockpot holds 18.9 L, and filled to 80 % it takes 15.1 L, so the soup fits with room to spare. The Box Run makes it × 1.5: 6.9 kg, still one pot. A 6 qt pressure cooker's ½ line for beans is 2.84 L.
Check it. Fill the pot with water a liter at a time to your stirring line: that is your usable volume, and it beats any formula.

Honest limits. The density of about 1 g per mL is a planning figure: weigh a level cup of your own stew. The 80 % stovetop line is a cooks' rule of thumb, not a standard; a pressure cooker's lines are in its manual (Instant Pot: ⅔ at most, ½ for beans and grains, which foam). A wider pot loses more steam: weigh the batch, don't assume. Prices are illustrative US prices from November 2026, shown without a currency sign; put in your own. Everything stays in your browser: no sign-up, nothing stored.

These calculators go with Vegan Meal Prep Math (Craft & Studio, Book 4), where every number on this page is worked by hand.