The problem it solves
A recipe describes the idea of a dish. Reality drifts: you made one and a half batches, the pot simmered down further than usual, you had more chicken than the recipe called for. If you log "one serving" of the idealized recipe, you're logging the idea — not your dinner.
Preparing
Open the recipe and choose Prepare. Adjust it to what you actually made — the amounts that really went in and what the batch came out to — and the per-serving numbers recalculate to match this preparation. Then log your servings as usual: a logged portion now reflects the food that's actually on your plate.
Your saved recipe isn't changed by preparing — next time you cook it by the book, it's right there, untouched.
When to reach for it
- You scaled the recipe up or down.
- An ingredient amount changed meaningfully this time.
- The final cooked weight differs from usual (reduction, absorption) and you portion by weight.
For a one-off change of a single ingredient at logging time, exploding the entry can be the faster tool; preparing shines when the whole batch shifted.