Cooking Conversion Charts and Substitutions
At the recommendation of a friend, I started watching the Great British Baking Show, and, like Bill Holland, I have become absolutely mesmerized. The cakes, tarts, and pastries that they create are works of art, the techniques are fascinating, and the terminology and measurements are . . . totally befuddling.
Litres, grams, Celsius—of course, one can find conversion charts online, but wouldn't it be nice if all of the references, cues, and aids were all in one place? Then I started thinking about the mathematics of cooking and baking. What if you want to bake a three-egg cake and have only two eggs in the fridge? How can you convert the other ingredients proportionately?
It can be done, and I've compiled all of the answers for you here.
Dividing a Recipe
Have you ever found yourself needing to scale back the size of a recipe because (1) the original recipe as written makes much more than you need/want, or (2) you don't have quite enough of a key ingredient? (You wouldn't believe how many times I've needed three eggs and found that there are only two in the refrigerator).
With this simple table, I hope that your task of dividing a recipe will be a bit easier.
Equivalent Measures
Dash
| = 2 to 3 drops
|
|---|---|
1 tablespoon
| = 3 teaspoons
|
1/16 cup
| = 1 tablespoon or 3 teaspoons
|
1/8 cup
| = 2 tablespoons
|
1/4 cup
| = 4 tablespoons
|
1/3 cup
| = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
|
3/8 cup
| = 6 tablespoons
|
1/2 cup
| = 8 tablespoons
|
2/3 cup
| = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
|
1 cup
| = 16 tablespoons
|
1 pint
| = 2 cups
|
1 quart
| = 4 cups
|
1 gallon
| = 4 quarts
|
1 peck
| = 8 quarts
|
1 bushel
| = 4 pecks
|
1 pound
| = 16 ounces
|
When You Don't Have the Right Size Pan
You need an 8 x 1 1/2-inch pan. You could use:
- 10 x 6 x 2-inch dish
- 9 x 1 1/2-inch round pan
- 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pan
- 9-inch pie plate
- (Approximate volume = 1 1/2 quarts)
You need an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan. You could use:
- 11 x 7 x 1 1/2-inch pan
- 12 x 71/2 x 2-inch pan
- 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan
- two 8 x 1 1/2-inch round pans
- (Approximate volume = 2 quarts)
You need a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. You could use:
- 14 x 11 x 2-inch baking dish
- two 9 x 1 1/2-inch round pans
- three 8 x 1 1/2-inch round pans
- (Approximate volume = 3 quarts)
Converting Recipes Across the Pond
Have you ever searched for (and found, oh joy!) new cooking/baking ideas on Pinterest, the website that proves that one picture is truly worth a thousand words? And then, your heart is broken when you find that all of the measurements are listed in grams, the temperature is in Celcius or, worse yet, Gas Mark?
Here's what to do.
Dry Measure Conversions
Imperial
| Metric
|
|---|---|
1/8 oz.
| 5 g
|
1/4 oz.
| 10 g
|
1/2 oz.
| 15 g
|
3/4 oz.
| 20 g
|
1 oz.
| 30 g
|
1 1/4 oz.
| 35 g
|
1 1/2 oz.
| 40 g
|
1 3/4 oz.
| 50 g
|
2 oz.
| 55 g
|
2 1/4 oz.
| 60 g
|
2 1/2 oz.
| 70 g
|
2 3/4 oz.
| 80 g
|
3 oz.
| 85 g
|
3 1/4 oz.
| 90 g
|
3 1/2 oz.
| 100 g
|
4 oz.
| 115 g
|
4 1/4 oz.
| 120 g
|
4 1/2 oz.
| 125 g
|
5 oz.
| 140 g
|
5 1/2 oz.
| 150 g
|
6 oz.
| 175 g
|
7 oz.
| 200 g
|
8 oz.
| 225 g
|
9 oz.
| 250 g
|
10 oz.
| 280 g
|
10 1/2 oz.
| 300 g
|
12 oz.
| 350 g
|
13 oz.
| 375 g
|
14 oz.
| 400 g
|
1 lb.
| 450 g
|
1 lb. 2 oz.
| 500 g
|
1 lb. 4 oz.
| 550 g
|
1 lb. 5 oz.
| 600 g
|
1 lb. 9 oz.
| 700 g
|
1 lb. 12 oz.
| 800 g
|
2 lb.
| 900 g
|
2 lb. 3 oz.
| 1 kg
|
Liquid Measure Conversions
Imperial
| Metric
|
|---|---|
1 fl. oz.
| 30 ml
|
2 fl. oz.
| 60 ml
|
2 1/2 fl. oz.
| 80 ml
|
3 1/2 fl. oz.
| 100 ml
|
4 fl. oz.
| 125 ml
|
5 1/4 fl. oz.
| 160 ml
|
6 fl. oz.
| 185 ml
|
7 fl. oz.
| 200 ml
|
9 fl. oz.
| 250 ml
|
10 1/2 fl. oz.
| 300 ml
|
12 fl. oz.
| 350 ml
|
13 fl. oz.
| 375 ml
|
14 fl. oz.
| 400 ml
|
17 fl. oz.
| 500 ml
|
21 fl. oz.
| 600 ml
|
22 1/2 fl. oz.
| 650 ml
|
24 fl. oz.
| 700 ml
|
26 fl. oz.
| 750
|
28 fl. oz.
| 800 ml
|
35 fl. oz.
| 1 L
|
44 fl. oz.
| 1.25 L
|
52 fl. oz.
| 1.5 L
|
Oven Temperature Conversions
Farhenheit
| Celcius
| Gas
|
|---|---|---|
150
| 70
| 1/4
|
200
| 100
| 1/2
|
225
| 110
| 1/2
|
235
| 120
| 1/2
|
250
| 130
| 1
|
275
| 140
| 1
|
300
| 150
| 2
|
315
| 160
| 2-3
|
325
| 170
| 3
|
350
| 180
| 4
|
375
| 190
| 5
|
400
| 200
| 6
|
415
| 210
| 6-7
|
425
| 220
| 7
|
450
| 230
| 8
|
475
| 240
| 8
|
500
| 250
| 9
|
How Much Do You Need to Cook?
Not sure how much macaroni to cook for just yourself? (No, you don't need to boil the entire box, trust me.)
Your recipe asks for 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs—how many graham crackers do you need?
Need 2 cups of cooked rice and not sure where to begin?
You need this:
Handy Equivalents
Cereals
| Amount Before Preparation
| Amount After Preparation
|
Macaroni
| 1 cup (3 1/2 ounces)
| 2 1/2 cups cooked
|
Noodles, medium
| 3 cups (4 ounces)
| 3 cups cooked
|
Spaghetti
| 8 ounces
| 4 cups cooked
|
Long grain rice
| 1 cup (7 ounces)
| 3 cups cooked
|
Quick-cooking rice
| 1 cup (3 ounces)
| 2 cups cooked
|
Popcorn
| 1/4 cup
| 5 cups popped
|
Crumbs
| ||
Bread
| 1 slice
| 3/4 cup soft or 1/4 cup fine dry crumbs
|
Saltine crackers
| 28 crackers
| 1 cup finely crushed
|
Rich round crackers (Ritz)
| 24 crackers
| 1 cup finely crushed
|
Graham crackers
| 14 squares
| 1 cup finely crushed
|
Gingersnaps
| 15 cookies
| 1 cup finely crushed
|
Vanilla wafers
| 22 cookies
| 1 cup finely crushed
|
Fruits
| ||
Apples
| 1 medium
| 1 cup sliced
|
Bananas
| 1 medium
| 1/3 cup mashed
|
Cherries, dark sweet
| 1 pound
| 2 cups pitted
|
Cranberries
| 1 pound (4 cups)
| 3 cups sauce
|
Lemons
| 1 medium
| 3 tbsp juice; 2 tsp shredded peel
|
Limes
| 1 medium
| 2 tbsp. juice; 1 1/2 tsp shredded peel
|
Oranges
| 1 medium
| 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice; 4 tsp. shredded peel
|
Peaches, pears
| 1 medium
| 1/2 cup sliced
|
Strawberries
| 4 cups whole
| 3 1/2 cups sliced
|
Vegetables
| ||
Beans, dry
| 1 pound (2 1/2 cups)
| 6 cups cooked
|
Cabbage
| 1 pound (1 small)
| 5 cups shredded
|
Carrots, without tops
| 1 pound (6 to 8 medium)
| 3 cups shredded or 2 1/2 cups chopped
|
Celery
| 1 medium bunch
| 4 1/2 cup chopped
|
Green beans, cup up
| 1 pound (3 cups)
| 2 1/2 cups cooked
|
Green peppers
| 1 large
| 1 cup chopped
|
Mushrooms
| 1 pound (6 cups)
| 2 cups sliced and cooked
|
Onions
| 1 medium
| 1/2 cup chopped
|
Potatoes
| 1 medium
| 2/3 cup cubed or 1/2 cup mashed
|
Spinach
| 1 pound (12 cups)
| 1 1/2 cups cooked
|
Tomatoes
| 1 medium
| 1/2 cup cooked
|
Nuts
| ||
Almonds
| 1 pound in shell
| 1 1/4 cups shelled
|
Pecans
| 1 pound in shell
| 2 cups shelled
|
Walnuts
| 1 pound in shell
| 1 1/2 cups shelled
|
Miscellaneous
| ||
Eggs
| 4 whole, 8 yolks, or 8 whites
| 1 cup
|
Cheese
| 4 ounces
| 1 cup shredded
|
Whipping cream
| 1 cup
| 2 cups whipped
|
Boneless raw meat
| 1 pound
| 2 cups cooked and chopped
|
Cooked meat
| 1 pound
| 3 cups chopped
|
But I'm Missing Something
What should you do when the kids are starving (or you are starving) and there's no time to run to the store for that one little thing you are missing? This table might help:
Off-the-Shelf Substitutes
If You're Out Of:
| Use:
| Or try:
|
|---|---|---|
Basic Ingredients
| ||
1 cup cake flour
| 14 tablespoons all-purpose flour
| |
1 tablespoon cornstarch (for thickening)
| 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
| 4 teaspoons quick-cookin tapioca
|
1 cup granulated sugar
| 1 cup packed brown sugar
| 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
|
1 cup molasses
| 3/4 cup granulated sugar
| |
1 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate
| 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon butter
| |
Dairy Ingredients
| ||
1 cup milk
| 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water
| |
1 cup buttermilk
| 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar + enough milk to measure 1 cup
| 1 cup milk + 1 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
|
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
| 1 8-ounce carton plain yogurt
| 6 ounces cream cheese + 3 tablespoons milk
|
1 cup light cream
| 1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
| 14 tablespoons milk + 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
|
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
| 1 4-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
| |
1 whole egg
| 2 egg yolks
| |
Tomato Ingredients
| ||
1 cup catsup or chili sauce
| 1 cup tomato sauce + 1/2 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons vinegar
| |
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
| 1 6-ounce can tomato paste + 1 cup water
| |
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, cut up
| 3 fresh medium tomatoes, cut up
| 1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes
|
1 15-ounce can spaghetti sauce
| 2 cups Italian cooking sauce
| 2 cups pizza sauce
|
Pasta, Cereal, and Grain Ingredients
| ||
6 ounces uncooked pasta (3 cups cooked)
| 4 ounces (3 cups) uncooked egg noodles
| 4 ounces (1 1/4 cups) uncooked macaroni
|
1 cup cooked rice
| 1 cup cooked bulgur wheat
| 1 cup cooked pearl barley
|
1 8-ounce package stuffing mix
| 4 cups croutons
| 4 cups toasted bread cubes
|
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
| 1 cup crushed cereal crumbs
| 1 cup crushed crackers or potato chips
|
Questions & Answers
© 2015 Linda Lum
Comments
AUTHORThank you Jackie. I appreciate your feedback. As to whether HP will agree--who knows?
These are great charts I am sure we all can use! ^+ and it should go over well with HP too would think!
- AUTHOR
Thank you Rachel. I appreciate your comments always, but am a bit confused. Is there such a thing as too much pasta?
This is all very good information. Some of it I knew but I always had trouble knowing how much pasta to measure out when they say 2 cups. My old way is like my mother's a handful. lol I voted up and interesting.
Blessings to you.
- AUTHOR
Ahh, thank you Bill, but I don't believe that anyone is hopeless in the kitchen--not even you! Will be going to a movie tomorrow to try to beat the heat for a few hours.
This really is a very handy and useful hub, Linda. Not for me, of course, because I am hopeless in the kitchen, but for the other 99.9% of the population, this is a great article. :) Have a great weekend and stay cool.
- AUTHOR
Flourish - thank you so much. I hope you find it useful.
- AUTHOR
Thank you MsLizzy. I agree that eggs are not really critical unless, of course, you are baking something. Baking is truly a science and precise measuring is demanded. Thanks for your support.
What an incredibly useful hub, especially the handy equivalents.
- AUTHOR
Thank you RTalloni - I grew weary of thumbing through goodness-knows how many cookbooks to find the information I needed, so I entered it on my computer so that it would be in one tidy place. And then I figured, if it works for me, it might just be helpful to someone else. I'm glad you like it.
Ah--most interesting! I've had to look up such equivalents several times.
I have also become very good at doubling or halving recipes in my head. but..when cutting in half, I notice much of the time, the measurement comes out to something for which no measuring devices exist.
There is no such thing, for example, as a 3/8 cup measuring cup, or a 1/16th teaspoon or Tablespoon measure. At that point, it comes down to pure guesswork.
As far as eggs go, I don't find they are critical; if you need 4 and only have 3, that will be good enough; if you need to cut the quantity from 3 to half a recipe, 1 will be good enough, since it's hard to measure out half an egg. Or, you could just use 2; either way, it won't ruin the dish, with the possible exception of some very fussy batters, such as for creme puffs (known to some as profiteroles). With those, it's better not to try and mess with the ingredient quantities.
Voted up, useful, interesting, pinned and shared.
How handy this will be, affirmed by staff or not. :) All these useful equivalents in one easy to find place has to be appreciated by anyone who spends time working in the kitchen!
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