Cooking Conversion Charts and Substitutions
How to Do Conversions in the Kitchen
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.
I wish I had thought of this. Genius!
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 |
Don't have the right size pan?
orgjunkie.com
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)
Recipe conversions are easier than you might think.
zunal.com
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 |
Subsitutions
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 |
© 2015 Linda Lum