Conversions & Equivalencies
in
Food, Baking, Weighing and Measuring
(and now SWEETENERS, too!)

As of September 10, 1998, I turned 46 years old. I have been cooking since I was 8 years old. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics. I have written cookbooks, I have taught cooking schools to all ages. I am totally comfortable in the kitchen--ANY kitchen.

To this day, however, I have a hard time remembering all the conversions from teaspoons to cups, quarts to ounces, and darn if I can remember disher size conversions, even when I LOOK RIGHT AT THEM (I have finally remembered that the size indicates the number of scoops you can get out of one pound of hamburger--I think--but who cares???).

Maybe YOU have the same problem? And remember, we are still talking the U. S. of A. We haven't even ADDRESSED the conversions from country to country! What's a cook to do?

Follow conversion charts. But I have not seen any ONE that answers all my questions. So I MADE one! I think you will like it, one more freebie from Karen's Kitchen!

And since both the Kitchen and I are older than when I first posted this page, I'm updating it with SWEETENER Equivalents for recipe conversions too. It's not real direct because various sweeteners come in granulated or liquid versions, note the changes you must make for liquids.

Let's start with Capacity Measurements in the U.S. Maybe you will look at this and the NEXT time someone starts talking "Let's convert to METRIC!" you will be a bit more attuned to the idea? Then keep going after this chart. There is are several more to follow for Australia and the U.K. (you didn't think I'd FORGET you now, did you?).

United States Capacity Measurements for Cooking and Baking

Teaspoon tsp. or t.	Tablespoon Tbs. or T.	Cup or C. or c	Pint or pt.	Quart or qt.	Gallon or gal.	Ounces or oz.	Liter/ or L.	Arcane	Can Sizes	Disher#
1 t	1/3 T	.	.	.	.	.	0.0049ml	60 drops	.	.
2 t	2/3 T	.	.	.	.	.	0.098ml	5 c.c.	.	.
3 t	1 T	1/16 C	.	.	.	1/2 fl. oz.	0.147ml	.	.	one #70
4 t	1 1/3 T	.	.	.	.	.	.	15 c.c.	.	.
5 t	1 2/3 T	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
6 t	2 T	1/8 C	.	.	.	1 fl. oz.	29.573ml	.	.	two #70
9 t	3 T	3/16	.	.	.	1.5 fl. oz.	.	1 jigger	.	.
9.6 t	3.2 T	1/5 C	.	.	.	.	.	.		#40
12 t	4 T	1/4 C	1/8 pt.	.	.	2 fl. oz.	.	.	.	one #20
15 t	5 T	3/8 C	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
16 t	5 1/3 T	1/3 C	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	one #12
24 t	8 T	1/2 C	1/4 pt.	1/8 pt.	1/32 gal.	4 fl. oz.	.	1 gill or 1 stick butter	.	two #20 or one #8
30 t	10 T	5/8 C	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
32 t	10 2/3 T	2/3 C	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	two #12
36 t	12 T	3/4 C	3/8 pt.	.	.	6 fl. oz.	177.44 ml	.	6 oz.	three #20
48 t	16 T	1 C	1/2 pt.	1/4 qt	1/16 gal	8 fl. oz.	2.36 ml	.	8 oz.	two #8 or four #20
.	.	1 3/8 C	.	.	.	11 fl. oz.	.	.	No. 1	.
72 t	24 T	1 1/2 C	.	.	.	12 fl. oz.	.	.	12 oz.	.
.	.	.	.	.	.	15 fl. oz	.	.	No. 300	.
96 t	32 T	2 C	1 pt.	1/2 qt	1/8 gal	16 fl. oz.	.	1 lb. butter or 600 cc	No. #303	.
.	.	2 1/2 C	.	.	.	20 fl. oz.	.	.	No. 2	.
.	.	3 1/2 C	.	.	.	28 fl. oz.	.	.	No. 2 1/2	.
192 t	64 T	4 C	2 pt.	1 qt.	1/4 gal.	32 fl. oz.	946.4 ml	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	1.06 qt	.	.	1 L or 1000 ml	.	.	.
.	.	16 C	8 pt.	4 qt.	1 gal.	.	3.79 L	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	8 qt.	2 gal.	.	7.57L	1 peck	1 bushel	.
.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	No. 10 or 6 pounds	.

International Conversions

This chart provides a guide for those Kitchen friends who are not familiar with the peculiarities of the U.S. measurement system when it comes to baking in Australia or the United Kingdom (or anywhere else that has the good sense to use the metric system, for that matter!).

International Equivalents

United States	Australia/U.K.	Imperial Cup
1/8 teaspoon (tsp.)	0.5 ml	.
1/4 teaspoon (tsp.)	1 ml	.
1/2 teaspoon (tsp.)	2 ml	.
1 teaspoon (tsp.)	5 ml	.
1 tablespoon (Tbs.)	15 ml	.
1/4 cup=2 fluid ounces (fl. oz.)	60 ml	4 tablespoons
1/3 cup=3 fluid ounces (fl. oz.)	90 ml	5 tablespoons
1/2 cup=4 fluid ounces (fl. oz.)	120 ml	8 tablespoons
2/3 cup=5 fluid ounces (fl. oz.)	150 ml	1/4 pint
3/4 cup=6 fluid ounces (fl. oz.)	180 ml	1/4 pint + 2 tablespoons
1 cup=8 fluid ounces (fl. oz.)	240 ml	1/4 pint + 6 tablespoons
1 1/4 cups	.	1/2 pint
1 1/2 cups	.	1/2 pint + 4 Tablespoons
2 cups=16 fluid ounce (fl.oz.)=1 pint	475 ml	.
3 cups	.	1 1/2 pints
4 cups=1 quart=32 fluid ounces (2 pints)	1 litre	1 1/2 pints + 4 tablespoons
5 cups	.	2 pints

Volume and Weight

Volume and Weight

1 cup butter or castor sugar	8 ounces weight	about 250 grams
1 cup flour	4 ounces weight	about 125 grams
1 cup icing sugar	5 ounces weight	about 150 grams

Food Equivalancies

This is pretty handy because the reality is a ton of lead weighs exactly the same as a ton of feathres, but a cup of lead does not weigh the same as a cup of feathers. Why not? because the first one is comparing equivalent WEIGHT while the second one is comparing equivalent VOLUME. A ton of lead (weight) will yield FEWER CUPS (volumen) than a ton of feathers.

Think about it.

But SOMEONE actually took the time to weigh out the volume of various foods. So if your recipe calls for a food by WEIGHT, if you are lucky, you MIGHT find that this mystery person actually took the time to WEIGH THAT FOR YOU. Then you are set, because here is the answer.

Now NOTE...these are all APPROXIMATE equivalants. When they say 2 2/3 cups of American Cheese cubed is equal to one pound, is that 1/2" cubes? 1" cubes? 2" cubes? 1 3/4" cubes??? Each will give a slightly different weight or volume. Same with the shredded. Big shred or little shred? The variables apply to sugars and flours too: How moist? How dry? How fresh? How old? How settled?

Baking and cooking is a science, yet usually a forgiving and rewarding one for the adventurer. If you are a confident cook, you know approximate measurements are really okay unless you are making something that has actual chemistry involved in making it rise (breads), harden (candies) or convert (fondants). Usually it is not that critical. If it IS that critical and you are not a confident cook, so you probably won't be attempting that kind of recipe anyway!

ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE APPROXIMATE

HOW HOT???

I had a science teacher that once told me why there are so many differences in the way we Americans measure stuff like weights, lengths, and temperatures. Or maybe it was a history teacher. I only have a vagues recollection of the reasoning, something to do with...REBELLION against some higher power. We sure showed them, eh?

Oven Temperature Equivalents

Fahrenheit	Celsius	Gas Setting
300 degreesF	150 degreesC	Gas Mark 2
325 degreesF	160 degreesC	Gas Mark3
350 degreesF	180 degreesC	Gas Mark 4
375 degreesF	190 degreesC	Gas Mark 5
400 degreesF	200 degreesC	Gas Mark 6
425 degreesF	220 degreesC	Gas Mark 7
450 degreesF	230 degreesC	Gas Mark 8
Broil	.	Grill

For an electric oven, increase the Celsius setting 10 degrees to 20 degrees when cooking above 160 degrees Celsius. For convection or forced air ovens, low the setting 10 degrees Celsius at all heat levels.

Baking Pan Equivalents

Yup, even our PANS have equivalents!

Baking Pan Sizes

American	Metric
8x1 1/2-inch round baking pan	20x4-cm cake tin
9x1 1/2-inch round baking pan	23x3.5-cm cake tin
11x7x1 1/2-inch baking pan	28x18x4-cm cake tin
13x9x2-inch baking pan	30x20x5-cm cake tin
2-quart rectangulr baking dish	30x20x3-cm baking tin
15x10x2-inch baking pan	30x25x2-cm baking tin (Swiss roll tin)
9-inch pie plate	22x4-cm or 23x4-cm pie plate
7- or 8-inch springform pan	18- or 20--cm springform or loose-bottom cake tin
"One Pound Loaf Pan" 8-1/2 long x 4 1/2 wide x 2 3/4 inches deep (that's the standard) or 8"x5"x2-/34" or 7x7"x2.5" square, but then it's not really a LOAF now, is it?	20x13x7cm
9x5x3-inch "Two-pound loaf pan"	23x13x7-cm
1 1/2-quart casserole	1.5 litre cassarole
2-quart casserole	2-litre cassarole

CAKE PAN SIZE SUBSTITUTES

• To determine the pan's dimensions always measure inside edge to inside edge of the pan. That way you do not include the thickness of the pan in your measurement.
• To determine the pan's depth, place your ruler straight up from the bottom of the pan. Measuring it on a slant will give you an incorrect depth reading. Do not slant the ruler!
• To determine the pan's volume (how much batter it will hold), pour water by the measured cupful until the pan is filled to the brim.
• Once you have measured the pan's dimensions and volume you can check the table below for pan substitutions. The ideal pan substitution is one that keeps the same batter depth as in the original recipe. In this way you do not have to make any drastic changes in baking times and temperatures. For example; you could substitute a 8 x 8 x 1 1/2 inch square pan (6 cups) for a 8 x 2 inch round pan (6 cups) without changing the baking time or oven temperature stated in the original recipe.
• If the new pan makes the batter shallower than in the original recipe, you will need to change baking times as this will cause the heat to reach the center of the pan more quickly and you will have more evaporation. To solve this problem you need to shorten the baking time and raise the temperature of the oven slightly. Correspondingly, if the new pan makes the batter deeper than in the original recipe, this will cause less evaporation and the batter will take longer to cook. To solve this problem you need to lengthen the baking time and lower the temperature of the oven slightly. This will keep the batter from over-browning.
• Important Note: Most home ovens will only accommodate up to a 17 x 14 inch (43 x 36 cm) pan. I once had a great idea to have a pan custom made that exactly accomodated the Filo Dough that I used each year for making Baklava. It was GORGEOUS, but 1" too long for my oven either direction...So I changed filo dough brands and gave the pan to a commercial kitchen! OUCH.
  

Converting Pan Sizes

David Orangeo wrote asking me how to convert a regular sized recipe for a round pan into a smaller sized recipe, and what pan size you would use. The formula for round pans is pi time the radius squared. Pi is 3.141, the radius is half the width of the pan, so you multiply the radius times itself, then times 3.141 and that will tell you what the area of your pan is.

Or use the chart Dave made for us and avoid the math!!!