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WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

A pinch of this, a splash of that...and that is how many experienced cooks measure ingredients. But it is always good to know exactly how much you need, and then adjust recipes to your own personal taste.

To get started, you should have the tools to make your time in the kitchen as easy as possible.

For measuring liquid ingredients, a glass measuring cup with a pouring spout is best. You can accurately measure by simply getting down to eye level of the cup.

For dry ingredients, graduated nested measuring cups are the best option. Ingredients such as flour and sugar can be leveled with a knife or straight spatula.

For both dry and liquid ingredients, graduated measuring spoons are recommended. Using a teaspoon or soup spoon is not always accurate, as the size of the spoons are determined by the manufacturer of the silverware, not by any predetermined standard.

Equivalent Dry Measures
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup
5 1/3 tablespoons = 1/3 cup
8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
10-2/3 tablespoons = 2/3 cup
12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
1 cup = 1/2 pint
2 cups = 1 pint
4 cups (or 2 pints) = 1 quart
4 quarts = 1 gallon

Equivalent Liquid Measures
1 tablespoon = 1/2 fluid ounce
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces or 8 fluid ounces
1 pint = 2 cups or 16 fluid ounces
2 pints = 1 quart
1 quart = 4 cups or 32 fluid ounces
4 quarts = 1 gallon
1 gallon = 16 cups

Conversion to Metric Measures
1/4 teaspoon = 1 ml
1/2 teaspoon = 2 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 milliliters
1 fluid ounce = 29.57 milliliters or 0.029 liter
1 cup = 0.236 liter or 250 milliliters
1 pint = 0.473 liter
1 pint, dry = 0.551 liter
1 U.S. quart = 0.833 British quart or 0.946 liters
1 U.S. quart, dry = 1.101 liters
1 U.S. gallon = 0.833 British gallon or 3.785 liters

Handy Substitutions:

1 cup cake and pastry flour = 1 cup sifted all purpose flour less 2 tablespoons
1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup thinned plain yogurt (thin with milk) = 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice; let stand 10 min and stir
1 cup self rising flour = 1 cup all purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate = 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 2 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice = 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup milk = 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon baking powder = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup cream cheese = 1 cup cottage cheese plus 1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 cups whole milk = 4 cups skim milk plus 3 Tbsp. cream
1 cup sour cream = 3 tbsp. melted butter plus plain yogurt to 1 cup
Juice of 1 lemon = about 2 tablespoons
Heavy cream = 2 percent evaporated milk
Sour cream = plain low fat yogurt
Mayonnaise = 1 part real mayonnaise blended with 1 part lowfat yogurt
Eggs = two egg whites
Egg yolks to thicken sauces = cornstarch, flour or arrowroot
Oil for sautéing = use stock, wine, juice or vegetable spray

Click here for more recipe substitions

Oven Temperatures:

100 C = 200F
120 C = 250F
150 C = 300F
180 C = 350F
190 C = 375F
200 C = 400F
220 C = 425F

To convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit: multiply by 9, divide by 5, add 32

kids-image Let's Get Cooking!

While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...

::Click here to start the experience!

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