Common Cooking Measurements and Conversions

When it comes to cooking and baking, many home cooks find measurements and their conversions confusing. From teaspoons to tablespoons to how many cups in a quart, there really is no easy way to convert one measure to another. Read on for tips that make it easier to work with ingredients of all weights and measures.

Converting common cooking measurements

How can you easily convert one measure to the next if you’re reading a recipe and decide to double or even halve it? On some cooking websites, the online recipe card allows you to change the number of servings, and then the ingredients’ amounts change automatically, too. 

But converting measurements may not be that easy if you’re working from a printed cookbook or one of grandma’s recipes. That is, unless you’ve committed something to memory or used a mnemonic. 

For instance, Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju of Urban Farmie learned this rhyme: “‘3 Ts make a B,’ meaning that 3 teaspoons make a tablespoon,” she recalled. Except for the teaspoon-to-tablespoons rule, which is 3 to 1, most everything else that an American cook uses to measure ingredients can usually be divided by 4. Some examples:

• 4 tablespoons in a quarter cup.
• 8 tablespoons in a half cup.
• 16 tablespoons in a full cup.
• 4 cups make a quart.
• 4 quarts make a gallon.

Liquid vs. dry ingredients

Most cooks use the same measuring tools when working with liquid or dry ingredients. However, how a recipe developer communicates these ingredients may differ. This is where the use of fluid ounces often comes into play. 

For instance, there are 8 ounces in a cup. So, when making bone broth or your favorite soup or stew, the recipe might call for 16 fluid ounces, or 2 cups, of beef stock. It might also ask for a pint of stock, which is the same as 2 cups or, as established, 16 ounces. 

Two pints make a quart, and if you were a fan of the “Little House on the Prairie” books, where Pa calls Laura “half pint,” now you know that half of a pint is 1 cup. On the flipside, 4 quarts make a gallon. To help you remember this, use the saying that Michelle Goth of Blackberry Babe learned: “A quart is 1 quarter, meaning a quart is 1-quarter of a gallon.”

Sixteen ounces is also how many ounces there are in a single pound. So, if you put 2 cups of stock on a food scale, not accounting for the weight of the container the liquid is in, you would get 16 ounces or a pound. Notice that you’re back to measurements that are divisible by 4.

You might also find this ounces-to-pound measurement helpful when working with meat, which butchers may sell by the pound. So 1-quarter pound of rotisserie chicken is 4 ounces, one-half pound is 8 ounces and so on.

Differences in measuring liquids vs. solids

Liquids and powders do not behave the same way in measuring cups or spoons. Liquids flow and settle to a flat surface, while powders like flour or sugar can compact or aerate depending on how you scoop them.

For liquids, you should use a clear measuring cup with markings to check the level at eye height, such as a clear Pyrex measuring cup. Solids such as flour should be fluffed with a fork and then spooned into a dry measuring cup. You’ll want to level it off with a straight edge and without tamping down to get the most accurate amount.

For smaller amounts, you can use measuring spoons for powders and liquids. But make sure you have a steady hand so the contents don’t spill. And always level off dry ingredients with a straight edge for an accurate measurement. Finally, avoid using drinking glasses (the shot glass you use for your favorite lemon drop shot is not reliable) or serving spoons. They do not convert accurately.

European and metric measurements

European recipes typically use weight, like grams, and American recipes use volume, such as cups or tablespoons. This makes direct conversions tricky because the same volume of different ingredients does not always weigh the same.

While there isn’t a single universal tool that can do this for you, many online charts and calculators can help you translate metric quantities to common American measurements. Many home cooks will keep a physical conversion chart in the kitchen for use on the fly.

“For grams to cups or ounces, I rely on a small printable cheat sheet I keep taped inside a kitchen cabinet door,” explained Kristin King of Dizzy Busy and Hungry. “It saves time and helps me stay focused since I don’t have to pull out my phone to check a conversion right in the middle of cooking.”

Baskaran-Makanju does something similar. “For grams to cups, I use a magnetic chart on the fridge,” she said. “It definitely saves guesswork and keeps baking stress free.”

Converting grams to cups or ounces

Gram-to-cup conversions are not universal because different ingredients have varying densities. For example, 100 grams of flour for cinnamon apple cake is not the same volume as 100 grams of sugar. You need to know the specific ingredient to convert grams to cups or ounces.

Your best bet when converting between metrics and units that American cooks follow? Use a digital kitchen scale. It provides an accurate measure by weight when a measuring spoon or cup just won’t do.

Best practices for consistent results

When it comes to common cooking amounts and how to convert measurements, it’s best to stick with the same strategy throughout a recipe. When in doubt, reach for a digital scale. This ensures your dish turns out as intended, regardless of the measurement system you choose to use.

This article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.