Food Conversion
 

I've decided to do a bit of cooking and on looking for recipes have found some interesting ones which are American and require cups of this and that - does anyone know of a chart off the web that lists the conversion into grams? I've looked and you have to enter 1 cup at a time, I just want to print off a chart rather than looking it up each time.

Ta :o

Re: Food Conversion
 

I don't know of one but why don't you just measure in cups instead? I bought one of those little sets of plastic cups that measure 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1. I like this system a lot better than using scales it is much faster and easier, plus you can just throw the cups in the dishwasher and not have to clean your scales.

Re: Food Conversion
 

Found a couple of charts converting cups to grams here:

http://www.cuisinecuisine.com/FoodConversions.htm

and here:
http://www.truestarhealth.com/member...s12SL10P1.html

but wouldn't recommend converting cups to grams when following an American recipe because it is so faffy - eg. 1/2 cup is 113.4 grams.

Re: Food Conversion
 

I take Betty Crockers cake mixes back to England for friends and have told them that 1/2 cup = 4oz whether it's weight or liquid. Not sure about grams but scales and jugs usually show both imperial and metric.

Re: Food Conversion
 

The problem is a cup of flour for example weighs less than a cup of sugar.

I definitely agree with yorkshirelass and get yourself a set of plastic cups. You can pick them up for not much more than a dollar and they are so much quicker than using scales.

Re: Food Conversion
 

If you look under the original poster's name you will see that he/she is living in Lincolnshire, England and therefore probably unable to buy any jugs or plastic beakers with US cup measurements easily!

I actually have some British weighing scales and Imperial/metric jugs for when I use British cookery books, Australian cup measures when I use Aussie cookery books and US cup measures for American recipes....(US and Australian cup sizes are different and no I'm not talking about bra sizes....) :D

Re: Food Conversion
 

I use both systems. When using American recipes I use the jug/cup method, and when using my old British recipes, a set of scales. I don't think it's really worth converting cup measurements into grams - too fiddly! Even in the UK you can buy the American measures, if not locally then at www.lakelandlimited.com

Edit: to add link to US measures http://www.lakelandlimited.com/is-bi...0AAAD9DgKIX2up

Re: Food Conversion
 

On the measuring jugs I brought with me from England there are different ounce markers for flour and sugar. She could use an english measuring jug, instead of scales, which I'm sure she already has as everyone I know in England has at least one.

Re: Food Conversion
 

Search in this forum. I'm sure this question came up a few months back.

Re: Food Conversion
 

Totally agree. I bought the jug from lakeland. Saves me a lot of hassle, and easy cleanup, which is a blessing with all my kids... Hahahaha..

Re: Food Conversion
 

I'm always surprised when people say that using measuring cups is easier than scales. I mean, what the heck is a 'cup' of flour? You could pack it tight or loose, which can make a lot of difference. And having to check that each cup is level before you add it seems more complicated to me.

I have a digital scale which is completely flat. I can place the mixing bowl on top and reset it to zero for each new ingredient to be added. Bowl goes into the dishwasher - easy-peasy! :)

I never bother with US recipes unless they also give metric or imperial equivalents. I'm a great fan of Delia's - her recipes simply never fail! http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/selections/

Re: Food Conversion
 

The reason I ask and yes I am blonde is because my cup sizes are different, e.g. I have a blue and white cup that is not the same size as the brown cup so which cup do I use and if someone could just tell me one cup is 5 gms that would make me feel so much better and probably not waste so much food!!!

Thank you everyone for your help - just to let you know I am going to attempt to make banana bread. Last time I made this was at school and from making it in the afternoon by the time I got it home litterally a couple of hours later it had fur coat on it - I have NO idea how the hell that happended so as you can see the cups are only the small problem at this stage!! :o :eek:

Re: Food Conversion
 

You'll be wanting this then - no need for special cups or anything, and it is both foolproof and yummy:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/b...f,1090,RC.html

HTH

:)

Re: Food Conversion
 

this is an issue the wife has ;)

Re: Food Conversion
 

Not too much, I hope - she must be quite lopsidded!! :D :D

Re: Food Conversion
 

I think its previous breast feeder thing :scared: left is always bigger than right I hear ;)

Re: Food Conversion
 

Nice! I'll stay away from that one :D

Re: Food Conversion
 

Eskimo, we know what side of the bed you sleep on :D

I can't believe you folk don't use the American cup system. It is as easy as pie! Fiddling with scales, etc..blah!

Re: Food Conversion
 

It's not as accurate though. Apart from the fact that, as someone pointed out, you don't know whether to pack it tightly or loosely, there is also the fact that you can only really measure 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 etc. With scales, you can measure accurately to (depending on the scales obviously) the nearest gram.

Re: Food Conversion
 

A lot of US recipes especially in magazines don't even use measurements. It's 1 packet of this, 1 jar of that and 1 can of the other :D . Mix and layer, shove in the oven and voila a completely home made meal.

Re: Food Conversion
 

Sounds like my style of cooking - bung it in and hope for the best :D

Trouble is, if you try that with a victoria sponge, you could have a bit of a mess on your hands!

Re: Food Conversion
 

I still remember the Victoria Sponge recipe from school. However many eggs you use double the amount in ounces for sugar, butter and SR flour. I love Victoria Sponge cake and always use the recipe for making fairy buns. In fact I think I'll make some this weekend with my daughter.

Re: Food Conversion
 

Are they like butterfly cakes, where you cut the top off and cut it in half then stick it back in to look like wings?

I used to have loads of fun cooking with my Mum. Melting moments and peanut butter cookies were our favourites, if I remember rightly!

Re: Food Conversion
 

I call all little buns fairy cakes and I will be making butterfly cakes with buttercream this weekend. I also used to love helping my Mum in the kitchen.

Re: Food Conversion
 

I know what you mean. Our first breakfast together (ahhhh!) I made pancakes - my man was amazed that I made them with flour, eggs, milk etc and not with a packet mix! Ha ha!

Re: Food Conversion
 

My mum always insisted on making a fruit cake with my daughter when ever we went to visit. It's one of the lasting memories my daughter has of her Grandma now she's gone. :)

Re: Food Conversion
 

I'd love to have the recipe of a good fruit cake - I just can't seem to find one.

Re: Food Conversion
 

Google has a useful conversion tool, doesn't work with cups to grams but is fine with most other measures - liquids, temperatures, weights, etc. Use the "in" tool.

eg. "2 cups in millilitres"
produces the result "2 US cups = 473.176475 millilitres"

Re: Food Conversion
 

If I have a UK recipe I use scales to measure.
If I have a US recipe I use cups.
I tried converting some in the past and had many failures. As stated before... A cup of flour compared to a cup of sugar converted into weight wont work unless I spend ages measuring the cups of ingredients and weighing them so I know the conversion... Not worth it.

As far as how much to put in the cup.. Pour the ingredient in and then lightly shake it to level it... easy.... :D

Oh and Deliah is wonderful by the way.... ;)

Re: Food Conversion
 

I bought measuring cups when I was in the UK, but I can't remember where I bought them from (sorry). I have found a link for measuring spoons and cups for you though!

http://www.cookshops.com/Product_Det...idxProduct=192

Re: Food Conversion
 

That banana bread is delicious.. Make it a lot.. Lasts about 5 minutes in this house, so I have to make a batch... Freezes well also.... :)

Re: Food Conversion
 

Beware, I also heard British and American cup sizes are not the same. It was on an earlier thread on this forum...

Re: Food Conversion
 

That's Australian and American. Since the Brits don't use cups as a general rule, I assume any cup measures you can buy in the UK would be US ones? :confused:

Re: Food Conversion
 

some places use cups in the UK - Scotland for one have cups for their recipes and they are a different size to the American ones. :)

Re: Food Conversion
 

I also like this recipe - particularly if I have left over bananas but no nuts:

Banana Banana Bread
http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/BnnBnnBrd.asp

Actually have a batch baking in the oven right now. The troops are already lining up! ;)

The site is useful because it has a conversion to metric function for those who've never got to grips with cups...

Re: Food Conversion
 

Is that like banana bread but with extra banana? :D

Re: Food Conversion
 

You bet - try it - it's delicious!

(I just made 2 mega-large ones - came out of the oven 15 minutes ago and half of one is already gone. Guaranteed never any leftovers! :) )

Re: Food Conversion
 

Ha ha, that's funny, I decided to make banana bread today too.... except I found a packet mix in the pantry and used that instead :o
I put some extra banana and walnuts in, bet it still gets eaten in record time. :D

I'll go check on it now...

Re: Food Conversion
 

I used to make a chocolate and banana loaf (or 2) nearly every week when I was pregnant with my son. I used to love the smell when it was baking. It was too much for just me and hubby to eat so I used to take them into work and everyone loved them. I got the recipe from a magazine and have never made it since. I think I'll have a go at making Delia's soon though.

Re: Food Conversion
 

I agree, Alton Brown on the Food network suggests only using cup measures for liquid because measuring dry ingredients in a cup is inaccurate.

I wonder if you would get more Homepride in a cup than Bero flour, simply because Fred makes sure that "graded grains make finer flour".

Does anyone know where in the US you can buy anchovy essence??? I pulled off the internet a recipe for a traditional pork pie and it has anchovy essence in it. If I can't get it I wonder if I could just get a small can of anchovies and beat the crap out of them.