All About Conversions

Here you will find some helpful hints on conversions that I've come across, which might help explain why you got a flop rather than a cake. 

The way we measure things is very different indeed. American recipes tend to be in cups and teaspoons/tablespoons. While English recipes tend to be in pounds, ounces, and pints. Metric on the other hand is grams, millilitres, and kilograms. There is no easy way to convert between each standard and you should follow a recipe in whatever format it is given in.  If you are confident in your skills you can convert between them.  Use my handy program that easily converts for you.  Also if you like I found this page in my recent travels and it might help you convert that special recipe to a measurement you can use.  Some other conversions are listed here that will help you too. If you have anything to add let me know (e-mail address on index page) and I'll work it into the page. 

Be advised if I have listed any metric measurements, I have rounded up or down as appropriate. For example, 1 cup of vegetable shortening is equal to 6.75 ounces or 191 grams, but most scales go in 5 gram increments (some even more!), so I'd round this down to 190 grams. 

What size egg you say?

The lower the number the closer it is to a smaller size. You can go here to see about egg sizes in the UK if you wish. 

How hot did you say?

US, Metric or Imperial? Oh and don't mix us please!

When following a recipe stick to one set of measurements. Don't mix and match them to suit what containers you have. Recipes are given in different measurements to be convenient for different markets.  Follow only one set of measurements be it Imperial (UK), metric, or US. 

Also be careful when reading a recipe. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour then that means it isn't to be sifted prior to measuring. However if it calls for 1 cup of sifted flour you are to sift the flour first then measure 1 cup. Notice the difference?  However, don't forget that when using flour it should generally be sifted just before use in the recipe. This is to incorporate air into the flour and will yield the result you are looking for.

Measuring cups in the US are different from their UK counterparts.  It seems that they hold more but by how much I am not quite sure just yet.  This seems to be reflected by a Nomogram that I have in one cookbook that states 5 cups of flour equal 4 cups of British flour - I'll have to investigate further and let you know what I find.  

I haven't found a set of British cups as yet that I can buy to try out but hopefully soon I will.  When you are using an American recipe you should use my handy guide of common measurements so that you can convert them easily.  

When measuring something fill the container and then use a palette knife to level off the container. Most British recipes will list a weight for dry ingredients as well. You should follow that if the recipe states it, unless you are confident in converting your measurements.

For liquid measurements make sure you have a device expressly for liquids. Most US measurements will be in 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4 cup sizes. A good one to have will have graduated measurements on one side with metric on the other. British liquid measures will be in pints or perhaps ounces. Don't forget that the US and UK pint are two different measurements!! 

Make sure when measuring a liquid that the container is on a stable, level surface. Bend down to read the measurement and do not lift it when measuring. This will not be level and thus not accurate.

For a few differences (found this in a book I have) I've put a table below to help.

Measuring spoons should again be flat on the top and always be used.  Regular kitchen utensils vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Again, when measuring something fill the container and then use a palette knife to level off the container.  

I found this in one of my cookbooks and put other measurements I found from a guide I had.  Perhaps this will help you in your quest but do keep in mind they have been rounded up or down as appropriately.

Butter

There isn't a difference between butter in the US or the UK however there is a difference in the way it's sold. 

Butter is sold in the UK in 250 gram packs or about 8 1/2 ounces. In the US butter is sold in sticks, each being 1/4 of a pound or 4 ounces. 

Each stick of butter is equivalent to 8 tablespoons of butter. Therefore, 1 ounce of butter is equal to 2 tablespoons. From these conversions you should be able to calculate any sort of recipe that calls for butter in American cups or tablespoons or sticks. 

When following a recipe that calls for butter then use unsalted butter.  Salted butter varies from supplier to supplier and this will have an effect on your final product - especially cakes! If you do decide to use salted butter then reduce or cut out the salt in your recipe - you'll have to be good at judging how much to do it by!

Measuring Spoons and Cups (British or American?)

Recently I got my Lakeland Ltd. catalogue and in there are some nice measuring spoons (the stainless steel ones seem to be the best). I've since been able to get an actual look at them and marked down the measurements of them. I then compared this to a few American cookbooks that list metric equivalents for them. I've listed below the differences, use them at your own discretion. 

Now I found a cookbook that I ended up getting for my friend Vicki and in the back they had some common American/British measurements. So thought I'd list those as well, whether I agree with it is another matter. 

I've since putting this part about spoons up can verify that the British ones are indeed different from American ones.  By how much is undetermined as I don't have a very accurate scale (mine goes in 5 gram increments).  However, I'd say that generally if you use British spoons in an American recipe you might not want it to be exactly full to the brim or level with it.  

I could only find "American" style measuring cups - English recipes tend to put things in pounds and ounces.  So I have no idea if the ones sold by Lakeland Ltd. are anything like the US counterparts.  If anyone has any more information on this please e-mail me (e-mail address on index page) and I'll post the findings.

I'll try and put up a chart of handy measurements of some common ingredients and their weights in ounces and metric.  Check back soon!

Liquid Measuring Cups

Liquid measurements should always be measured in a container for this express purpose. Do not use the same measuring cups that you have used for dry ingredients! This will certainly result in a disaster. When recently at Lakeland I saw a Pyrex measuring cup that interestingly used American measurements. I think it was about £2-3, a small price for your cooking extravaganzas. I suggest getting one that is American and one that is British so that you'll not have to do any conversions as liquids are measured in entirely different manners. 

A few handy things to remember are 3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons equal 1 fluid ounce, 1 cup equals 16 tablespoons, and 1 American pint equals 16 fluid ounces. 

Shortening the cheaper alternative or is it?

Most US recipes (especially those during the war years) will call for shortening to be used.  I believe this was due to cost and most assuredly during the War years in short supply.  So if you run across a recipe that you'd like to make and are not sure if you want to include shortening or butter you can rest easy and choose either.  Shortening has a different weight than butter.  If you want one cup of shortening then that equates to 6.75 ounces or 190 grams.  If you're interested in using shortening in the US this is dominated by Crisco and in the UK Trex (best for pie pastry) or Pura (for all other uses) or something similar will do.  Keep in mind that shortening does not contain as much liquid as butter does so you might have to decrease the liquid in your recipe by 1-2 tablespoons.

Yeast

In most American recipes you'll see that they call for yeast in packets or packages. One packet/package is equivalent to 2 1/4 teaspoons of dried active yeast - this is using standard American measuring spoons.  

If you'd like to do your own conversions use the following: 

If a recipe calls for dry yeast, x 2.42 is the amount of fresh yeast needed. If a recipe calls for fresh yeast, x .41 is the amount of dry yeast needed. For example, if one package of dry yeast is called for take .25 x 2.42 = .605 ounces or .6 ounces of fresh yeast can be substituted. 

There are many types of yeast, and I found this web page which I saved in .pdf format that gives you a great deal of information that I won't reproduce here. 

The difference between instant and active dry yeast is that instant yeast is dried at a lower temperature than active yeast. This produces more live cells and thus instant yeast is quicker and more vigorous in action when it's added to flour and water. Instant yeast doesn't need to be 'proofed' (dissolved in water before being used - dry active and compressed yeast do!!). 

Remember that each manufacturer of yeast uses a different strain of yeast and they each have their own characteristics and perform differently. Use different yeasts and find the one that you find is best for your final product. 

Compressed yeast (fresh!) used to be sold in cakes that came in three sizes of 1/2 ounces, 1 ounce, and 2 ounces.  I've seen many old recipes that call for a cake of yeast.  I'm going to make an educated guess that one cake would be for a recipe that calls for say 2-3 cups of flour.  If the recipe contains more than that then I'd increase the amount up accordingly.  Mind you I've not tried this as yet so don't hold me responsible! =)

Revised: 19 February 2004.