Unit conversion question

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Shrek has formulas down pat, but he does not understand ratios. He learned to bake in a commercial bakery with their formulas, he is unable to scale it back for baking at home.

Home bakers use recipes, there are thousands of cookbooks out there geared for the home baker and they are chock full of recipes.

That being said, I am happily learning how to bake by using weights and transferring that knowledge to cooking. I have found it's much easier to use metric.

Use what you want Luca, if we are interested and want a conversion, there are plenty of conversion charts and calculators online to help us out. And if there is still a question, we can just ask you!
 
PrincessFiona60 said:
...
Use what you want Luca, if we are interested and want a conversion, there are plenty of conversion charts and calculators online to help us out. And if there is still a question, we can just ask you!
...
Click to expand...

:LOL: Thanks Princess, I think I'll search the web to find good cooking conversion tools, then I will make my own instrument.

And thanks everybody, now I have the answers I asked for (and some new questions, too, which is always good for the brain).

PS
Luca Lazzari said:
acerbicacid,
...
AND
teaspoon/tablespoon measurements when needed. A teaspoon of freshly grounded black pepper is better then 12,7 grams of it, IMHO :)
Click to expand...

By the way:
1 teaspoon = 1/3 tablespoon
1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounch, 14,3 grams
SO 1 teaspoon 1/6 ounch, 4,76666666666667 grams

:LOL: :ROFLMAO: :bunny:
 
Gravy Queen said:
Luca , I say do it your way . It's really easy to go and find conversion information on Tinternet I don't expect anyone writing a recipe to convert it for me .
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I understand it, Gravy Queen. For this forum's audience, I believe you're right.
But I'm going online with a website, sooner or LATER, so maybe I'll simply post a link to a unit/conversion page, and use "my way" quantities in the recipe.

Thank you :)
 
I think it depends upon your target audience Luca. I can only speak from my own knowledge but cookery writers like Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith (both I think for beginners really) have conversion charts, here's the Jamie Oliver one
Jamie Oliver - Forums / Conversions - beta

Although saying that even Thomas keller in "The French Laundry" does have some conversions listed in his recipes, such as 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter and 1 generous cup (3 ounces) chanterelles. Even 36 fresh snails in the shell (about 1½ pints):ohmy:
 
justplainbill said:
Volume in liters should not be a problem if readers are reminded that 236 ml = 8 fluid ounces; likewise weight in kg should not be a problem if readers are reminded that 100 g = 3.5 ounces. People, who cannot handle that, need to start eating a lot more fish.
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I am sure every American from our generation knows that a kilo is 2.2 pounds, even if they never actually purchased one!

I buy my onions already chopped, in a 2 pound bag. I put the chopped onions, 1/2 cup at a time, into sandwich bags, then put them all into a zip-lock bag and freeze them. If the recipe calls for volume, I've got it covered, and if it calls for quantity, well, one baggie is a small onion and two baggies are a medium/large onion. Same with bell peppers. I buy them on sale (all colours), gut them, julianne them, toss them into a ziplock freezer bag and stick them in the freezer door. When the recipe calls for bell pepper, I pull out the required coulor(s) in what appears to be the proper quantity and if neccessary dice or chop them when they thaw.
 
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Great to hear that one can use the metric system when posting recipes. I was a bit worried I would have to convert everything if I wanted to post. But it seems like there are a lot of different nationalities here, and I guess people use different systems. Now what recipes should I share... :chef:
 
Steve Kroll said:
Luca,

I'd say use whatever you're comfortable with. Most Americans understand metric well enough to make the conversions (We are all taught the metric system in school at a young age. We just refuse to use it. :LOL:).

All of my measuring cups are labeled in both ml and American units, and I also own a kitchen scale that weighs in both grams and ounces. In addition, most packaged foods in stores have both units on the label.

I like the metric system myself. For winemaking, it's the only thing I use.

Steve
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People keep telling me that metric is easier. Not for this cook, when she spent the first 30 years of life struggling to learn and then use the "imperial" system, it isn't.

I love American cookery books that use pounds and ounces although I struggle a bit with the accuracy of my cup measurements! I sometimes scoop cups of flour as taught by the sainted Ina and then weigh them to check and I never seem to get the same weight of flour in my scoop twice on the trot!

We're lucky in the UK that most sets of weighing scales still come with both metric and imperial measurements but over the last year or so I've noticed a worrying tendency for newly published cook books to only show metric measurements for ingredients.

I think I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to the metric system. I'm also dyscalculic which doesn't help me make sense of how much 175 grammes is or what a litre looks like. And don't get me started on bra sizes!!:mad:
 
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Incidentally, when they were writing the legislation for UK's conversion to the metric system, their research persuaded them that there would be an outcry if milk and beer were to be included so the eventual Act of Parliament stated that beer and milk would be sold in imperial pints (20 fluid ounces) as an exception. Beer still is and most milk is, although a few companies produce milk in metric plastic containers but they still have to have both the metric and the imperial equivalent shown on the bottle.
 
Luca Lazzari said:
Thanks!



1½ pints snails!!! :ROFLMAO:
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It goes back to the volume or cup style of measurement which still exists in the US. Before metrication in England many fishmongers sold shellfish, such as shrimps, cockles, etc., in pints, measuring them with a legally regulated pint measuring container and I'm sure that I've seen an American TV cook using pints of solid ingredients such as shrimp or blueberries.
 
acerbicacid said:
Hello Luca, as I live in England I find recipes giving cups as a measure rather than weight perplexing. I keep meaning to buy a set of U.S.A. cup measures but only remember when I am reading the actual recipe, and so it goes on. Metric weight is my preference.

I would like the size of the onion to be stated too, unless it was given by weight. Half a large onion or half a small one - a lot of difference.

I think I really agree with no mayonnaise in this (really love mayonnaise though;)).
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The Tala range of kitchen tools has a set of white plastic measuring cups which are based on American cups. Most cook shops and hardware shops stock them and they are dirt cheap. I've got a set but I can't get to grips with the cup system.

I know that when you measure soft brown sugar you pack it down in the measure and when you measure flour you don't but what about sieving flour? Do you sift before or after scooping it? Surely a scoop of sifted flour and a scoop of unsifted flour are not going to weigh the same?
 
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Mad Cook said:
...what about sieving flour? Do you sift before or after scooping it? Surely a scoop of sifted flour and a scoop of unsifted flour are not going to weigh the same?
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1 C Flour, sifted - Sift after measuring

1 C Sifted Flour - Sift before measuring

This assumes the recipe writer knows the difference.
 
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