Determining the quantity of an ingredient needed for a recipe. Particularly useful for understanding obscure terminology, converting between different standards, or interpreting historical recipes.
Questions tagged [measurements]
171 questions
16
votes
8 answers
Is it ever more accurate to measure by volume rather than by weight?
I've been thinking about the fact that although many recipes specify volume, measuring by weight is much more accurate.
Are there any cases where it would be objectively better (i.e. more accurate) to measure by volume - that is where a weight…
user40292
15
votes
1 answer
What is the conversion rate between dry beans to cans of beans?
A recipe calls for a can (15oz) of cooked beans. How many cups or oz's is that to dry beans? Is this conversion even possible to estimate given that beans differ in amount of water absorption?
chrisjlee
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14
votes
1 answer
How many tablespoons of butter are in a tablespoon of butter?
The title may sound silly, but the question is serious:
When I buy butter, the package says Net Wt. 16oz, and I trust this because the authorities regulate such things.
Inside the package, each stick is divided evenly into 8 tablespoons. Now,…
Him
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13
votes
4 answers
what is a 10 cent package of instant potatoes and biscuit mix
I am converting my mother's recipes in a book for our family. The recipe calls for a 10 cent package of instant potatoes and biscuit mix. does anyone have any idea of what that would equal out to be. Not sure how old the recipe is. My mother passed…
chris
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13
votes
5 answers
How can I measure / weigh really small quantities?
Yesterday I was cooking a Focaccia were I required just a gramme of yeast and a gramme of salt.
When I try to use my (electric) scales, it never registers 1 gramme of difference. I also needed to weigh 5 grammes of olive oil, but i could not take…
DottoreM
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13
votes
5 answers
Why buy a more expensive kitchen scale
It seems about time for me to give in to peer pressure and get a kitchen scale like everyone else. It seems like they would give my cooking more consistency if nothing else.
I've payed attention to scales as I've been in various stores. Their prices…
Sobachatina
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13
votes
4 answers
When a recipe calls for a cup of chopped nuts, should they be measured before chopping or after chopping?
It seems like it would throw off recipe since you can fit more in once they are chopped?
AttilaNYC
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13
votes
4 answers
How much is a bunch of spinach?
I have some recipies for green smoothies, where some of the ingredients are for example "1 bunch of spinach" or "1/2 bunch of spinach".
The spinach I've found in the store are usually fresh leaves packed in a plastic bag of for example roughly 250…
Svish
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13
votes
6 answers
Cup measurements: shake or scrape?
When you are measuring out your flour, sugar, etc with the measuring cups, is it better to
scoop and then shake the cup to get a leveled cup, or
scoop and then use a knife to scrape off the excess.
I have been using the first method but will it…
zachary
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13
votes
3 answers
Is baking by weight really more accurate?
It's gospel among serious bakers that measuring by weight is far more accurate than measuring by volume. However, I'm not sure that measuring by weight helps at all when you have varying humidity levels. It seems to me that, if the recipe author…
FuzzyChef
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12
votes
1 answer
Are red lentils and split red lentils the same?
I have a recipe for vegetarian Moussaka which calls for red lentils, but it doesn't specify whether the red lentils are split or not. Is there such a thing as whole red lentils (I have only ever bought split ones), and will using split red lentils…
user25760
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12
votes
3 answers
Standard weight conversions for converting cups of flour to grams of flour?
I hate the idea of measuring flour using something as imprecise as measuring scoop.
What numbers do you treat as definitive/authoritative/canonical for doing weight conversions for different types of flour?
Rick
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12
votes
3 answers
What does "spooned and leveled" mean?
I'm looking at a recipe that lists the following as an ingredient:
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and
leveled)
What exactly does this mean? Is this literal - i.e. spoon it into the measuring cup and level off? If so, why does it matter if it's…
clueless
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11
votes
1 answer
What are "B/E-inch slices"?
What does the phrase "B/E- inch slices" refer to in a recipe? I'm working on a recipe that calls for chicken breasts and that statement is used when telling how to slice the meat.
Walt
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11
votes
4 answers
Exactly how much is "one glass", in Russian recipes?
In many many Russian recipes, measurements call for one glass or this one glass of that.
One glass in Russia, appears to be a similar concept to what one cup is in United States.
But here lies a problem, I will run down the list:
USSR mass-produced…
dennismv
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