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
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How much is a "round" of butter? This is in an old pound cake recipe
I have a very old pound cake recipe that calls for a “round” of butter. How much is that? I have no idea.
annie b.
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Do cooks in the US measure volume using 'traditional' or 'legal' units?
The wikipedia article for the cup unit identifies two different measures used in the US: a legal cup of 240ml and a customary cup of ~236.588ml.
Similarly, the tablespoon and teaspoon articles describe traditional measures (~14.8ml and ~4.93ml…
Chris Steinbach
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Tripling a baking recipe
I have a cupcake recipe that I've doubled successfully in the past. I'd like to triple it for an upcoming party but I seem to recall reading that some ingredients don't work as well if tripled. Is that true? If so, what are they? Is there any…
user5657
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Any advice to help me form and shape stuff more uniformly?
I get frustrated by recipes which call for the cook to shape or form little balls out of a dough or cake or biscuit mix.
The recipe will say something like "form into little walnut sized balls ... should make about 16".
I always seem to end up with…
Tea Drinker
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Knowing temperature in oven with no preheat indicator
My college apartment is furnished with pretty basic appliances and the oven has just a knob to set the temperature, an indication light to show that it's on, and a switch to turn the oven light on and off.
I've only used digital ovens that beeped…
vjh
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How much is a sleeve of celery?
I was reading a recipe for Slow Cooker Rosemary Garlic Beef Stew and noticed that one of the ingredients called for a "sleeve" of celery. I've heard of a stalk of celery, but I've never heard of a sleeve. Here is the list of ingredients:
Ingredients…
jennyfofenny
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How many ounces is a British "tin" of tomatoes?
If I have a British recipe that lists "1 tin chopped plum tomatoes," how many ounces is that? In British English, does "tin" usually refer to a specific size? In the US, cans generally come in 14 and 28oz sizes - which one is likely closest to what…
Paul J. Lucas
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What is the definition of a cup of coffee
My wife and I had a discussion in regards of my consumption of coffee during office hours. Health gurus always talk about a maximum amount of coffee during a day - measured in cups!
But what is the definition of 1 cup of coffee, and how much coffee…
AtlasEU
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How to tell the proper amount of oil to use when sautéing vegetables and meat?
A common meal That I make in a pinch is Italian sausage with peppers and onions. I'll cut up a few red and yellow peppers, a whole onion, and throw it in a pan with some olive oil. Once the vegetables cook down a bit, I throw in the sausages, making…
Mike Sherov
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Measuring glucose syrup without wasting it
Glucose syrup is a liquid sweetener used in a lot of candy making. Unfortunately, it is incredibly thick which makes it difficult to measure. Imagine corn syrup except about three times thicker. When I measure it, a lot tends to get stuck on the…
Computerish
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How should I pick a flour volume to weight conversion for an arbitrary recipe?
There are a variety of weight-to-volume conversions online for flour, with considerable variation even among reputable sources:
King Arthur Flour says 4.25oz/cup but in their measuring tips article says it's 4oz/cup when sifted, up to 5.5oz/cup…
Cascabel
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Are hardware store themocouples food safe?
I recently finished reading The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee: Growing, Roasting, and Drinking, with Recipes. The authors of this book put a strong emphasis on accurate measurements and measuring tools, both for coffee and baking, and regularly make…
loudaslife
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Ears of corn in grams
I found an interesting recipe (http://www.icouldkillfordessert.com.br/receitas/mingau-de-milho/) for corn porridge, in it was necessary "3 ears of corn" for the amount of porridge.
Suppose I don't find the corn on the cob and can only buy it in a…
Suhany
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What is the American measurement equivalent of 3см.л in Russian
on a package of seasoning from Russia for Rice Pilaf, it suggests using 3см.л per 900 grams of rice. What would those measurements translate to in American measurements? I've seen translations for ct.L but not cm. Any help would be greatly…
Voigt
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Blade of Mace Quantity
When a recipe calls for a blade of mace, what is the expected quantity? The pieces of mace in the bag I have literally come in every size, from the entire husk, down to tiny fragments. The thickness is pretty uniform, so two-dimensions would be…
Scott A Miller
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