conversion chart (US - UK) cooking

[smokeydave]

Dry/Weight Measurements
		Ounces	Pounds	Metric
1/16 teaspoon	a dash
1/8 teaspoon or less	a pinch or 6 drops		.	.5 ml
1/4 teaspoon	15 drops			1 ml
1/2 teaspoon	30 drops			2 ml
1 teaspoon	1/3 tablespoon	1/6 ounce		5 ml
3 teaspoons	1 tablespoon	1/2 ounce		14 grams
1 tablespoon	3 teaspoons	1/2 ounce		14 grams
2 tablespoons	1/8 cup	1 ounce		28 grams
4 tablespoons	1/4 cup	2 ounces		56.7 grams
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon	1/3 cup	2.6 ounces		75.6 grams
8 tablespoons	1/2 cup	4 ounces	1/4 pound	113 grams
10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons	2/3 cup	5.2 ounces		151 grams
12 tablespoons	3/4 cup	6 ounces	.375 pound	170 grams
16 tablespoons	1 cup	8 ounces	.500 pound or 1/2 pound	225 grams
32 tablespoons	2 cups	16 ounces	1 pound	454 grams
64 tablespoons	4 cups or 1 quart	32 ounces	2 pounds	907 grams

Liquid/Volume Measurements
jigger or measure	1 1/2 or 1.5 fluid ounces		3 tablespoons	45 ml
1 cup	8 fluid ounces	1/2 pint	16 tablespoons	237 ml
2 cups	16 fluid ounces	1 pint	32 tablespoons	474 ml
4 cups	32 fluid ounces	1 quart	64 tablespoons	.946 ml
2 pints	32 fluid ounces	1 quart	4 cups	.964 liters
4 quarts	128 fluid ounces	1 gallon	16 cups	3.8 liters
8 quarts	256 fluid ounces or one peck	2 gallons	32 cups	7.5 liters
4 pecks	one bushel
dash	less than 1/4 teaspoon

Conversions For Ingredients Commonly Used In Baking
Ingredients	Ounces	Grams
1 cup all-purpose flour	5 ounces	142 grams
1 cup whole wheat flour	8 1/2 ounces	156 grams
1 cup granulated (white) sugar	7 ounces	198 grams
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar (light or dark)	7 ounces	198 grams
1 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar	4 ounces	113 grams
1 cup cocoa powder	3 ounces	85 grams
Butter (salted or unsalted)
4 tablespoons = 1/2 stick = 1/4 cup	2 ounces	57 grams
8 tablespoons = 1 stick = 1/2 cup	4 ounces	113 grams
16 tablespoons = 2 sticks = 1 cup	8 ounces	227 grams

 

[smokeydave]

UK	USA
aubergine	eggplant
baking tray	baking sheet
bangers	sausages
beetroot	beet
bicarbonate of soda	baking soda
biscuits	cookies
broad beans	fava beans
cake tin	cake/ baking pan
capsicums	sweet or bell peppers
castor sugar	Sugar, superfine
celery stick	celery rib
chips	French-fried potatoes
chuck steak	round steak/stewing beef
coriander, fresh	cilantro
cornflour	cornstarch
courgette	zucchini
crisps	potato chips
desiccated coconut	Unsweetened desiccated/ shredded coconut
digestive biscuits/	graham crackers
double cream	cream, heavy
dripping	fat from roasted meat
essence	extract (vanilla, etc.)
fish slice	spatula
forcemeat	stuffing mix for meat or fish
frying pan	skillet
gammon	ham
glacé fruits	candied fruit
golden syrup	light molasses
Greaseproof/Parchment paper	wax paper
hand of pork	pork shoulder roast
hard-boiled eggs	hard-cooked eggs
heaped spoonful	heaping spoonful
hull	shuck
icing sugar	confectioners'/powdered sugar
joint	large cut of meat to roast
ketchup/tomato sauce	catsup
king prawns	jumbo shrimp
Margarine/Butter/Lard	shortening
minced meats	ground meats
offal	variety meats (liver, kidney etc)
paw paw	papaya
pig's trotter	pig's foot
plain flour	all-purpose flour
pork fat	fatback
prawns	shrimp
rasher	slice
semolina	farina
sieve	strain; strainer
sift	strain
silverside	beef cut from the rump
single cream	cream, light, half-and-half
skirt steak	flank steak
spring or salad onions	scallions, green onions
stock cubes	bouillon cube
strong flour	bread flour
sultanas	raisins/ seedless, golden
tomato Ketchup	tomato catsup
treacle	dark molasses
vanilla pod	vanilla bean

 

[smokeydave]

hope this helps out as i found it a pain to go and look for conversions wile writing down recipes from here then looking for a chart.


dave

 

[SiBurning]

Nice. I learned something from that.

If you have British biscuits, you might want to add American biscuits, which I think would be a kind of tea cake.

Also, wax paper and parchment paper are very different, at least in the USA. You rarely want to use wax paper in place of parchment paper, and wax paper should never be used in the oven, at least not with food. OTOH, you can almost always use parchment paper in place of wax paper for food purposes. Just saying people should be careful if there's any confusion about which to use.

 

[smokeydave]

Nice. I learned something from that.

If you have British biscuits, you might want to add American biscuits, which I think would be a kind of tea cake.

Also, wax paper and parchment paper are very different, at least in the USA. You rarely want to use wax paper in place of parchment paper, and wax paper should never be used in the oven, at least not with food. OTOH, you can almost always use parchment paper in place of wax paper for food purposes. Just saying people should be careful if there's any confusion about which to use.

thank you for that i would change it but i cant but its not to bad though for 3 hours work

 

[Alacrity59]

The liquid measures might be off. 4.55 liters in an Imperial gallon vs. 3.79 in a U.S. gallon. 40 ounces in a Imperial quart vs. 32 in a US quart etc. I think the whole difference is that the Imperial gallon is 160 fluid ounces and the US is 128 fluid ounces. Probably the majority of measuring cups we see in Canada are US but if you inherited grandma's they are about 20% bigger.

 

[smokeydave]

The liquid measures might be off. 4.55 liters in an Imperial gallon vs. 3.79 in a U.S. gallon. 40 ounces in a Imperial quart vs. 32 in a US quart etc. I think the whole difference is that the Imperial gallon is 160 fluid ounces and the US is 128 fluid ounces. Probably the majority of measuring cups we see in Canada are US but if you inherited grandma's they are about 20% bigger.

yea i know i forgot to mention i rounded up or down to the nearest as can be,however you are right

 

[mretzloff]

I prefer the metric system, but would never want to get rid of cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons. Measuring a cup of flour, butter, etc. is a lot easier than measuring a 100 grams of it. Yes, it is more inaccurate, but cooking is an art, not a science.

 

[YetiDave]

Measuring a cup of flour, butter, etc. is a lot easier than measuring a 100 grams of it. Yes, it is more inaccurate, but cooking is an art, not a science.

Unless you're baking, in which case the last thing you want to be using is cups!

 

[JoshuaNY]

Down with Metric, Down with Metric!!

Actually, the US would be a much simpler place to measure stuff if we used the metric system for everything.

Very informative, thanks! I always find the dialect differences interesting, sometimes it sounds like were speaking 2 different languages. I was watching Top Gear and they kept talking about Biscuits. I was so confused as they were not using it in the American context. I had to google it. Now I will know some other words they use.

Greaseproof/Parchment paper

wax paper

Can we get a ruling on the above? We use parchment paper for baking and what not, is that what you are refering too? Cuz wax paper has a coating of wax on it and is not good for heat applications, mostly used for wrapping food.

Catsup vs Ketchup is also a regional thing here in the US. So catsup is not universal.

 

[YetiDave]

Grease proof paper is definitely not waxed!

 

[Phog Allen]

Another nice chart to have is temperature in Centigrade and Fahrenheit along with the British gas mark numbers. I have taken to measuring my baking goods in the metric format. It is easy to do and much more precise. And it allows me to make the fantastic puddings from The Great British Kitchen web site without thinking "is this an Imperial pint or U.S. pint?" Temperatures by scaled thermostat/switch/knob whatever are always more precise if you take time to verify dial settings via oven thermometer. I can use metric/imperial interchangeably but confess to a fondness for the old school gas mark knobs. Fat chance of getting those in the States anymore. I will see what I can do about rounding up a link to a temperature comparison chart. Great post. We cal always use these sorts of charts. I may scale these up, print them out and laminate them for use in the kitchen.

Cheers, Todd

 

[galopede]

I have a cheap old electronic scale which has a tare function and so is perfect for weighing ingredients into a bowl as you zero it after every item. I even weigh the water or milk as it's quicker and easier than a measuring jug and no extra washing up afterwards!



Gareth

 

[Phog Allen]

This may work for most but I could do with a scaled up version with a little better demarcation lines like the charts above and ditch the greyed out lines as well. Hope this helps.


Cheers, Todd

 

[smokeydave]

Down with Metric, Down with Metric!!

Actually, the US would be a much simpler place to measure stuff if we used the metric system for everything.

Very informative, thanks! I always find the dialect differences interesting, sometimes it sounds like were speaking 2 different languages. I was watching Top Gear and they kept talking about Biscuits. I was so confused as they were not using it in the American context. I had to google it. Now I will know some other words they use.

Greaseproof/Parchment paper

wax paper

Can we get a ruling on the above? We use parchment paper for baking and what not, is that what you are refering too? Cuz wax paper has a coating of wax on it and is not good for heat applications, mostly used for wrapping food.


is also a regional thing here in the US. So catsup is not universal.

yea im not sure my self as being english it was a lot of time triying to translate english to Usa words . as yeti said below.
on the Catsup vs Ketchup debate thought of this for you

and want to say a big shout out for jeffj for this great work
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Category:Cooking

 

[_JP_]

I prefer the metric system, but would never want to get rid of cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons. Measuring a cup of flour, butter, etc. is a lot easier than measuring a 100 grams of it. Yes, it is more inaccurate, but cooking is an art, not a science.

Beg to differ. When it comes to flour, how you use the measuring cup makes a big difference! A scale is just as quick to use, accurate, and doesn't require any technique. I do agree with cooking being an art. My Grandmother didn't measure anything when she baked bread. She just added ingredients until it was right.

 

[YetiDave]

When you want to create an 80% hydration ciabatta dough, you need those scales. You can do a pretty good job just guessing if you want to create a quick loaf of bread, but when the bug hits you'll regret not owning any

 

[smokeydave]

When you want to create an 80% hydration ciabatta dough, you need those scales. You can do a pretty good job just guessing if you want to create a quick loaf of bread, but when the bug hits you'll regret not owning any

i agree with you, here is a saying i herd somewhere on the cooking channels cooking is an art baking is a science.

 

[JeffJ]

Tables added in wiki - please edit! We have not put a note in about imperial gallons.

US/UK cooking conversion charts
US/UK cooking terms crosswalk

 

[ixiboneheadixi]

UK	USA
aubergine	eggplant
baking tray	baking sheet
bangers	sausages
beetroot	beet
bicarbonate of soda	baking soda
biscuits	cookies
broad beans	fava beans
cake tin	cake/ baking pan
capsicums	sweet or bell peppers
castor sugar	Sugar, superfine
celery stick	celery rib
chips	French-fried potatoes
chuck steak	round steak/stewing beef
coriander, fresh	cilantro
cornflour	cornstarch
courgette	zucchini
crisps	potato chips
desiccated coconut	Unsweetened desiccated/ shredded coconut
digestive biscuits/	graham crackers
double cream	cream, heavy
dripping	fat from roasted meat
essence	extract (vanilla, etc.)
fish slice	spatula
forcemeat	stuffing mix for meat or fish
frying pan	skillet
gammon	ham
glacé fruits	candied fruit
golden syrup	light molasses
Greaseproof/Parchment paper	wax paper
hand of pork	pork shoulder roast
hard-boiled eggs	hard-cooked eggs
heaped spoonful	heaping spoonful
hull	shuck
icing sugar	confectioners'/powdered sugar
joint	large cut of meat to roast
ketchup/tomato sauce	catsup
king prawns	jumbo shrimp
Margarine/Butter/Lard	shortening
minced meats	ground meats
offal	variety meats (liver, kidney etc)
paw paw	papaya
pig's trotter	pig's foot
plain flour	all-purpose flour
pork fat	fatback
prawns	shrimp
rasher	slice
semolina	farina
sieve	strain; strainer
sift	strain
silverside	beef cut from the rump
single cream	cream, light, half-and-half
skirt steak	flank steak
spring or salad onions	scallions, green onions
stock cubes	bouillon cube
strong flour	bread flour
sultanas	raisins/ seedless, golden
tomato Ketchup	tomato catsup
treacle	dark molasses
vanilla pod	vanilla bean

not trying to start anythign here, but a good portion of that list is well wrong. a good portion of stuff for the US side of it i've never in my life heard that be called that here in the US. and a few things on that list are actually completely different things, like lard and shortening.