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]
175 questions
18
votes
5 answers
Why are foods often packaged in weird measurements?
Whilst shopping I have noticed quite a number of products having very weird measurements. for example my jar of peanut butter is 127g, but I can't spot a pattern here.
Is this just a random part of production, or is there some reasoning behind this?
Terry
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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
14
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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14
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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
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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10
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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10
votes
3 answers
Why is there a fluid ounce?
My wife and I have noticed that a lot of the drinks or liquids we buy have a measurement of "fl oz".
I was surprised to ascertain that fl oz. is indeed a measure of volume. I might be a little dense here but why the hell do I need the "fl"? Does…
blankip
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8
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4 answers
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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6
votes
1 answer
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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6
votes
2 answers
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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5
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1 answer
By `1 tbsp of x` should I assume heaped tablespoon or leveled tablespoon?
When they (recipes) say 1 tbsp of flour (example), do they mean heaped or leveled?
What's the standard guess?
Aquarius_Girl
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4
votes
3 answers
What general rules should I follow to ensure that my measurements are accurate?
Can technique really make big enough difference to effect the final result?
There are already excellent questions and answers here regarding specific measuring issues Cup measurements: shake or scrape? but I'm looking more for more general "how to…
Jolenealaska
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4
votes
2 answers
Should I read ingredient weight as prepared or unprepared weight?
Once I have made a recipe a couple of times, I tend to follow my instincts rather than strict portion sizes.
When following a new recipe, however, I have often wondered about how an ingredient's weight should be interpreted.
For example, if a recipe…
johnc
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4
votes
2 answers
How much is a "scoop" of vanilla sugar?
I've seen a lot of recipes that call for a "scoop" of vanilla sugar. I know that this refers to the little scoop that comes with most vanilla sugar containers. However, I live in a country that sells vanilla sugar in little paper packets... How much…
clueless
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1 answer
Which amount of fresh grape leaves do 400g of canned ones correspond to?
I have a recipe that calls for 400g of canned grape leaves. Since I have access to fresh leaves, what amount would I need?
user149408
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