American cup measurements

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  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
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    Truth.

    I really wish we could just hurry up and get on the metric bus.
  • nikkitodhunter
    nikkitodhunter Posts: 110
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    Argghh THIS!! It frustrates me SO. MUCH. What a weird way of measuring things!?
  • adrushe
    adrushe Posts: 25
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    haha, i've never really thought about it like that before.. I am Canadian though, not sure if it's the same problem :P
  • ArchangelMJ
    ArchangelMJ Posts: 308 Member
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    Did you know you can buy measuring cups complete with a small "just a pinch" measurement. It pretty teeny, smaller than a teaspoon.
  • ATOLLIT
    ATOLLIT Posts: 149
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    I know EXACTLY what you mean!! It probably doesn't help that I don't even have a set of measuring cups - but that is mainly because I have never ever seen one for sale in the UK, and I don't intend on paying a small fortune for one in a specialist shop. I have tried measuring stuff using a coffee mug before - but I have a lot of different sized coffee mugs, so which one I use tends to depend on how much food I fancy :bigsmile:

    Worse though, is the amount of baking recipes written out in cups, I have no idea how to convert them to weights, and I googled it once and found 5 different websites with totally different amounts on...
  • Ticktockman
    Ticktockman Posts: 21
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    For converting to and from metric, google does an excellent job. Just type in "convert 2 cups to liters", for example, and google does the work for you.
  • Ticktockman
    Ticktockman Posts: 21
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    ... sorry, double posted that somehow.
  • urglewurgle
    urglewurgle Posts: 224 Member
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    Worse though, is the amount of baking recipes written out in cups, I have no idea how to convert them to weights, and I googled it once and found 5 different websites with totally different amounts on...

    I think for most baking as long as you use the same cup you're ok.

    Love the avatar by the way!
  • ATOLLIT
    ATOLLIT Posts: 149
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    Worse though, is the amount of baking recipes written out in cups, I have no idea how to convert them to weights, and I googled it once and found 5 different websites with totally different amounts on...

    I think for most baking as long as you use the same cup you're ok.

    Love the avatar by the way!

    Thanks :D

    You'd think so... I also got confused when sweetener says "if measuring volume use the same amount, if measuring weight use 1/10 the amount".... I definitely had the wrong amount last time I tried to bake anything. I mean, the muffins were still tasty, but only because I like really bitter dark chocolate!
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    They measure liquids in fluid ounces, not troy ounces. It is a volume measurement not a weight measurement. LOL. 1 fl oz = 30 mL.

    Lettuce - torn, not finely shredded, loosely packed

    Flour - sifted, spooned into the measuring cup, not packed down, not shaken down, levelled with a knife/spatula

    Olives - small or medium sized, not sliced unless it says so

    Nothing is packed in except brown sugar or solid fats (which should really be used with the water displacement method, but rarely are.)

    But I prefer weighing also. If you're in a real bind, check the USDA database: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ It will give you choices as to the method of measurement, which will give you the ratio that you need to figure it out.

    For example:

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/6380 whole wheat flour - 1 cup = 120 g

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3069 iceberg lettuce - 1 cup, chopped (1/2" pieces, loosely packed)
    = 57g

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2382 olives - 1 Tb = 8.4 g



    Now don't get me wrong, it's fine for liquids.

    Except that then you measure them in ounces, instead. Which to many of the rest of us, is (highly confusingly) a weight measure rather than a volume one. Watch me trying to weigh my wine - a very messy procedure, trust me...

    I've had a set of measuring cups for many years, and I have scales which measure weight in imperial and metric, also a measuring jug for ounces and millitres.

    But these cups of yours? If you're trying to be precise, or happen to be a bit obsessional, how the hell do you cope?

    1 cup lettuce. What, sort of loosely shoved in? Packed in?

    1 cup flour. Sieved, with therefore added air? Or not? Packed in hard or just poured from the bag? That cup of raisins which goes with it? Actually weighs far more and destroys the recipe - how does that work?

    1 cup olives. Great big fat ones, four to a cup? Chopped ones? Huge calorie difference...

    and so on...

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