Measuring Quantities

Deevs
Deevs Posts: 32 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm loving MFP but am really confuddled by some of the measurements used to give food/drink its calorie value.

Unless it's an obvious portion size (bread - 1 slice, for example) I tend to use grams for solid foods and fl. oz (or pub measures!) for liquids but can someone please explain WHAT'S A CUP?!?!?

I appreciate that this is primarily an Amercian measurement, but it proper confuses me and Him Indoors when looking up values to foodstuffs.

Many thanks.

x

Replies

  • purpleisiscat
    purpleisiscat Posts: 4 Member
    I'm also completely mystified by cups. I think it literally is a standard 'cup' which you can buy over here in the UK. Obviously 1/2 cup of flour is going to weigh a different amount to 1/2 cup of butter so it's very difficult to convert into grammes. I always try to pick the food option in the database that uses grammes, but they don't always exist.
  • shezza737
    shezza737 Posts: 95 Member
    I'm also completely mystified by cups. I think it literally is a standard 'cup' which you can buy over here in the UK. Obviously 1/2 cup of flour is going to weigh a different amount to 1/2 cup of butter so it's very difficult to convert into grammes. I always try to pick the food option in the database that uses grammes, but they don't always exist.

    Totally baffles me too, even after someone tried to explain it to me lol
    I too tend to opt for the option that is in grams, but yes not always possible and then i enter my own if i have time.
  • elizwelshman
    elizwelshman Posts: 136
    Found this on Google because I can't use other versions besides American. Lol!! I get confused on grams. Hope this helps a bit.

    http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking.htm

    :smile:
  • kiwi1855
    kiwi1855 Posts: 218 Member
    Fairly easy conversion. 1 cup = 250 mL = 8 ounces.
    1 Kilogram = 1000 grams = (aprox) 2.2 lbs
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    It's 225 grams, if that helps.

    Google has a converter built right in to the search engine. Try that. :)
  • Louiselesley
    Louiselesley Posts: 166 Member
    If you live near an asda - they sell measuring cups. I bought mine fairly recently (in red...) to help me measure food.

    1 cup is 250ml and you get like a 1/2 cup and a 1/4 cup and a few other cups as well.

    (if you bake it is also very handy for this because a lot of American recipes use cups)

    I now judge how much water I drink based on the 250ml thing too. Like 8 cups would be 2 litres so it makes sense.
  • Barelmy
    Barelmy Posts: 590 Member
    Teaspoons and tablespoons also come in standard sizes - 5ml and 15ml, respectively. That's made it a little easier, if I need something in teaspoons and it's only listed in tablespoons.

    You can buy a set of measuring cups and spoons in most places. I end up following a lot of American recipes, so I already had a few sets.
  • ShonzG
    ShonzG Posts: 73 Member
    Fairly easy conversion. 1 cup = 250 mL = 8 ounces.
    1 Kilogram = 1000 grams = (aprox) 2.2 lbs

    Yes, that's what I thought! Thanks for confirming that!!!
  • ShonzG
    ShonzG Posts: 73 Member
    I have probelms working out my sushi intake.... I have no idea how much a 'piece' is.... most on this site are '6 pieces' or something similar.... I wish it was a weight so I could put it on my scales and actually know!
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    I bought this scale for weighing food because things like meats were really confounding me: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N07KUE

    I think the problem you're having with 'Cups' is that it's a measurement of volume, not weight. Often, labels that give serving sizes in cups will have the grams listed as well.
  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
    i spotted a post on here yesterday (can't find it now though) that stated that a US cup is a different size to a UK cup so you may need to bare this in mind
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