A Cup

High_Entropy
High_Entropy Posts: 4 Member
edited November 28 in Getting Started

What the hell is a "cup" ??

A cup of blueberries = how much in real measurements.

Can we ban the use of "a cup" and stick with the metric system please.
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Replies

  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    Agreed. Cup size is for boobies!
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    edited January 2016
    What you don't drink your solid blueberries? :p

    I think its 148g. Cups are silly but the official entry should list grams
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    A "cup" is the unit of measurement on many food labels in the US.

    Since the database entries are mostly done by members, many items will be represented by the volume measurements seen on the nutritional labels.

    In addition, not everyone uses a food scale so cup measurements are more useful to them than weights.

    You can either keep looking for a database item with metric measurements or make your own in My Foods.
  • jnord8729
    jnord8729 Posts: 234 Member
    Yup what seska said. While used internationally, the site is based in the US and most users of it are American. So the site defaults to standard English units. A cup is a measure of volume. Google does a great job translating though, and if you look at the drop-down for blueberries, you'll see 1 cup of blueberries in metric in there (237 ml...nice round number huh?)
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    A cup is 236.5 cubic centimeters. A cup is 236.5 milliliters. Feel free to convert.

    It would be more accurate in any case if you used units of weight instead of volume for solid foods. Look for entries listed in, say, ounces.

  • wolfehound33
    wolfehound33 Posts: 1,320 Member
    Agreed. Cup size is for boobies!

    To be fair, when I read the headline that is where I thought this thread was going.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    Agreed. Cup size is for boobies!

    To be fair, when I read the headline that is where I thought this thread was going.

    Same.
  • _mr_b
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
    Agreed. Cup size is for boobies!

    I'm with you on this!

    Why on earth would you measure blueberries in a cup? you buy them by weight - or at least last time I bought them they had 300g on the label not 2 cups.

    Although just in case the sue of a cup as a measurement doesn't get banned I'm off to design some kitchen scales that shun the metric system and measures in cups.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    There are millions of people who use measuring cups and measuring spoons and do not own a food scale. I lost 100 lbs. by using only measuring cups and spoons and I was thankful that there are many food items in the MFP Food Database that have information for measuring cups and measuring spoons. I did not buy a food scale until I had reached my goal weight.

    I was able to learn the size of portions, such as whole blueberries or even pureed blueberries for use in my fruit smoothies, by noting the Calories by volume for nearly all food items I ate. That information came in handy - and still does - when I ate outside of my home and did not have measuring cups, measuring spoons, or now a food scale with me, such as at restaurants and other people's homes.

    There is an adage I learned a long time ago, "do not criticize a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes."

    A customary cup in the US is 8 fluid ounces; a "legal" cup in the US is defined as 240 milliliters; other countries have different legal definitions.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_(unit)
  • EleanorLynn1989
    EleanorLynn1989 Posts: 130 Member
    I thought this was for bra sizes. LMFAO!
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    for those metric folks a cup is 250 ml. Some of us measure by volume.
  • oneoddsock
    oneoddsock Posts: 321 Member
    jnord8729 wrote: »
    Yup what seska said. While used internationally, the site is based in the US and most users of it are American. So the site defaults to standard English units. A cup is a measure of volume. Google does a great job translating though, and if you look at the drop-down for blueberries, you'll see 1 cup of blueberries in metric in there (237 ml...nice round number huh?)

    A cup is not an English unit. It is an American unit. In England, the only things we put in cups are tea and boobies, but definitely not at the same time - OWWW!
  • twhaley1990
    twhaley1990 Posts: 140 Member
    levitateme wrote: »
    Agreed. Cup size is for boobies!

    To be fair, when I read the headline that is where I thought this thread was going.

    Same.

    Agreed.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    CyberTone wrote: »

    There is an adage I learned a long time ago, "do not criticize a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes."

    Agreed! That way, when you criticize him, you're a mile away - AND you have his shoes! B)

  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    For those who use metric, but still drink their beer and lager in <ahem> PINTS, 1/2 pint = 1 cup

    Want to get confused? 1 pint = 16 ounces. 1 pound = 16 ounces. But 1 pint =/= 1 pound.
  • jnord8729
    jnord8729 Posts: 234 Member
    @one no, the so called "American" unites are standard English units. Just the United States is the only country who still uses it. The unit system is called "SI" or "Standard Imperial" or "English" for short because it was the standard unit of measurement used by the British Empire. Most the industrialized world changed over during the late 40s and early 50s because everyone's factories got blown up during WW2. When they rebuilt, they made metric ones. We never switched because it's expensive.

    But no, cup/ounce/pound/mile/yard etc all english units
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    edited January 2016
    jnord8729 wrote: »
    @one no, the so called "American" unites are standard English units. Just the United States is the only country who still uses it. The unit system is called "SI" or "Standard Imperial" or "English" for short because it was the standard unit of measurement used by the British Empire. Most the industrialized world changed over during the late 40s and early 50s because everyone's factories got blown up during WW2. When they rebuilt, they made metric ones. We never switched because it's expensive.

    But no, cup/ounce/pound/mile/yard etc all english units

    The bold above is incorrect. SI is the French abbreviation for Système international d'unités (SI), which is the modern metric system.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,185 Member
    You can always Google a conversion chart.
  • High_Entropy
    High_Entropy Posts: 4 Member


    12inches = 1lbs, 14lbs =1 stone, 27 stone = 16 grooberbangers, 23 grooberbangers = 4 chains = 144 yards = 72 cups = Christ Almighty man !

    The decimal system is so much better, 10's 100's or 1000's

    I'd like to think 'muricans would use a google conversion chart when making a new entry and enter foods by weight, where calories are easily converted, not volume, how does an orange fit into a cup and have the same calorific value as a weight of orange ?
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    A lot of the food entries have options for grams. Go by those I guess?
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member

    12inches = 1lbs, 14lbs =1 stone, 27 stone = 16 grooberbangers, 23 grooberbangers = 4 chains = 144 yards = 72 cups = Christ Almighty man !

    The decimal system is so much better, 10's 100's or 1000's

    I'd like to think 'muricans would use a google conversion chart when making a new entry and enter foods by weight, where calories are easily converted, not volume, how does an orange fit into a cup and have the same calorific value as a weight of orange ?

    I really wish the US would get on board with the metric system. As a scientist, I'm already mostly there anyways. And yes, way more simple.
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    _mr_b wrote: »
    Although just in case the sue of a cup as a measurement doesn't get banned I'm off to design some kitchen scales that shun the metric system and measures in cups.

    You know that would be impossible, right? Different foods have different densities. A cup of bluberries would register a vastly different number on a scale than a cup of olive oil, as an example.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    64crayons wrote: »
    For those who use metric, but still drink their beer and lager in <ahem> PINTS, 1/2 pint = 1 cup

    Want to get confused? 1 pint = 16 ounces. 1 pound = 16 ounces. But 1 pint =/= 1 pound.

    But "a pint is a pound the world around." :smiley: *



    *Disclaimer: in reality, that only works for water and things with the same density (specific gravity) as water.
  • granturismo
    granturismo Posts: 232 Member
    I prefer to use metric units but do find cup measurements for homemade dishes handy as best estimate particularly when I havent weighed my food or cant find a metric entry.
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    In the age of the internet, it's pretty easy to convert between different units of measure.
  • High_Entropy
    High_Entropy Posts: 4 Member
    A lot of the food entries have options for grams. Go by those I guess?

    lol, if that were the case I'd not of posted this rolleyes.gif
  • wtskinner
    wtskinner Posts: 178 Member
    levitateme wrote: »
    Agreed. Cup size is for boobies!

    To be fair, when I read the headline that is where I thought this thread was going.

    Same.

    me too
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited January 2016
    U.S. measuring cups for solids
    measuring-spoons-clipart-cartoon-measuring-cups-0ckt1gdd.jpg

    Also, most things also have entries for weight as well...usually grams or ounces, whatever your preference.
  • Dovekat
    Dovekat Posts: 263 Member
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_(unit)

    I go to wiki for everything lol
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