Converting Recipes to Metric Measures
The instructions and tables presented below will walk the reader through converting a recipe to metric measures. It is important to note that these conversions only work with U.S. recipes. Customary measures like cups, pints, quarts, and gallons mean different things in different countries. For example, if you try to convert a British or Australian recipe to metric using these instructions, it may flop.
For the sake of keeping things simple, I have slightly rounded off the measurements stated below. All conversions should be sufficiently accurate for all recipes. For exact conversions, see the Appendices.
Liquids (and Herbs and Spices)
Liquids can be converted to liters or milliliters with the following table. Small volumes (less than about 1 fluid ounce or 2 tablespoons) of ingredients such as salt, herbs, spices, baking powder, etc. should also be converted with this table. Do not use this table to convert other non-liquid ingredients.
| Volume Conversions: Normally used for liquids only | |
|---|---|
| Customary quantity | Metric equivalent |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 mL |
| 1 tablespoon or 1/2 fluid ounce | 15 mL |
| 1 fluid ounce or 1/8 cup | 30 mL |
| 1/4 cup or 2 fluid ounces | 60 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 80 mL |
| 1/2 cup or 4 fluid ounces | 120 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 160 mL |
| 3/4 cup or 6 fluid ounces | 180 mL |
| 1 cup or 8 fluid ounces or half a pint | 240 mL |
| 1 1/2 cups or 12 fluid ounces | 350 mL |
| 2 cups or 1 pint or 16 fluid ounces | 475 mL |
| 3 cups or 1 1/2 pints | 700 mL |
| 4 cups or 2 pints or 1 quart | 950 mL |
| 4 quarts or 1 gallon | 3.8 L |
| Note: In cases where higher precision is not justified, it may be convenient to round these conversions off as follows: 1 cup = 250 mL 1 pint = 500 mL 1 quart = 1 L 1 gallon = 4 L | |
Weight
Weights can be converted with the following table. Note that the ounces referred to in this table are not the same as fluid ounces.
| Weight Conversions | |
|---|---|
| Customary quantity | Metric equivalent |
| 1 ounce | 28 g |
| 4 ounces or 1/4 pound | 113 g |
| 1/3 pound | 150 g |
| 8 ounces or 1/2 pound | 230 g |
| 2/3 pound | 300 g |
| 12 ounces or 3/4 pound | 340 g |
| 1 pound or 16 ounces | 450 g |
| 2 pounds | 900 g |
Other non-liquid ingredients
Non-liquid ingredients specified in American recipes by volume (if more than about 2 tablespoons or 1 fluid ounce) should be converted to weight with the following table. If you need to convert an ingredient that isn't in this table, the safest thing to do is to measure it with a traditional measuring cup and then weigh the results with a metric scale. In a pinch, you can use the volume conversion table, above.
| Weights of common ingredients in grams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 3/4 cup | 2/3 cup | 1/2 cup | 1/3 cup | 1/4 cup | 2 Tbsp |
| Flour, all purpose (wheat) | 120 g | 90 g | 80 g | 60 g | 40 g | 30 g | 15 g |
| Flour, well sifted all purpose (wheat) | 110 g | 80 g | 70 g | 55 g | 35 g | 27 g | 13 g |
| Sugar, granulated cane | 200 g | 150 g | 130 g | 100 g | 65 g | 50 g | 25 g |
| Confectioner's sugar (cane) | 100 g | 75 g | 70 g | 50 g | 35 g | 25 g | 13 g |
| Brown sugar, packed firmly (but not too firmly) | 180 g | 135 g | 120 g | 90 g | 60 g | 45 g | 23 g |
| Corn meal | 160 g | 120 g | 100 g | 80 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g |
| Corn starch | 120 g | 90 g | 80 g | 60 g | 40 g | 30 g | 15 g |
| Rice, uncooked | 190 g | 140 g | 125 g | 95 g | 65 g | 48 g | 24 g |
| Macaroni, uncooked | 140 g | 100 g | 90 g | 70 g | 45 g | 35 g | 17 g |
| Couscous, uncooked | 180 g | 135 g | 120 g | 90 g | 60 g | 45 g | 22 g |
| Oats, uncooked quick | 90 g | 65 g | 60 g | 45 g | 30 g | 22 g | 11 g |
| Table salt | 300 g | 230 g | 200 g | 150 g | 100 g | 75 g | 40 g |
| Butter | 240 g | 180 g | 160 g | 120 g | 80 g | 60 g | 30 g |
| Vegetable shortening | 190 g | 140 g | 125 g | 95 g | 65 g | 48 g | 24 g |
| Chopped fruits and vegetables | 150 g | 110 g | 100 g | 75 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g |
| Nuts, chopped | 150 g | 110 g | 100 g | 75 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g |
| Nuts, ground | 120 g | 90 g | 80 g | 60 g | 40 g | 30 g | 15 g |
| Bread crumbs, fresh, loosely packed | 60 g | 45 g | 40 g | 30 g | 20 g | 15 g | 8 g |
| Bread crumbs, dry | 150 g | 110 g | 100 g | 75 g | 50 g | 40 g | 20 g |
| Parmesan cheese, grated | 90 g | 65 g | 60 g | 45 g | 30 g | 22 g | 11 g |
Length
Lengths may be converted with the following table. Keep in mind that 1 cm = 10 mm.
| Length Conversions | |
|---|---|
| Customary quantity | Metric equivalent |
| 1/8 inch | 3 mm |
| 1/4 inch | 6 mm |
| 1/2 inch | 13 mm |
| 3/4 inch | 19 mm |
| 1 inch | 2.5 cm |
| 2 inches | 5 cm |
| 3 inches | 7.6 cm |
| 4 inches | 10 cm |
| 5 inches | 13 cm |
| 6 inches | 15 cm |
| 7 inches | 18 cm |
| 8 inches | 20 cm |
| 9 inches | 23 cm |
| 10 inches | 25 cm |
| 11 inches | 28 cm |
| 12 inches or 1 foot | 30 cm |
Temperature
The following converter (below) will convert back and forth between °C and °F. Just enter a number in either field, then click outside the text box. Round off the results appropriately.
Finishing up
Now that you've converted all measurements to metric, you may want to consult the style guide before sharing or publishing your recipe.http://www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml
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