Your Kitchen Cheat Sheet: Handy Measurements & How-Tos
Halving or doubling a recipe? Making do with the tools and ingredients you’ve got? Getting ready to roast in an oven that measures degrees in Celsius? These charts are just what you need—and now you’ll never, ever have to skip a recipe because you don’t know the conversions.
They’ll also help you if you’re shopping for cookware measured in metrics—refer to them when you’re stocking up.
|
Volume |
||
|
U.S. |
IMPERIAL |
METRIC |
|
1 Tbsp (3 tsp) |
½ fl oz |
15 ml |
|
2 Tbsp |
1 fl oz |
30 ml |
|
¼ cup (4 Tbsp) |
2 fl oz |
60 ml |
|
⅓ cup |
2½ fl oz |
80 ml |
|
½ cup |
4 fl oz |
120 ml |
|
⅔ cup |
5 fl oz (¼ pint) |
160 ml |
|
¾ cup |
6 fl oz |
180 ml |
|
1 cup |
8 fl oz (½ pint) |
240 ml |
|
1¼ cups |
10 fl oz |
300 ml |
|
2 cups |
16 fl oz (1 pint) |
480 ml |
|
2½ cups |
20 fl oz |
600 ml |
|
1 qt (4 cups) |
32 fl oz (2 pints) |
1 L |
|
1½ qts (6 cups) |
48 fl oz |
1.4 L |
|
4 qts |
128 fl oz (1 gallon) |
3.8 L |
|
5 qts |
176 fl oz |
5.2 L |
|
8 qts |
256 fl oz (2 gallons) |
7.6 L |
|
10 qts |
320 fl oz |
9.5 L |
|
12 qts |
384 fl oz (3 gallons) |
11.3 L |
|
Baking Temperatures |
|
|
FAHRENHEIT |
CELSIUS/GAS MARK |
|
250°F |
120°C/gas mark ½ |
|
275°F |
135°C/gas mark 1 |
|
300°F |
150°C/gas mark 2 |
|
325°F |
165°C/gas mark 3 |
|
350°F |
175°C/gas mark 4 |
|
375°F |
190°C/gas mark 5 |
|
400°F |
200°C/gas mark 6 |
|
425°F |
220°C/gas mark 7 |
|
450°F |
230°C/gas mark 8 |
|
475°F |
245°C/gas mark 9 |
|
500°F |
260°C/gas mark 10 |
|
Water Temperature |
||
|
FAHRENHEIT |
CELSIUS |
|
|
Water freezes |
32°F |
0°C |
|
Room temperature |
68°F |
20°C |
|
Water boils |
212°F |
100°C |
|
Length |
|
|
INCH |
METRIC |
|
¼ inch |
6 mm |
|
½ inch |
1.3 cm |
|
¾ inch |
2 cm |
|
1 inch |
2.5 cm |
|
2 inches |
5 cm |
|
3 inches |
7.5 cm |
|
4 inches |
10 cm |
|
6 inches (½ foot) |
15 cm |
|
8 inches |
20 cm |
|
10 inches |
25 cm |
|
12 inches (1 foot) |
30 cm |
|
14 inches |
36 cm |
|
Weight |
||
|
U.S./IMPERIAL |
METRIC |
|
|
½ oz |
15 g |
|
|
1 oz |
30 g |
|
|
2 oz |
55 g |
|
|
¼ lb |
115 g |
|
|
⅓ lb |
150 g |
|
|
½ lb |
225 g |
|
|
¾ lb |
340 g |
|
|
1 lb |
450 g |
|
|
Salt |
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|
Though we know we love salt, there are a whole lot of types—table salt, kosher salt, fancy flaky salt, to name a few—and it’s not always clear when we should be using each type. Let’s break it down. Here are the four most common types of salt, when to use them, and which are interchangeable. |
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|
TYPE OF SALT |
WHEN TO USE IT |
HOW TO SUBSTITUTE (1 TSP) |
|
Table (with iodine) |
Seasoning savory dishes, adding to baked goods |
2 tsp Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt or 1 tsp Morton brand kosher salt |
|
Kosher (Morton brand) |
Seasoning savory dishes |
1 tsp table salt or 2 tsp Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt |
|
Kosher (Diamond Crystal brand) |
Seasoning savory dishes |
½ tsp table salt or ½ tsp Morton brand kosher salt |
|
Sea (fine) |
Seasoning savory dishes, adding to baked goods |
2 tsp Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt or 1 tsp Morton brand kosher salt |
|
Sea (flaked) |
Sprinkling over dishes to finish |
N/A |
|
Conversion Formulas |
|
|
TO CONVERT |
MULTIPLY |
|
Ounces to grams |
Ounces by 28.35 |
|
Pounds to kilograms |
Pounds by 0.454 |
|
Cups to liters |
Cups by 0.236 |
|
Quarts to liters |
Quarts by 0.946 |
|
Gallons to liters |
Gallons by 3.785 |
|
Inches to centimeters |
Inches by 2.54 |
|
Common Ingredients and Their Approximate Equivalents |
|
|
1 cup all-purpose flour = 125 grams |
1 cup whole-wheat flour = 113 grams |
|
1 cup granulated sugar = 200 grams |
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed = 225 grams |
|
1 stick butter = 4 oz = ½ cup = 8 tbsp = 113 grams |
1 cup oil (vegetable, canola, or olive)= 200 grams (or 237 ml) |
|
Converting Whole to Ground Spices |
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Have you ever thrown a bunch of whole spices into the spice grinder, hoping you get close to the amount you need, and then you’re stuck with a ton of ground cardamom that you would rather not have sitting around? Let’s not do that anymore—here’s how to measure whole spices so you get just the right amount of the ground stuff. |
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|
SPICE TYPE |
WHOLE SPICE EQUIVALENT |
GROUND SPICE EQUIVALENT |
|
Allspice |
1 tsp allspice berries |
1 tsp ground allspice |
|
Black pepper |
1 tsp peppercorns |
1½ tsp ground black pepper |
|
Cardamom |
Approximately 12 pods, dehusked |
1 tsp ground cardamom |
|
Cinnamon |
One 1½-inch stick |
1 tsp ground cinnamon powder |
|
Coriander |
1 tsp coriander seeds |
1¼ tsp ground coriander |
|
Cumin |
1 tsp cumin seeds |
1¼ tsp ground cumin |
|
Fennel |
1 tsp fennel seeds |
1¼ tsp ground fennel |
|
Mustard seeds |
1 tsp mustard seeds |
1½ tsp ground mustard |
|
Nutmeg |
½ nutmeg |
1 tsp ground nutmeg |