Charts and tables

Weights and measures

Because exact equivalents of weights and measures involve unnecessary decimal points that you don’t want to bother with, conversions are always approximate. As some cookery writers round up and some round down, they don’t always tally with each other. So the chart here is as accurate as others, but not necessarily identical. The important thing is to make sure that you use the same version throughout any given recipe.

OUNCES/POUNDS TO GRAMS/KILOS

1/4oz	5g	9oz	225g
1/2oz	10g	10oz	250g
1oz	25g	11oz	275g
2oz	50g	12oz	300g
3oz	75g	13oz	325g
4oz	100g	14oz	350g
5oz	125g	15oz	375g
6oz	150g	1 lb	400g
7oz	175g	11/2 lb	700g
8oz	200g	2 lb	900g

Rule of thumb

A flat tablespoon of sugar weighs an ounce.

A rounded tablespoon of flour weighs an ounce.

1 tablespoon is equivalent to 3 teaspoons.

PINTS TO ML/LITRES
1/4 pt	125ml
1/2 pt	250ml
3/4 pt	375ml
1 pt	500ml (1/2 litre)
11/2 pt	750ml
2 pt	1 litre

Rule of thumb

A pint of water weighs a pound and three quarters.

SPOONS TO ML
1 teaspoon	5 ml
1 dessertspoon	10 ml
1 tablespoon	15 ml

CUPS TO ML TO FLUID OUNCES TO TABLESPOONS
cups	mls	fl oz	tablespoons
1/8 cup	30ml	1 fl oz	2
1/4 cup	60ml	2 fl oz	4
1/3 cup	80ml	2.5 fl oz	5 + 1 teaspoon
1/2 cup	125ml	4 fl oz	8
2/3 cup	160 ml	5 fl oz	10 + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup	190ml	6 fl oz	12
1 cup	250ml	8 fl oz	16
2 cups	500ml	1 pint	32

Rule of thumb

A pinch (if in doubt) is less than ¹/₂ teaspoon.

A dash is a few drops (sorry I can’t be more specific).

Oven conversion chart

I’ve included range cooker ovens here as I feel sorry for them – they usually get left out. If you own one, however, you’ll know that they all have their own personalities, and this is therefore only a rough guide.

	Gas regulo	°C	°F	4 oven range	2 oven range
Very slow	1/4	110	225	Warming	Lower bottom
	1/2	130	250
	1	140	275	Simmering
Slow	2	150	300		Lower middle
	3	160	325
Moderate	4	180	350	Baking	Lower top Upper bottom
	5	190	375
	6	200	400
Hot	7	220	425	Roasting	Upper middle
	8	230	450
Very hot	9	250	475	Upper top

Rule of thumb

If you have a fan oven, you need to reduce the recommended temperature by about 20°C.

Temperature charts

ROAST MEAT

If you use a meat thermometer you should always insert it into the thickest part of the meat, and keep it away from any bones. These temperatures are for roast joints or whole roast birds.

		°C	°F
Beef and lamb	Rare	60	140
	Medium	70	160
	Well done	80	175
Pork	Medium	75	170
	Well done	80	175
Poultry		80	175

SUGAR SYRUPS

If you make syrups, caramels and toffees you probably have a sugar thermometer. Here’s a quick reminder of the temperatures for different stages.

Syrup	°C	°F
Coating syrup	100	212
Small thread	103–105	217–221
Large thread	106–110	223–230
Small pearl	110–112	230–234
Large pearl	113–115	235–239
Soft ball	116–125	241–257
Hard ball	126–135	259–275
Soft crack	136–140	277–284
Hard crack	146–155	295–311
Light caramel	156–165	313–329
Dark caramel	166–175	331–347

Chef’s tip

If you don’t have an oil thermometer to test the temperature of oil when you’re deep frying, here’s a quick way to gauge the temperature without one. Drop a cube of white bread into the oil and time how long it takes to brown evenly. As a rough guide:

20 seconds: 382–390°F

40 seconds: 365–382°F

60 seconds: 350–365°F

US and British cooking terms

If you’re using a recipe from an American book, it’s easy to get confused by directions to add heavy cream, or to use fava beans when you’ve no idea where to get hold of them. So here are a few of the most common translations you might need.

US	British
Beet	Beetroot
Broil	Grill
Confectioners’ sugar	Icing sugar
Corn starch	Cornflour
Eggplant	Aubergine
Fava bean	Broad bean
Golden raisins	Sultanas
Green bean	French bean
Ground meat	Mince
Half & half	Single cream & milk
Heavy cream	Double cream
Light cream	Single cream
Molasses	Treacle
Seeded	Stoned
Superfine granulated	Caster sugar
Variety meats	Offal
Zucchini	Courgette