"Because Math Shouldn't Ruin Dinner"
Let's be honest — you're here because a recipe said "200g flour" and you own measuring cups, not a scale. I've got you.
| Section | What You'll Find |
|---|---|
| 📏 Volume | Cups to ml, pints to liters |
| ⚖️ Weight | Ounces to grams, pounds to kg |
| 🌡️ Temperature | Fahrenheit to Celsius, meat temps |
| 🥄 Equivalents | Butter, eggs, teaspoons to cups |
| 💚 IBS Notes | FODMAP-safe portions |
Cooking is chemistry. Baking is precise chemistry. The difference between "fluffy cake" and "hockey puck" is often 20 grams of flour.
My strong recommendation: Buy a kitchen scale. A $15 digital scale will make you a better cook than any $200 gadget. Weight measurements don't lie. Cups do.
But until you get that scale (you're getting one, right?), these conversions will keep you alive.
| US Measurement | Metric | Alex's Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | The salt you should add at every stage |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | 3 teaspoons. Always forget this. |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | The butter in a good cookie |
| 1/3 cup | 80 ml | Awkward but common |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | Half a stick of butter |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | The baseline |
| 1 pint | 475 ml | Heavy cream usually comes in this |
| 1 quart | 950 ml | Almost a liter |
| 1 gallon | 3.8 L | Stock batches |
"Fun fact: UK cups are different from US cups. Commonwealth recipes are chaos. Check your source."
| US | Metric | Common Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ounce | 28 g | About 2 tbsp flour |
| 4 ounces | 113 g | A stick of butter |
| 8 ounces | 227 g | A block of cream cheese |
| 1 pound | 454 g | Most meat packages |
| 2 pounds | 907 g | A standard roast |
1 gram ≈ 1 milliliter of water.
This is why professional bakers work in grams — it's the same scale for wet and dry. Revolutionary? No. Obvious? Yes. Why don't home cooks do this? Mystery of the universe.
°C = (°F - 32) × 5/9
°F = (°C × 9/5) + 32
| Fahrenheit | Celsius | What's Happening |
|---|---|---|
| 212°F | 100°C | Water boils (sea level) |
| 250°F | 120°C | Low and slow smoking |
| 300°F | 150°C | Gentle roasting, braises |
| 325°F | 165°C | Most casseroles |
| 350°F | 175°C | The default (cakes, cookies) |
| 375°F | 190°C | Roasted vegetables |
| 400°F | 200°C | Pizza, high-heat roasting |
| 425°F | 220°C | Bread, crispy skins |
| 450°F | 230°C | Screaming hot, fast cooking |
| 500°F+ | 260°C+ | Pizza steel, broiler territory |
| Doneness | Beef/Lamb | Pork | Chicken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 120°F / 49°C | — | — |
| Medium-Rare | 130°F / 54°C | — | — |
| Medium | 140°F / 60°C | 145°F / 63°C | — |
| Medium-Well | 150°F / 66°C | — | — |
| Well Done | 160°F / 71°C | 160°F / 71°C | 165°F / 74°C |
⚠️ Remember carryover cooking! Pull meat 5-10°F before target temp. It keeps cooking as it rests.
| Conversion | Because... |
|---|---|
| 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon | Every recipe ever |
| 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup | Butter math |
| 16 tablespoons = 1 cup | More butter math |
| 2 cups = 1 pint | Ice cream portions |
| 4 cups = 1 quart | Stock making |
| 4 quarts = 1 gallon | Soup for the neighborhood |
| US Butter Stick | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 stick | 1/2 cup / 8 tbsp | 113g / 4 oz |
| 1/2 stick | 1/4 cup / 4 tbsp | 57g / 2 oz |
| 2 sticks | 1 cup / 16 tbsp | 227g / 8 oz |
"When the recipe says 'butter, softened,' it means room temperature — not microwaved into a puddle. Patience."
| Size | Whole Egg | White | Yolk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large | 50g | 30g | 20g |
| Extra-Large | 56g | 35g | 21g |
| Jumbo | 63g | 40g | 23g |
Pro tip: Most recipes assume LARGE eggs. If you only have jumbo, you're adding ~13% more egg. In baking, this matters.
For Claudia and anyone else managing FODMAP intake:
| Ingredient | Safe Portion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic-infused oil | Unlimited | FODMAPs are water-soluble, not fat-soluble! |
| Maple syrup | 2 tbsp | Low-FODMAP sweetener alternative |
| Firm tofu | 3/4 cup | Silken tofu is higher FODMAP |
| Canned chickpeas | 1/4 cup | Rinse well; dried chickpeas = higher FODMAP |
When in doubt, weigh it out! Weight measurements are more accurate than volume.
— Alex Cook, who has strong opinions about kitchen scales