Two tables a cook reaches for again and again: the one that translates a recipe written in grams into cups, and the one that tells you what to reach for when the cupboard is short of one ingredient. Keep this page close to the stove — it is the quiet half of cooking.
Measurement conversion tables
Close, not exact: 28 g to the ounce and 240 ml to the cup are the working approximations behind these tables. Where a recipe gives both weight and volume, follow the weight.
Weight
You have
It equals
1 g
0.035 oz
10 g
0.35 oz
100 g
3.5 oz
500 g
1.1 lb
1 kg
2.2 lb
1 oz
28 g
4 oz
115 g
8 oz
225 g
1 lb (16 oz)
454 g
2 lb
900 g
Volume
You have
It equals
¼ tsp
1.25 ml
½ tsp
2.5 ml
1 tsp
5 ml
1 tbsp
15 ml (20 ml in Australia)
1 fl oz
30 ml
¼ cup
60 ml
⅓ cup
80 ml
½ cup
120 ml
⅔ cup
160 ml
¾ cup
180 ml
1 cup
240 ml
1 US pint
470 ml (1 UK pint = 570 ml)
1 litre
1.06 US qt
Oven temperatures
°C
°F
Gas mark
Common use
90
200
¼
Dehydrating, proofing
120
250
½
Slow-drying
140
275
1
Low, slow bakes
150
300
2
Custards, meringues
160
320
3
Gentle cakes
170
325
3
Cookies, sponges
180
350
4
Standard baking temperature
190
375
5
Roasts, traybakes
200
400
6
Breads, hot roasts
220
425
7
Pastry, pizza base
230
450
8
Hard-crusted breads
240
475
9
Neapolitan pizza
Fan (convection) ovens run roughly 20 °C lower than the stated conventional temperature.
Length & pan sizes
You have
It equals
1 cm
0.4 in
2 cm
¾ in
5 cm
2 in
10 cm
4 in
20 cm round tin
8 in round
23 cm round tin
9 in round
23 cm tart tin
9 in tart
20 cm square tin
8 in square
33 × 23 cm tin
13 × 9 in tin
900 g loaf tin
2 lb / 9 × 5 in loaf pan
30 cm frying pan
12 in frying pan
28 cm Dutch oven
7 qt Dutch oven
Useful equivalents by cup & weight
Ingredient
1 cup equals
Note
All-purpose flour
120–130 g
Scooped and levelled — weigh for baking
Bread flour
130 g
Granulated sugar
200 g
Brown sugar (packed)
220 g
Powdered sugar
120 g
Cocoa powder
100 g
Rolled oats
90 g
Honey / molasses
340 g
Sticky — oil the cup first
Butter
227 g
1 stick = 113 g = 8 tbsp = ½ cup
Whole milk
240 ml
Heavy / double cream
240 ml
Large egg
55 g
50 g without shell; yolk ≈ 18 g, white ≈ 32 g
Instant dried yeast
—
1 sachet = 7 g, for ~500 g flour
Fine sea salt
—
1 tsp ≈ 5 g (recipes are written for this)
Baking powder
—
1 tsp ≈ 4 g
Baking soda
—
1 tsp ≈ 6 g
General ingredient substitution guide
Substitutions change a dish a little; the ones below keep it close. Ratios are by volume unless they say otherwise. When a substitute adds acid, moisture, or salt, taste as you go and adjust.
Leavening & acids
Ingredient
Substitute
Ratio / note
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar
Same lift, same volume
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda + ½ cup buttermilk / yogurt
Reduce other liquid by ½ cup
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
Omit any added acid; more lift, less spread
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
Sit 5 min until it thickens
1 cup sour milk
1 cup milk + 1 tbsp white vinegar
Same as buttermilk method
Dairy
Ingredient
Substitute
Ratio / note
Whole milk
½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Or 1 cup milk + 1½ tsp melted butter
Heavy / double cream
¾ cup milk + ¼ cup melted butter
For cooking — will not whip
Sour cream
1 cup full-fat plain yogurt
Or 1 cup cream + 1 tbsp lemon juice
Crème fraîche
Sour cream thinned with cream
Or full-fat yogurt
Cream cheese
1 cup blended cottage cheese
Or mascarpone (richer, sweeter)
1 cup butter
1 cup shortening
Add a pinch of salt if the shortening is unsalted
1 cup butter
¾ cup neutral oil
Reduce other liquid slightly; changes texture
Fats & oils
Ingredient
Substitute
Ratio / note
Butter
Neutral oil (grapeseed, canola)
Use 7/8 cup oil per 1 cup butter
Olive oil
Neutral oil
For high heat; or melted butter for flavour
Coconut oil
Butter, equal
Or neutral oil, melted
Lard
Butter or shortening, equal
Shortening
Butter
Add ~20% more by volume for the same fat
Sweeteners
Ingredient
Substitute
Ratio / note
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
Moister, deeper flavour
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup honey + ¼ tsp baking soda
Reduce other liquid by ¼ cup
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup maple syrup
Reduce other liquid by ¼ cup
Honey
Maple syrup, 1:1
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses
Mix well
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar + ¼ cup water (simple syrup)
Or honey (adds its own flavour)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp cornstarch
Blend fine in a blender
Flours & thickeners
Ingredient
Substitute
Ratio / note
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour + 2 tbsp cornstarch
Lower-protein, softer result
1 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
Or just AP flour, slightly less chew
1 cup cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup AP flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar + ½ tsp brown sugar or honey
Tamarind
Lime juice + brown sugar
To taste
Chicken broth
Vegetable broth + 1 tbsp soy sauce
Or water + bouillon
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup cream + ½ cup water + pinch coconut extract
Approximate
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup tomato paste + ½ cup water + 1 tsp sugar
Salt
Ingredient
Substitute
Ratio / note
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp table salt
Recipes in this collection use fine sea salt
1 tsp table salt
≈ 1½ tsp Diamond kosher; ≈ 1 tsp Morton kosher
Kosher crystals pack less densely
Kosher salt
Fine sea salt, by weight
By volume, use less fine salt than kosher
Salt (savoury salting)
1 tbsp soy sauce ≈ ½ tsp salt
Adds umami as well as saltiness
Chocolate & cocoa
Ingredient
Substitute
Ratio / note
1 oz semisweet chocolate
1 tbsp cocoa + 1 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp butter or oil
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 tbsp cocoa + 1 tbsp butter or oil
Reduce other fat by 1 tbsp
Dutch cocoa
Natural cocoa + pinch baking soda
Dutch is less acidic; adjust leavening
Bittersweet chocolate
Semisweet chocolate
Use slightly less added sugar
The full reference — a glossary, a complete recipe index, and these tables in context — lives in the Glossary & Indexes companion. For the cooking, the collection's recipes each name the skill or ingredient they teach.