When I first tried to read an English recipe, I was unable to understand it. However, this was not due to my lack of knowledge in English, but in maths! All those lb’s, oz’s and pt’s! In my opinion, English measuring units are extremely confusing, illogical, and most importantly, unnecessary. I mean, how hard can it be to decide on one common universal measuring system? I’ve even heard that large international outer space projects have failed due to this difference in measuring. The scientists forgot to convert the data and consequently worked with totally different numbers. The mishap in the kitchen would probably be on a smaller scale, but still, it would be annoying. In order to avoid this, I will provide you with the most important “translations”* so your dishes from English recipes turn out the way they are supposed to.
|
Unit** |
Abbreviation |
Metric Equivalent |
|
pound |
lb |
~0,4 kg |
|
ounce |
oz |
~30 g |
|
pint (dry) |
pt |
~0,5 l |
|
pint (liquid) |
pt |
~0,5 l |
|
fluid ounce |
fl oz |
~30 ml |
|
gallon (liquid) |
gal |
~4 l |
There is another fairly mysterious unit called “cup”. While one US cup of salt equals approximately 280g, a US cup of sugar is 190g and a US cup of flour only 130g. This is because the cup measures volume, not weight. In other countries, a cup has a totally different size. If you don’t have an original cup, a tea cup will probably do. It might vary in size, but since the proportions stay the same it shouldn’t be a problem.***
And finally, the temperature in the oven. If you overlook that it is degree Fahrenheit instead of degree Celsius, your cake might transform into a pile of ashes in the oven. Better convert it with the formula °F-32*5/9=°C
* Most of them are the similar in the U.S. and the U.K., but they vary slightly in size.
** There is an online converter or a more detailed table online.
*** If you are confused now, you can get a more detailed explanation here.
mpurk 