| Dry measures | Cake tin substitutions |
| Liquid measures | Cup conversions |
| Oven temperature conversion | Converting old recipes |
| Cake tin sizes |
Dry measures |
|
| Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|
| 1 oz | 30g |
| 2 oz | 55g |
| 3 oz | 85g |
| 4 oz (¼ lb) | 115g |
| 5 oz | 140g |
| 6 oz | 170g |
| 7 oz | 200g |
| 8 oz (½ lb) | 225g |
| 9 oz | 255g |
| 10 oz | 285g |
| 16 oz (1 lb) | 450g |
| 32 oz (2 lb) | 900g |
Liquid measures |
|
| Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|
| 1 fl oz | 2 tablespoon (30ml) |
| 2 fl oz | 1/4 cup (60ml) |
| 2¾ fl oz | 1/3 cup (80ml) |
| 3 fl oz | 90ml |
| 4 fl oz (1/4 pint /1 gill) | 1/2 cup (125ml) |
| 5 fl oz | 2/3 cup (150ml) |
| 6 fl oz | 3/4 cup (175ml) |
| 8 fl oz | 1 cup (250ml) |
| 10 fluid oz (½ pint) | 300 ml |
| 20 fluid oz (1 pint) | 600 ml |
| 1 quart | 1 litre |
| 1 teaspoon (5ml) 1 tablespoon (15ml) |
| Australia metric tablespoon is 20ml |
Oven temperature conversion |
||||
| °C | Fan °C | °F | GAS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cool | 140 | 120 | 275 | 1 |
| Cool | 150 | 130 | 300 | 2 |
| Moderate | 160 | 140 | 325 | 3 |
| Moderate | 180 | 160 | 350 | 4 |
| Moderately hot | 190 | 170 | 375 | 5 |
| Moderately hot | 200 | 180 | 400 | 6 |
| Hot | 220 | 200 | 425 | 7 |
| Hot | 230 | 210 | 450 | 8 |
| Very hot | 240 | 220 | 475 | 9 |
Cake tin sizes |
|
| Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|
| 6 inches | 15cm |
| 7 inches | 18cm |
| 8 inches | 20cm |
| 9 inches | 23cm |
| 10 inches | 25cm |
| 11 inches | 28cm |
Cake tin substitutions |
|
| Recipe calls for this tin: | This tin can be used: |
|---|---|
| 20cm x 10cm, loaf | 20cm, round |
| 23cm, round | 20cm, square |
| 20cm, square | 23cm, round |
| 23cm, square | 20 to 24 muffin cups |
| 23cm x 12.5cm, loaf | 16 to 20 muffin cups |
| 27.5cm x 17.5cm, rectangle | 23cm x 12.5cm, loaf |
| 25cm Bundt or fluted ring pan | Two 23cm, round |
| The baking time may change, so make sure to check for signs of doneness. | |
Cup conversions |
||||
| 1/4 cup | 1/3 cup | 1/2 cup | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| breadcrumbs, dry | 25g (1 oz) | 30g (1¼ oz) | 55g (2 oz) | 115g (4 oz) |
| butter | 55g (2 oz) | 75g (2½ oz) | 115g (4 oz) | 225g (8 oz) |
| cheese, shredded/grated | 30g (¾ oz) | 35g (1¼ oz) | 50g (1¾ oz) | 100g (3½ oz) |
| choc bits | 40g (1¾ oz) | 50g (2¼ oz) | 85g (3 oz) | 170g (6 oz) |
| coconut, desiccated | 30g (¾ oz) | 30g (1 oz) | 45g (1½ oz) | 85g (3 oz) |
| flour, plain/self-raising | 50g (1¾ oz) | 55g (2 oz) | 75g (2½ oz) | 130g (4¾ oz) |
| rice, uncooked | 50g (1¾ oz) | 60g (2¼ oz) | 110g (3¼ oz) | 175g (6½ oz) |
| sour cream | 35g (1¼ oz) | 85g (3 oz) | 110g (3¾ oz) | 210g (7½ oz) |
| sugar, brown – lightly packed | 35g (1¼ oz) | 55g (2 oz) | 75g (2½ oz) | 140g (5 oz) |
| sugar, brown – firmly packed | 50g (1¾ oz) | 65g (2¼ oz) | 100g (3¼ oz) | 175g (6½ oz) |
| sugar, caster | 40g (1¼ oz) | 75g (2½ oz) | 110g (3¾ oz) | 200g (7 oz) |
| sugar, icing | 50g (1¼ oz) | 55g (2 oz) | 75g (2½ oz) | 145g (4¾ oz) |
| sugar, white | 50g (1¾ oz) | 75 (2½ oz) | 100g (3½ oz) | 200g (7 oz) |
| sultanas | 45g (1½ oz) | 55g (2 oz) | 80g (2¾ oz) | 150g (5½ oz) |
| yoghurt | 60g (2¼ oz) | 85g (3 oz) | 115g (4 oz) | 215g (8¼ oz) |
| These conversions have been rounded for cookery purposes | ||||
Converting old recipes
Cup measurements in older recipes can be for a large cup, a breakfast cup, a standard cup, a small cup or a teacup.
For flour, the weights I arrived at were as follows:
Large cup – 170 g
Breakfast cup – 150 g
Standard cup – 125 g
Small or tea cup – 100 g *
*3/4 standard cup
For liquid measurements
Breakfast cup – 300 ml *
Standard cup – 225 ml
Teacup – 200 ml
*half a pint
A tablespoon in an old recipe was often a regular large serving tablespoon, holding about 20 ml, rather than a 15 ml metric tablespoon. Teaspoons are about the same size whether metric or standard, but some older cook books expect teaspoon measurements to be rounded, or even heaped. (And I have found references to a salt spoon – which means about ¼ tsp.) In the metric column of this book, all spoon and cup measurements are level.
A pinch of fine salt or ground spice is picked up with your thumb and first and second fingers, an amount generally accepted to be less than 1/8 tsp.
If you are interested in making older recipes, you might like to track down some of the standard measuring cups that were used until New Zealand went metric in 1973. A conical cook’s measure with the weights of ingredients printed inside it in ounces and grams is a boon for the retrospective cook.
Dry & solids measurements
| breakfast cup | teacup | |
|---|---|---|
| flour | 160g | 80g |
| mixed fruit | 150g | 75g |
| sugar | 250g | 125g |
| brown sugar | 250g | 115g |
| butter | 225g | 115g |
| coconut | 85g | 40g |
| wholemeal | 85g | 40g |
Liquid measurements
1 standard cup = 225 ml
1 breakfastcup = 1/2 pint = 275ml
1/2 breakfastcup = 1 gill = 150 ml
1 teacup = 200 ml
2 tablespoon = 2 fluid ounce = 55ml
A salt spoon is 1/4 tsp.
A pinch is picked up with your thumb and finger pinched together (approximately 1/8 tsp).
