This metric system is confounding me!

by Lili Mounce

Liters, milliliters, grams, kilos, -- wait I know that one. Kilos are what the guys on Hawaii Five-0 are always confiscating from the bad dudes. But the rest of the stuff, that's all Greek to me, or I guess metric to me.

My friend, Sarah, at Everyday Life on a Shoestring, and I have been discussing the difficulties of converting recipes from US Customary to Metric and Metric to US Customary measurements. You see, Sarah lives in the UK, and I live in the USA. So, today, we're doing a metric to US and back to metric joint post today.

I think the greatest difficulties arise from a lack of basic understanding of how we measure various ingredients. As I was trying to convert US recipes to metric, I found difficulty determining whether to use mL or grams, for the different ingredients. I did stumble across a couple of websites with good information, although sometimes they seemed to contradict each other. I wound up going with the best 2 out of 3 answers to my various questions on measures.

I couldn't get the image out of my head of someone using metric measures weighing all the dry stuff. (Picture a balance scale with brass weights for one pan, ingredients in the other.) While I realize there is more accuracy in weights than scoops, I just prefer my scoop-and-dump type of baking.

Then one of my daughters (isn't that how it always is, the kids understand the new-fangled gadgets better than us, the adults) showed me how to use the measuring cup that has a built in scale (gift from a friend, had it for a year and just now know how it works!) A measuring cup, like this, with scales built in is how I now imagine those on metric measuring their dry ingredients.

I also realized that many measurements common to the US make no sense outside of our country. Such as when a recipe calls for a stick of butter. To those outside the US, there is no real definition to what amount to use. Just how big is a stick of butter? And things like if you're weighing your flour, just what would a heaping vs. a rounded cup look like?

So, from my end, I've tried to clarify some of the US Customary measures.

In the USA

Here in the USA, most recipes are measured by volume, not weight. (Professional bakers do use weight for measurement accuracy.)

We have two types of measuring cups, one for fluids, and one for dry ingredients. The fluid measuring cups are pourable and have markings all up the sides, in ounces as well as 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, etc., plus metric measurements.

The dry measuring cups are more like scoops. And there are different cups for each amount. Sets come with 1/8 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup scoops. We measure small amounts of both dry and liquid ingredients in measuring spoons, ranging from 1/16 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon.


Be aware, internationally, we have some things with the same name, but different capacity.

A cup is not a cup is not a cup. 
A metric cup, common to recipes used in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Lebanon and Latin America, is slightly larger than the US customary cup. A metric cup contains 250 mL (or 16  2/3 international tablespoons), while the cup standard to the USA contains 240 mL (or 16 international tablespoons).

And, a pint is not a pint is not a pint.
A US pint is 473 mL, while a UK pint is 568 mL (about 20% more than the US pint). A US fluid ounce is 1/16 of a US pint. Whereas, a UK fluid ounce is 1/20 of a UK pint.

Here's a table of Standard US Customary Measurements (no recipe I know actually calls for gills of anything, but I thought you'd like to know, and for me it's fun to think of calling 1/2 cup a gill) and rounded Metric Equivalents

1 gallon  =  4 quarts  =  8 pints  =  16 cups  =  128 fluid ounces   **equivalent**  3.75 liters
1 quart  =  2 pints  =  4 cups  =  32 fluid ounces   **equivalent**   950 milliliters
1 pint  =  2 cups  =  16 fluid ounces   **equivalent**   480 milliliters
1 cup  =  8 fluid ounces  =  16 tablespoons   **equivalent**   240 milliliters
1 gill  =  1/2 cup  =  4 fluid ounces  =  8 tablespoons   **equivalent**  120 milliliters
1 fluid ounce  =  2 tablespoons   **equivalent**  30 milliliters
1 tablespoon  =  1/2 fluid ounce  =  3 teaspoons   **equivalent**   15 milliliters
1 teaspoon  **equivalent**  5 milliliters

To determine baking temperature, here's a formula to do the math yourself (if you want to exercise those little grey cells)

°C = (°F - 32) x 5/9

Clarification on some US oddities, to help in measuring:

1 stick of butter  =  8 tablespoons  =  4 ounces  =  1/4 pound (the wrapper on a stick of butter is marked with lines for tablespoons)

Some commonly understood approximations, often found in US recipes:

• Firmly packed is most used for brown sugar. One fills the measuring utensil with brown sugar, then presses down firmly, with the back of a spoon, to firmly pack the cup.

• Lightly packed is as implied, fill the scoop and lightly pack in with the back of a spoon.

• Sifted refers most often to flour. It can be used to combine ingredients, such as baking soda, salt spices with flour (for even distribution in a recipe). Or, it can be used for gaining accuracy, when passing one recipe between people, in the measuring process. A sifted cup of flour has more loft and will weigh less than an unsifted one. If a recipe states "1 cup of sifted flour", sift your flour before measuring. If a recipe states "1 cup of flour, sifted", measure your flour first, then sift.

• Heaping means to overfill a utensil, often as much as can be filled, without spilling onto the counter.

• Rounded simply means to fill the scoop/spoon so the contents are mounded above the line of the utensil.

• Scant means just slightly less than the utensil holds, by about 1 teaspoon per cup.

• Level/even, means to fill the utensil, then using a straight edge, such as the blade of a knife, scrape off any contents above the line of the utensil.

• A dash or a pinch is about 1/16th of a teaspoon.

Finally, two charts --

here's a chart of US to metric conversions (for converting a US recipe for metric cooking) that I've found quite helpful.

And here's a listing of metric to US conversions (for converting a metric recipe to US kitchens) and item descriptions (or, why is a biscuit in the UK not fluffy and white?)

Are you as confounded by all this as I am? Why we can't all cook using one system of measurements is beyond me!

Want to know what the UK thinks of US measurements? Go ahead and click!