Conversions & Substitutions



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Diversity in the kitchen depends on translation and flexibility.  Below is a list of conversions and substitutions for the cook, because not all recipes use the same measurement units and the necessary ingredients aren't always conveniently available.

Note that conversions between US and metric measures and between dried and cooked quantities are not scientifically precise, but are acceptable approximations for most cooking purposes.

Go to Liquid and Dry Measures | Weight | Temperature | Beans | Rice & Grains | General Conversions & Substitutions

Cooking Measurement Equivalents

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Liquid and Dry Measures

US
1 tsp
1 tbsp
1/8 cup
1/4 cup
1/3 cup
1/2 cup
2/3 cup
3/4 cup
1 cup
1 pint
1 quart
1 gallon

1/3 tbsp
3 tsp
2 tbsp
4 tbsp
5 tbsp +1 tsp
8 tbsp
10 tbsp +2 tsp
12 tbsp
16 tbsp
2 cups
2 pints
4 quarts

60 drops

1/2 fl oz
1 fl oz
2 fl oz

4 fl oz

8 fl oz
16 fl oz
32 fl oz
128 fl oz
Metric
5 mL
15 mL
25 mL
50 mL
75 mL
125 mL
150 mL
175 mL
250 mL
500 mL
1 L
4 L

Weight

1 oz
1 lb
1 kg
30 g
454 g
2.2 lb

Temperature

Fahrenheit
225°
250°
275°
300°
325°
350°
375°
400°
425°
450°
475°
Celsius
105°
120°
130°
150°
165°
180°
190°
200°
220°
230°
245°
Gas Mark
1/4
1/2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Description
Very cool

Cool

Medium low
Medium

Medium hot
Hot

Very hot

Beans

When possible, I recommend that you soak dried beans overnight and boil the next day for the recipes presented on this blog instead of using canned beans. The taste and nutritional value is far superior, and really takes very little extra time as preparation of other ingredients can take place while the beans are boiling.

Dried Beans
1/3 cup
1/2 cup
2/3 cup 
1 cup
1 lb
Cooked Beans
1 cup
1 1/2 cups 
2 cups
3 cups 
6 — 7 cups
Equivalent

14 oz/398 mL can
19 oz/540 mL can

2 1/2 cups dried

Rice & Grains

Dried Grains
1/3 cup
1/2 cup
2/3 cup
1 cup
1 lb
 




2 1/2 cups dried
Cooked Grains
1 cup
1 1/2 cups
2 cups
3 cups
6—7 cups

General Conversions & Substitutions

The conversions and substitutions listed below are general guidelines only — results may depend on the quality or type of ingredients, or the purpose of the substitution.

Ingredient Amount Conversions/Substitutions
     
Butter 1 stick 1/4 lb or 4 oz or 1/2 cup
Butter 1 cup 1/2 lb or 8 oz or 2 sticks
Buttermilk 1 cup 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice
Coconut Milk 1 cup 1 cup milk + 1 tsp coconut extract
Egg 1 large 3 tbsp
Egg Yolk 1 1 tbsp
Egg White 1 2 tbsp
White Sugar 1 cup 1 cup brown sugar or 3/4 cup honey or 3/4 cup maple syrup
Brown Sugar 1 cup 1 cup white sugar + 1/4 cup molasses
Cake or Pastry Flour 1 cup 7/8 cup all-purpose flour
Self-Rising Flour 1 cup 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt
Unsweetened Chocolate 1 square (1 oz) 3 tbsp cocoa + 1 tbsp butter or 3 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
Arrowroot 1 tsp 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch or 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Cornstarch 1 tsp 2 tsp all-purpose flour
Lemon Juice 1 lemon 3 tbsp
Lemon Zest 1 lemon 2 tsp
Lime Juice 1 lime 2 tbsp
Lime Zest 1 lime 2 tsp
Coconut 1 medium coconut 3 cups coconut flesh
Coconut 1 tbsp fresh grated 2 tsp dried grated
Sweetened Coconut 1 cup shredded 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut + 2 tsp sugar or sweetener
Garlic 1 clove 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic or 1/4 tsp dried garlic powder
Garlic 1 tsp fresh 2 cloves or 1/2 tsp dried garlic powder
Ginger 1-inch piece 1 tbsp fresh or 1/4 tsp dried
Herbs 1 tbsp fresh 1 tsp dried
Bay Leaf 1 fresh or dried 1/4 tsp dried
Cinnamon 1 stick 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Allspice 1 tsp 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/2 ground cloves
Pasta 1 lb dried 4 cups dried
Pasta 1 cup dried 2 cups cooked
Mushrooms 1 lb fresh 20 to 24 mushrooms or 6 cups or 3 oz dried
Onion 1 medium 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato 1 medium 2/3 cup chopped
Tomato 16 oz can 3 medium tomatoes

Go to Liquid and Dry Measures | Weight | Temperature | Beans | Rice & Grains | General Conversions & Substitutions

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