Volume versus Weight

Volume versus Weight in Old Recipes


Many older recipes call for weight of dry/solid ingredients rather than the volume we see in most recipes today.

Yes there is a current trend among some to use weight based on the metric system and using electronic scales, well that may be fine for people who want to make simple tasks complicated, but has no place in a primitive cook camp.

Those who follow me have already figured out in camp as well as my kitchen at home I am a believer in keeping it as simple as possible, which in most cases does not involve a written recipe and no measuring devices at all. This is a skill not everyone can develop but it keeps the volume of gear down and eliminates have to wash measuring devices.

These figures are a basic guide, source of the product as well as moisture content can vary items. It makes me wonder if these electronic scales really are as accurate on a day by day basis like people claim. Also look at several recipes for the same item, are they all exactly the same? No not really, they have been adjusted to suit the cook and that's what myself and others tend to do.



Flour and Meal

1 cup of white flour any type equals 4¼ ounce

1 cup of self-rising flour equals 4 ounces

1 cup of wheat flour equals 4 ounce

1 cup of rye flour equals 3¾ ounce

1 cup cornmeal equals 5¼ ounce.

1 cup cornstarch equals 4 ounce
1 tablespoon cornstarch equals 1/16 ounce


Sugar and Salt

1 cup white sugar equals 7 ounce

1 packed cup brown sugar equals 7½ ounce

1 cup confectioners sugar equals 8 ounce

1 teaspoon table salt equals ⅕ ounce

1 cup table salt equals 10 ounce


Fruit and Nuts

Most fruits are very close as well as nuts, close enough that there is no reason to list them all since they are so close

1 cup fresh sliced fruit equals 4 ounce

1 cup chopped, dried equals 4 ounce


Butter and Lard

1 cup butter equals 8 ounce

1 cup lard equals 8 ounce

1 cup vegetable shortening equals 6½ to 7½ ounce

Cheese

Cheddar cheese 4 ounce shredded makes one cup. Harder cheeses such as Parmesan will only take about 3 ounces to make a cup. Soft cheeses such as cottage and cream it will take 7 to 8 ounces to make a cup. The coarseness of the grate will also vary the weight.


Leavening

2¼ teaspoon equals ¼ ounce or 1 package

1 teaspoon baking powder equals ¼ ounce

1 teaspoon baking soda equals ⅓ ounce


Rice and Beans

1 cup dried rice equal 3 ½ ounce equals 3 cups cooked

1 cup dried beans equals 8 ounce equals 1¼ to 1½ pounds cooked


Miscellaneous


1 medium onion chopped equals 1 cup

1 cup cocoa powder equals ¼ pound
1 tablespoon cocoa powder equals ¼ ounce

1 medium lemon/orange yields 4 tablespoons juice
1 medium lemon/orange yields 2 tablespoons zest


Coffee and Tea

For some reason a standard cup of coffee is considered to be 8 ounces and a standard cup of tea is 6 ounces.

Amounts are approximate because some like it stronger or weaker.


1½ teaspoons ground coffee equals ¼ ounce makes one cup.

1 pound ground coffee makes 64 cups


2 teaspoons loose tea equals 1/16 oz makes 1 cup

½ cup tea will make a gallon of iced tea this will be about ¼ cup


Spices and Herbs


Dried spices and ground herbs will average about 3½ to 4 teaspoons per ounce.

Unground dried herbs will run about 5 to 12 teaspoons to the ounce, because of this it is best to use a little less than what one thinks they need then add more if needed.

Fresh herbs have about double the weight per volume as dried but being fresh instead of dried so being more potent a good rule of thumb is to use 1½ as much as dried.