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Teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, ounces, milliliters – the different ways recipes give measurements can exist inexplainable. Even experienced cooks and bakers sometimes forget an equivalent, and when measurements are in an unfamiliar system – like the metric organization for Americans – all but professionals pull out their exchange charts.

Don't panic if you tin't locate your one/four cup measure out. At that place are several ways to measure using other tools. Only exist sure you're converting identical forms of an ingredient.

Measuring Without the 1/4 Cup

When a recipe calls for 1/4 cup, one/iii cup, 1/2 loving cup or 1 loving cup of water or another ingredient, you simply pull out your measuring cups, right? Merely wait – the 1/8 cup is nesting inside the i/3 cup! Where did the i/4 loving cup go? You check the dishwasher, a few other drawers and the kids' play kitchen, but it has disappeared.

That's OK. You can measure one/4 loving cup several other ways:

  • Two one/8 cups = i/4 loving cup
  • Half of one/two cup = ane/4 loving cup. Although you'll be eyeballing what is half of the ane/2 loving cup, being exact isn't as disquisitional with water as long equally you're close.
  • 4 tablespoons = 1/four loving cup
  • 12 teaspoons = 1/4 cup (iii teaspoons per tablespoon times iv tablespoons = 12 teaspoons)

Converting Ounces to Milliliters and More than

Often, a recipe yous desire to effort uses metric measurements instead of the standard U.S. system. It helps to proceed a conversion table nearby so you can easily refer to it. In recipes, yous volition most oftentimes need conversions of weights and liquids, such every bit:

  • oz to ml: one fluid ounce (fl oz) = 29.57353 milliliters (ml)
  • one gallon = 3.7854 liters (l)
  • ane liter = 33.81 fl oz
  • 1 oz = 28.35 grams (g)

Converting Same Ingredients

Information technology's important to make sure y'all're converting ingredients that are identical or of the aforementioned class for the conversion to work successfully. When finding another mode to measure water, y'all're all the same measuring the aforementioned ingredients.

Substitute broth or hot sauce: If you decided that instead of water, you'd like to add broth, that should exist fine considering broth is mild only flavorful and acts the same as water in a recipe. Yous tin cook in broth and use it in sauces and gravies and more. While information technology may add flavor, ane/four loving cup of broth won't alter the recipe much. However, if you decide to apply hot sauce instead of water, adding one/4 cup of hot sauce might brand your dish likewise spicy.

Dried spices for fresh: Allow's say your recipe chosen for 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, but you don't accept it on mitt, so y'all opt for dried rosemary instead. Stale spices are nigh three times more potent than fresh, so in general, it takes three times as much chopped, fresh spice than the same spice dried. So, 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary – a pungent spice – might overpower your dish. The conversion for spices is: 1 tablespoon fresh spice = 1 teaspoon dried spice.

Wondering About Troy Ounces?

Yous may have heard of troy ounces and wondered, "What'due south the deviation between an ounce and a troy ounce?" Troy ounces are used internationally to mensurate precious metals like gold and silver. So, unless yous're cashing in investments while your dinner simmers, you can concentrate only on converting standard ounces and forget about troy.

References

Writer Bio

Barbara Bean-Mellinger is a freelance writer who lives in the Washington, D.C. area and writes about food for eHow.com and leaf.tv. She started baking on her ain at historic period ix, creating appetizers at 10, and making family meals by xiv. Barbara holds a B.S. from the Academy of Pittsburgh, where she often cooked elaborate meals and desserts for friends.

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