(Common Cooking Conversions, 1 cup rice equals 3 cups cooked)
In the essence of “back to school” and learning new skills this month is all about what else we can learn from food. I love food not only because it tastes delicious and fills the need of hunger. From food you can also learn about the art, history, culture, math and science. Making a meal together fills our stomachs, brings us together and transforms the kitchen into a fun learning environment.
This week try bringing out a little math in the kitchen with common cooking conversions. When preparing a meal this week add a little fun learning. Ask younger kids to count the ingredients needed for a recipe or help measure out what is needed. For older kids let them help figure out how to time the meal based on time and temperature. For example, if the casserole has to bake at 350 for 45 minutes and the vegetables only take 20 minutes, when should the items go in the oven to have everything done for 6pm dinnertime? Or try doubling a recipe to make the second batch for a meal at a later time. If you are making a dessert like a cake or pie talk about fractions when serving it.
To make recipe alterations easy use this measurement conversion chart.
Sometimes it’s hard to know how much of an ingredient is actually need. When you know rough basic measurements of items it saves you time from having to exactly measure ingredients for recipes such as stir fry and casseroles. When baking make sure your measurements are more exact as the amount of flour, sugar, fat and leavening agents can drastically change the science of cooking and your end results. Here are some common cooking conversions for ingredients to make cooking easier and quicker.
General Food Conversions:
- Rice: 1 cup instant = 1 ½ cups cooked
- 1 cup white or brown = 3 cups cooked
- Beans: 1 cup dry =2 ½ cups cooked
- Pasta: 8 ounces dry =4 cups cooked
- or 5 ½ fine noodles like couscous
- Bread: 2 slices fresh = 1 cup crumbs or cubes
- Butter: 1 stick = ½ cup = 8 tablespoons
- 4 sticks = 2 cups = 1 pound
- Cheese: 8 ounces = 2 cups shredded
- 2 ounces= ½ cup shredded
- 1 pound =4.5 cup shredded
- Cream: 1 cup heavy cream = 2 cups whipped
- Chocolate: 1 cup = 6 oz. chips
- 1 pound cocoa = 4 cups
- Flour: 1 pound = 3 ½ cups
- Sugar: 1 pound = 2 cups granulated
- or 2 ¼ cups packed brown
- or 4 ½ cups powdered
- Eggs: 7 large = 1 cup whites
- 1 large egg = ¼ cup liquid egg substitute
- Berries: 1 pint =2 ¼ cups
- Apple: 1 medium = 1 cup sliced
- Lemon: 1 medium = 1 teaspoons grated zest and 2 tablespoons juice
- Herb: 1 tablespoons fresh = 1 teaspoon dry
- Carrot: 1 large = 1 cup grated
- 1 pound raw = 2 ½ cups sliced
- Onion: 1 large =1 cup chopped
- 1 medium =1/2 cup chopped
- 1 small = ¼ cup chopped
- Potato: 1 medium = 1 cup sliced or cubed
- Bell pepper: 1 large = 1 cup chopped
- Tomato: 1 large = 1 cup chopped
Oven terms and temps
- Warming: 200 Degrees F. 95-100 Degrees C.
- Very Slow: 250-275 Degrees F. 120-140 Degrees C.
- Slow: 300-325 Degrees F. 150-160 Degrees C.
- Moderate: 350-375 Degrees F. 180-190 Degrees C.
- Hot: 400-425 Degrees F. 200-220 Degrees C.
- Very Hot: 450-475 Degrees F. 230-240 Degrees C.
- Broil: 500-550 Degrees F. 260-290 Degrees C.
Ovens can very in temperatures drastically just because it says it is at 350 does not mean it is always accurate be sure to check the temperature of your oven and have it calibrated correctly for best results.
Baking Pan Volume:
- 11x7x2 = 6 cups
- 13x9x2 = 14 cups
- 9x9x1.5 = 8cups
- 9x9x2 = 10 cups
- 10x 10x 2 = 12 cups
- 8x8x1.5 = 6 cups
- 8x8x2 = 8 cups
- 8x 1.5 circle = 4 cups
- 8×2 circle = 6 cups
- 9x 1.5 circle = 6 cups
- 9×2 circle = 8 cups
- 10 x 2 circle = 12 cups
- 8x4x2 loaf = 4 cups
- 9x5x3 loaf= 8 cups
