Conversion is a bit difficult because of the different standards for cup and spoons sizes in different parts of the world. Some tablespoons are 20ml some are 25ml and there are at least three different 'standard' cup sizes and so it goes on.
The other difficulty is that the amount that you get in a cup depends very much on how you fill it. I think the 'official' method is that you loosen the flour (or whatever) by stirring it up, then spoon the loosened stuff into the cup until it is just over full and then you level it off with a straight edge. That, I am pretty sure, is the amount that the conversion tables will give you once you have sorted out which volume container they are using. What you get if you just scoop the cup into the bag/tin is anybody's guess.
Probably your best bet is to use the conversions, make the recipe and judge how it comes out and adjust the quantities to suit. Makes life interesting and can be very satisfying. My mother made magnificent sponges and other baked goods and never used a set of scales in her life and her cups were just old kitchen china that were chipped had the handles broken off and were no longer suitable to be used on the table.
Again thank you for the information Farinam. You certainly are extremely helpful. I'm probably like your mother and have always baked with just cup and tablespoon measures. In fact that's all you can find in the Joy of Cooking which is my basic cook book in addition to the internet. I'm pretty happy with my loaves (taste, color and oven spring) so I'll just stay with what I've been doing over the years (many, many). I kind of gave up on trying to get a more open crumb (eg artisan loaf) but what the heck. As long as the bread tastes and looks nice and everyone loves it I guess I shouldn't try to fix what isn't broken. :)
Replies
Hi Ron,
Conversion is a bit difficult because of the different standards for cup and spoons sizes in different parts of the world. Some tablespoons are 20ml some are 25ml and there are at least three different 'standard' cup sizes and so it goes on.
The other difficulty is that the amount that you get in a cup depends very much on how you fill it. I think the 'official' method is that you loosen the flour (or whatever) by stirring it up, then spoon the loosened stuff into the cup until it is just over full and then you level it off with a straight edge. That, I am pretty sure, is the amount that the conversion tables will give you once you have sorted out which volume container they are using. What you get if you just scoop the cup into the bag/tin is anybody's guess.
Probably your best bet is to use the conversions, make the recipe and judge how it comes out and adjust the quantities to suit. Makes life interesting and can be very satisfying. My mother made magnificent sponges and other baked goods and never used a set of scales in her life and her cups were just old kitchen china that were chipped had the handles broken off and were no longer suitable to be used on the table.
Good luck with your projects.
Farinam
Again thank you for the information Farinam. You certainly are extremely helpful. I'm probably like your mother and have always baked with just cup and tablespoon measures. In fact that's all you can find in the Joy of Cooking which is my basic cook book in addition to the internet. I'm pretty happy with my loaves (taste, color and oven spring) so I'll just stay with what I've been doing over the years (many, many). I kind of gave up on trying to get a more open crumb (eg artisan loaf) but what the heck. As long as the bread tastes and looks nice and everyone loves it I guess I shouldn't try to fix what isn't broken. :)
Anyway, cheers buddy.
vet